Will the real Mockingbird please stand up? - Main Index the real Mockingbird please stand up? ......
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1 Will the real Mockingbird please stand up? A unit plan based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Julie E. Duke
Transcript of Will the real Mockingbird please stand up? - Main Index the real Mockingbird please stand up? ......
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Will the real Mockingbird please stand up?
A unit plan based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird
by Julie E. Duke
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Table of Contents
Rationale…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..page3
Goals&Rubrics…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page5
IntroductoryActivity…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page11
Week1LessonPlans…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page12
Week2LessonPlans…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page16
Week3LessonPlans…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page21
Week4LessonPlans…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page24
Week5LessonPlans…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page29
AForbiddenWord…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….page32
“WeWeartheMask”byPaulLaurenceDunbar………………………………………………………………………..page34
“MyPapa’sWaltz”byTheodoreRoethke………………………………………………………………………………….page34
“Sympathy”byPaulLaurenceDunbar……………………………………………………………………………………….page35
Author’s Note
Allnecessarymaterialsforthisunitareeitherprovidedoroutlinedexplicitlywithinthetextofthisunit
planwiththeexceptiononthenovel,ToKillaMockingbird,andthePartITest.ThePartITestwasnot
pre‐madeasthedirectionandconcentrationoftheunitwillbeusedtohelpdevelopamorethorough
andusefulassessment.
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Rat ionale TeachingHarperLee’sfamousnovel,ToKillaMockingbird,hasbecomeariteofpassagefor
manylanguageartsteachers.Ascanonizedasthenovelhasbecomeoverthelastfortyyears,itseemsinevitablethateveryhigh‐schoollanguageartsteacherwillteachthenovelatsomepointintheircareer.But,ascommonplaceasthisnovelhasbecomeinmanyninth‐gradeclassroomsacrossthecountry,thereisquiteabitofcontroversyoverwhetherornotthenovelisactuallywell‐suitedforthehigh‐schoolclassroom.Whatmightbesurprising,however,isthatthisisnotanewcontroversy.
AssoonasnineyearsafterToKillaMockingbirdwaspublishedin1960,therewerecriticsofthenovelwhowereconcernedaboutthewayitwasbeingtaughtintheclassroomand,asaresult,perceivedbystudents.WhileTheodoreW.Hipple,inhis1969articleentitled,“WilltheRealMockingbirdPleaseStandUp?”,notesthatthewidelybelovednovelcertainly“oughttoreceiveconsiderationforaplaceintheEnglishcurriculum,”heisalsoconcernedwiththepossibilityofthenovelbeing“distortedbywell‐meaningteacherstoservethecauseofracialjustice.”Hipplegoesontosaythatwhileracialjusticeisundeniablyoneofthemajorthemesinthenovel,themeatofthenovelisactuallythestoryofJem’scomingofagewhichoftengetsoverlookedbythoseteachingandstudyingthenovel.
Hipple’sargumentiscertainlyavalidone.ItseemsthatmoreoftenthannotthethemeofracialjusticeistheonethatstudentstakeawayafterhavingreadToKillaMockingbird.However,itshouldalsobenotedthatthereareaplethoraofotherthemesembeddedinthistimelessnovelthatmakeitthejewelthatitis.SusanArpajianJolleyassertsthatthereasonthisnovelhasstoodthetestoftimeandstillmaintainsaprominentplaceinthehigh‐schoolcurriculumisduetothefactthatitis“richinthematicmaterialandaccessibleenoughandmovingenoughtoopentheeyesofmanyanAmericanhigh‐schoolstudenttoworldsandperspectivestheyneedtosee”(2002).Despitethefactthatthisnovelisabouttocelebrateitsfiftiethanniversary,thereisanendearingqualityaboutToKillaMockingbirdthatstillmanagestomoveeventhemostmodernstudents.
Therelevanceofthenovelfortoday’shigh‐schoolstudentsisdefinitelynottobeoverlookedbecauseteachingsomethingbasedmerelyonthefactthatitappearsintheliterarycanonissimplynotacceptable.Itisimportantthat,asteachers,westrivetoprovidestudentswithteachingthatisguidedbyaculturallyrelevantpedagogy.AldredW.Tatumdefinesculturallyrelevantpedagogyas“apedagogyofoppositionthatencouragesstudentstoreadbetweenthelinesandbeyondthepagesandisdesignedtohavestudentsexaminethesocietyinwhichtheylive”(2006).SowhendecidingtoteachToKillaMockingbird,oranyothertextforthatmatter,wemustaskourselveswhetherornotstudentswillhavetheabilitytoreadbetweenthelinesandexaminethemselvesandthesocietyinwhichtheylive.
