Culture from To Kill a Mockingbird

Culture from To Kill a Mockingbird

Author(s):Austin Cowley and Dennis Johnson

Grade Level:Freshman English

Timeframe:
Class periods? 2-3
Number of hours? Minutes? 4-5 hours

Lesson Description or Explanation

This lesson plan describes attitudes of different cultures located in the South during the 1930s. The students will then create a graphic chart (pie, bar, line, etc.) using the four different cultures represented in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Indiana Curricular Standards

Standard 2: READING: ComprehensionComprehension involves understanding grade-level-appropriate material. Students develop strategies such as asking questions; making predictions; and identifying and analyzing structure, organization, perspective, and purpose. After Grade 5, the focus is on informational texts.Standard 3: READING: Literary Response and AnalysisResponse to grade-level-appropriate literature includes identifying story elements such as character, theme, plot, and setting, and making connections and comparisons across texts. Literary response enhances students’ understanding of history, culture, and the social sciences.

ISTE Standards

2. Social, Ethical, and human issues.
3. Technology productivity tools.

Assessments
Formative/Summative

A. Formative Assessment:
The teacher notes the students’ ideas and comments during the oral discussions.
B. Summative Assessment:
The student creates a graphic chart which correctly compares and contrasts the different social classes of the main characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
The chart includes text, correct identification, and graphics.
The student is able to correctly identify and chart the social/economic classes of his/her own county.

Prior Knowledge

A.Curricular Knowledge or Skills:
Students can explain the elements of literature.
Students can read for understanding.
Students have a basic knowledge of social class and structure.
Students understand the principles behind brainstorming and gathering information.

B.Technology Knowledge:
Students can access the Internet
Students are familiar with Microsoft Office

Technology

Internet Resources: (please list URLs): Online discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird (http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/).

Hardware: Computers, PCs

Software: Microsoft Office (Powerpoint, Publisher, Word)

Procedure

Day One
The teacher assesses the student’s prior knowledge and understandings of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Students will be introduced to the assignment, and the teacher will answer any questions the students have.
Discuss social and economic status in the South during the 1930s and have them apply this to the novel.
Students will begin to form their groups and brainstorm with each other what the different social and economic factors create the four different cultures in Maycomb County, and decide what graph style to implement.

Day Two
Students will begin class in computer lab with their groups.
Students will expand on their brainstorming from the day before and come to a common agreement on the four cultures and graph style.
Students will work in computer lab for rest of day working on their graph.

Day Three
Students will begin class in computer lab with their groups.
Students will complete their graphs of the four cultures in the novel.
Teacher will introduce assignment to create same graph using same principles only applying it to their community and not the novel.
Differentiated Instruction

ESL

We could have the novel written in the language that is needed because of the novel’s popularity. Have ESL students work with English as a first language students so they will not be left behind and in the mean time they may learn English easier.

Challenge/Extend
The assignment where the students create a graph with their own community could be expanded to include the state of Indiana, the midwest, the whole country, or even the whole world. Higher level students will also be challenged to fulfill the various roles to work in a group, especially groups which contain ESL or special needs students.

Special Needs

Students with special needs will work in groups so they could fulfill other important roles in the group. They will help their group in completing the assignment, and at the same time, they will not be left behind because they can not complete the assignment by themselves.