This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 day class study of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.
Audio Guide CDs are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide CD. Non-participating communities can listen to the full audio online.
Day One
FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [47K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read Audio Guide, Track One (15:45). Read Reader’s Guide essays. Respond to the novel's epigraph by Charles Lamb.
Homework: Read Chapters 1-3 (pp. 3-32).
Day Two
FOCUS: Arts and Culture
Day Two Lesson Plan [46K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read Audio Guide, Track Two (13:14). Read Handout Two. Read Reader's Guide essay, "Historical Context: The Jim Crow South" (pp. 8-9). Write about the relation between history and the novel.
Homework: Read Chapters 4-7 (pp. 32-63).
Day Three
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [42K PDF]
Activities: Explore Scout's narration. Imagine the novel narrated by Dill. Write the first pages of Dill's book. Write in first person from Boo Radley's point of view.
Homework: Read Chapters 8-10 (pp. 63-99).
Day Four
FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [34K PDF]
Activities: Explore the protagonist and antagonist. Examine minor characters who serve as foils. Write about the antagonist.
Homework: Read Chapters 11-12 (pp. 99-126).
Day Five
FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan [41K PDF]
Activities: Review the novel, identifying instances of figurative language. Write a personal story using techniques of image, simile, metaphor, and analogy.
Homework: Read Chapters 13-15 (pp. 127-155).
Day Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [34K PDF]
Activities: Discuss the mockingbird as a symbol in the novel. Write about how the names of characters serve as symbols.
Homework: Read Chapters 16-18 (pp. 155-189) and Handout Three.
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [38K PDF]
Activities: Explore how characters change their beliefs within the story. Write about the hero of the novel.
Homework: Read Chapters 19-23 (pp. 190-227).
Day Eight
FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [42K PDF]
Activities: Chart a time line of the story. Develop a plot for the sequel.
Homework: Read Chapters 24-27 (pp. 227-254).
Day Nine
FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan [34K PDF]
Activities: Explore potential themes. Develop an interpretation based on one of the themes.
Homework: Read Chapters 28-31 (pp. 254-281). Begin essays.
Day Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [39K PDF]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great novel and the voice of a generation. Examine qualities that make Lee’s
novel successful. Peer review of paper
outlines or drafts.
Homework: Essays due next class period.
ADDITIONAL HANDOUTS
Handout One: Biography of Harper Lee [47K PDF]