Therearecertainlyother,morerecent,worksthatwouldallowstudentstomakeconnectionsbetweenthetextandtheirownlives.TheBreadwinner(Ellis,2000)andShooter(Myers,2004)arejusttwoexamplesofnovelsthathavebeenrecentlypopularizedbyadolescentsbecauseoftheirabilityto
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connectwiththetextinsomeway.SurelythesenovelscouldbeusedinplaceofToKillaMockingbird.Sowhydosomanyteacherspullthisnoveloutofthebookroomyearafteryear?Thereasonissimple:notonlydostudentsconnecttothenoveland,inturn,learnmoreaboutthemselvesandthesocietyinwhichtheylive,buttheyalsolearnaboutwhatthingshelpedshapesocietyintowhatitistoday.Inotherwords,studentsdevelopanawarenessofhistoryandhowitaffectsthemtoday.
InToKillaMockingbird,the1930’sSouthwhichservesasthesettingforthenovelprovestobeaverycontroversialsubjecteventoday.Despitethefactthatmanyviewthisnovelashavingastrongvoiceadvocatingracialjustice,manycriticshaveaproblemwiththewayAtticusFinchdealswiththeprejudiceinthenovel.InMalcomGladwell’sarticle,“TheCourthouseRing:AtticusFinchandthelimitsofSouthernliberalism,”forTheNewYorkermagazineonline(2009),Atticus’roleasapurveyorofjusticeiscalledintoquestion.ThepremiseofthisarticleiscertainlywarrantedasoneofthemajorconcernsofteacherswhoteachToKillaMockingbirdisthewayinwhichjusticeisconveyedwithinthenovel.GladwellseemstosummarizewhatsomanyreadersofthisnoveltakeoffensetoasheseesthemainployofthenovelbeingonethatasksitsreaderstodoexactlywhatAtticusFinchaskedtheprimarilywhitejurytodo:"swaponeoftheirprejudicesforanother."Consequently,manyteachersfindthisnoveldifficulttoteachbecauseitappearsthat“thehearts‐and‐mindsapproachisaboutaccommodation,notreform."
RatherthanfocusingprimarilyontheracialissuesandinjusticethataresoovertwithinToKillaMockingbird,thisunitwillcenterontheneedforindividualstodevelopcourage,compassion,andanawarenessofhistoryinordertobecomebetterhumans(Jolley,2002).Inexploringthisideainrelationtothenovel,itisimpossiblenottodiscusstherolethatraceandjusticeplayinthenovel,theworld,andourownlivesaswetrytogainadeeperunderstandingofourownworldviewsaswellasthelivesofothers(Jolley,2002).However,thegoalofthisunitistoviewtheracial,gender,andsocialissuesofthisnovelasawayoflearningmoreaboutwhatitmeansdevelopcourage,compassion,andanawarenessofhistoryinordertobecomebetterhumans. Thenovelaloneisindeedsufficientinexemplifyingcourage,compassion,andtheneedforanawarenessofhistory.However,theoverarchingdesireisthat,throughanexplorationofthesethemes,studentswillbeginto“lookforconnectionsamongfactandfiction,thepastandthepresent,theirownlivesandliterature,andevenamonggenres”(Jolley,2002).Consequently,thisunitwillpairtheteachingofthenovelwithauniqueselectionofpoemsthatservetoenhancethesethemesandallowstudentsthepotentialtomakeconnectionsbetweenproseandpoetry. Oftentimes,poetryistaughtasasingleentitythatisvoidofcontext.Studentsareoftentaughtthedifferentpoeticstylesandthevariouscomponentsofapoem:therhythm,rhyme,andmeter.Butrarelydowesuccessfullyrelatethefactthatpoemshavethemesjustlikeprose.Whilepoemscanbeabouttheauthor’spersonaloremotionalmusings,themostcommonlytakenstanceinthehigh‐schoolclassroom,theycanalsobecommentaryaboutissuesthatareimportanttotheauthorandquitetellingofthetimeperiodduringinwhichtheywerewritten.Butnoneofthisbecomesclearunlesswe
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putpoemsinthecontextinwhichtheywereintendedtobeviewed.Whenstudentsbecomecapableofdecipheringthethemesofvariouspoemstheycanthenbegintomakeconnectionsbetweenpoetryandothertypesoftextsuchasprose.WhileteachingToKillaMockingbirdthroughamultigenre‐typeapproachcanbeintenselychallengingforbothteacherandstudent,itcanalso“expandstudents’awareness,extendmeaning,andleadtomorecreativeexpression”(Jolley,2002). ByincludingsuchpoemsasPaulLaurenceDunbar’s,“TheTownofScottsboro,”thethemeofcouragebecomesclearer.Studentsbegintoformtheirowndefinitionsofwhatitmeanstohavecouragebasedonthedescriptionsinthenovelandthepoems.Then,asstudentsshapetheirownworkingdefinitions,theyareabletoprojecttheirknowledgeontothevariouscharactersinthenovelinordertodecidewhichcharactersdoanddonotexhibitcourage.Byunderstandingthecouragethatittakesforthecharactersinthenoveltomakethechoicesthattheymake,studentsbecomemoreawareofthesignificancethattheiractionshaveinshapinghistory.ThethemeofcompassioncanjustaseasilybetaughtinthisverysamewaybyTheodoreRoethke’s“MyPapa’sWaltz.” Perhapsthemosteasilymadeconnectionbetweenthenovelandpoetrystemsfromthethemeofdevelopinganawarenessofhistory.Helpingstudentsunderstandthecontextofthisnoveliscrucialifstudentsaretounderstanditsthemes,bothovertandsubtle.ConsequentlyPaulLaurenceDunbar’spoem,“Sympathy,”canbeincorporatedinordertoaidstudentsincomprehendingtheincidentsthatweresocommonduringthe1930’sSouthsuchaslynchingandunjusttrialsthattheymightotherwisebeunfamiliarwith.
WorksCited
Gladwell,M.(2009,August10).Thecourthousering:AtticusFinchandthelimitsofSouthern
liberalism.TheNewYorkerontheWeb.RetrievedSeptember23,2009,fromhttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/10/090810fa_fact_gladwell
Hipple,T.W.(1969).Willtherealmockingbirdpleasestandup?MissouriEnglishBulletin,26(4).Jolley,S.A.(2002).IntegratingpoetryandToKillaMockingbird.TheEnglishJournal,92(2).Tatum,A.W.(2006).Adolescents’multipleidentitiesandteacherprofessionaldevelopment.In
Alvermann,D.E.,et.al.(Eds.),ReconceptualizingtheLiteraciesinAdolescents’Lives(pp.65‐79).Mahwah,NJ:LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.
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Goals & Rubr ics
Goal1:ReaderResponseJournals
AsstudentsreadthroughToKillaMockingbirdandthesupplementarymaterialsinthisunit,itisinevitablethataplethoraofthoughts,opinions,andquestionwillarise.TheReaderResponseJournal(RRJ)isintendedtobeaplaceforstudentstorespondtothereadingsonapersonallevel.Studentswillbeaskedtostatetheirfeelings,thoughts,reactions,andquestionsregardingthetextsinacasualstylewiththefocusbeingmoreoncontentthanconvention.Withthatsaid,verylittleemphasiswillbeplacedongrammar,punctuationandthelike.Studentswillonlyberequiredtomaketheirentrieslegible.
WhileattentiontoconventionswillplayaveryminuteroleintheRRJ,makingavaliantefforttodomorethansummarizethereadingwillbeofutmostimportanceastheprimarypurposeoftheRRJistomotivatestudentstoengagewiththetextsonadeeperandmorecomplexlevel.Studentswillbeencouragedtomakeconnectionstothetextsratherthanmerelysummarizewhattheyhaveread.Consequently,somesummarizationmaybenecessaryinorderforstudentstogettheirpointacross.Asalways,theuseofquotationsfromthetextishighlyencouraged.
Itseemsreasonabletorequirestudentstoproduceapproximately8entriesthroughoutthe4weekunit:twoentriesperweek.Eachentryshouldbeaminimumoftwoparagraphsconsistingoffourtosixsentenceseach.RRJ’swillbecollected2timesthroughouttheunit;oncerandomlyandonceattheendoftheunit.Togetstudentsoffontherightfoot,Iwillprovideamodelofareallygreatjournalentryaswellasanot‐so‐greatentry.AsIgradetheRRJ’stherearethreemainaspectsthatIwillbelookingfor:
Reflection,thoughtfulnessandquestioningwithrespecttothenovelandsupplementalmaterials
Connectionsbetweenin‐classmaterialsandpersonalexperiences,othertextsandevents
Attentiontodetailsregardingtheauthor’spurposeandvariousliterarydevices Completionofappropriatenumberofentriesthatmeettherequiredlength
requirements
ReaderResponseJournalRubric 3
2 1 Points
EarnedConnections/
ContentShowsahightoveryhighdegreeofreflection,thoughtfulnessandquestioningwithrespecttothenoveland
Showsamoderatedegreeofreflection,thoughtfulnessandquestioningwithrespecttothenovelandthe
Showslittletonoreflection,thoughtfulnessandquestioningwithrespecttothenovelandsupplemental
____pts
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supplementalmaterials
supplementalmaterials
materials
Communication Everyjournalentryisatleasttwoparagraphsandclearlycommunicatesthestudent'sthoughtsandquestions
Mostjournalentriesareatleasttwoparagraphs,althoughmanydonotcommunicatethestudent'sthoughtsandquestions
Fewtononeofthejournalentriesaretwoparagraphsanddonotcommunicatethestudent'sthoughtsandquestions
____pts
Completion(TotalNumberofEntriesforthisCollection_____)
Allentriesarecompleted,showingtime,thought,andeffort
Halfoftheentriesarecompleted,showingtime,thought,andeffort
Noneoftheentriesarecompleted
____pts
*CredittoNaomiWhite
ReaderResponseJournalOverthenext4weeks,aswereadthenovelToKillaMockingbirdbyHarperLee,youwillbeaskedtokeepaReading
ResponseJournal(RRJ).ThisisYOURjournal.Thoughitismuchlikeadiary,Idon’twantyoutotellmeaboutwhatyoudidlastweekend.WhatIdowantyoutellmeiswhatthingscometomindasyoureadToKillaMockingbirdandanyofthesupplementalmaterialswemightencounteroverthenextsixweeks.Whiletheseentriescanandshouldbeyouropinion,I
don’treallywanttohearwhetherornotyoulikethebook.Digdeeper!
Tohelpyougetstarted,hereisalistofpossibleentryideas:
• Makeconnectionsbetweenthetextandyourownexperiences.Whatdoesthereadingmakeyouthinkof?Does
itremindyouofanyoneofanything?• Makeconnectionsbetweenthetextandothertextsorevents.Doesthismakeyouthinkofanyotherrelated
issuesfromthepastorthepresent?• Askyourselfquestionsaboutthetext.Whatdon’tyouunderstandaboutthenoveloraparticularpassagewithin
thenovel?• Writedowninterestingwords,images,phrases,ordetails.Askquestionsaboutwhytheauthormighthave
chosenthem.Tellhowtheymadeyoufeel.
IdoNOTwantyoutosummarizethereadinginyourentry.However,itiscertainlyencouragedthatyouincludepassagesand/orquotesfromthereadingstohelpyoumakeyourpoint!
Youwillberesponsibleforatotalof8entriesthatareaminimumoftwoparagraphseach.(Aparagraphinvolvesis4‐6sentences,minimum.)ThoughIwon’tbegradingforspelling,grammarormechanics,thesethingsarestillveryimportant
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andshouldbetakenintoconsideration.Iwillcollectyourjournals2timesoverthenext4weeks.
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Goal2:SettingtheStage–AMini‐ResearchProject
The1930’ssettingofHarperLee’sfamousnovel,ToKillaMockingbird,isoftenquiteunfamiliartostudents.Thefactthatsocialissuesregardingrace,genderandclassplaysuchalargeroleinthetellingofthisclassicnovelmakestheneedforstudentstounderstandtheseissuesinthecontextofthe1930’sofgreatimportance.Whenstudentsunderstandthecontextofthenovel,theycanbetterunderstandthethemesthatmakethistextthemasterpiecethatitis.
Therearemanywaysofteachingstudentsbackgroundknowledgeasitrelatestothecontextofatext:lectures,PowerPoints,andworksheetsarejustafewofthemostpopularwaysforteacherstorelaythisinformationtotheirstudents.Whilethereisnothingwrongwitheitherofthesetechniques,Istronglybelievethatstudentsbecomeownersofknowledgewhentheyaredirectlyinvolvedinfindingitforthemselves.Inthisway,aresearchprojectappearstobetheidealmethodforgettingstudentsinvolvedininquiringintothesettingofthisnovel.
Beforebeginningthenovel,studentswillbegivenalistofpossibletopicsrelatingtothenovel.Thesetopicswillincludesuchthingsastheroleofwomeninthe1930’s,theScottsboroTrials,JimCrowlaws,andTheGreatDepression.Fromalist,studentscanchooseatopicthattheywishtoresearch.Afterhavingtwo90‐minuteclassperiodsduringwhichtheycanutilizecomputersandthevariousresourcesavailableinthelibrary,theywillbeaskedtopresenta3‐5minutepresentationtotheclassontheirchosentopic.Notalltopicswillbepresentedpriortoreadingthenovelbut,rather,willbespreadoutoverthecourseoftheunitsoastocorrelatewiththetext.Aqualitypresentationwillincludethefollowingcriteria:
Aconciseexplanationofthechosenevent/issue/personthatexhibitsthepresenter’sabilitytochoosebetweenfrivolousandpertinentinformation
Avisualthatfitsthepresentation–noteverypresentationhastobepresentedintheformofaPowerPoint.Somestudentsmaychoosetoshowabriefvideoclipthatexhibitssegregationorslideshowshowingexamplesofhowwomeninthe1930’sdressed,forinstance.
Aclearefforttoplanthepresentationsothatitmeetstheminimumbutdoesnotexceedthemaximumtimerequirements
A1‐2pagetypedpaperthatexplainstheresearchthatwillbepresentedtotheclassandincludesacorrectlycitedbibliographyaccordingtoMLAformat
Mini‐ResearchProject 3 2 1 Points
EarnedPresentation Showsthatthe
researcherusedagreatdealofdiscretionin
Showsthattheresearcherusedlittlediscretionindeterminingwhat
Showsthattheresearcherusednodiscretionin
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determiningwhatinformationwasmost/leastimportant
informationwasmost/leastimportant
determiningwhatinformationwasmost/leastimportant
____pts
Visual Fitsthepresentationextremelywellandenhancestheoverallpresentation
Fitsthepresentationbutdoesnotenhancetheoverallpresentation
Doesnotfitorenhancethepresentation
____pts
Time Isbetweenthe3‐5minuterequirement
Isoverorundertherequirementbymorethan1minute
Isoverorundertherequirementbymorethan2minutes
____pts
WrittenProduct
‐Ismorethan1page
‐Includescorrectlycitedbibliography
‐Is1page
‐Includesbibliographythatisincorrectlycited
‐Islessthan1page‐Doesnotincludeabibliography
____pts
SettingtheStage:AMini‐ResearchProject
BeforewebeginreadingToKillaMockingbird,itisimportantthatyoufamiliarizeyourselveswiththesettingofthenovel.Aswewilldiscuss,thesettingofapieceofliteratureinvolvesthebackground,atmosphereorenvironmentinwhich
charactersliveandmove.InthecaseofthenovelToKillaMockingbird,thesettingistheAmericanSouthduringthe1930’s.Whilethatmayseemlikeenough,thereisactuallymuchmoretoit:
Duringthe1930’sthereweremanyissuesrelatingtorace,classandgenderthatareintroducedinthenovel.Inordertobetterunderstandthesettingofthenovelandtheissuesthatthecharactersarefacedwith,youwillhavetheopportunity
tochooseatopictoresearchandthenpresenttotheclass.
Tohelpguideyourresearch,Iwillprovideyouwithalistoftopicsfromwhichyouwillchooseyourtopthreechoicesto
research.ThenIwillcompiletheresultsandletyouknowwhichtopicyouwillberesponsibleforpresentingtotheclass.
Thesepresentationsshouldbe3‐5minuteslongwhichmeansthatyouwillhavetochoosewhichinformationismostimportantfortheclasstoknowandwhatthingscanbeleftout.
Youarealsorequiredtohaveavisualthatgoesalongwithyourpresentation.Youdon’thavetodoaPowerPoint.Yourvisualcanbeavideoclip,aslideshoworanythingelsethatrepresentsandenhancesyouroverall
presentation.
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Finally,aspartofyourresearch,youshouldhavea1‐2pagetypedpaperthatsummarizesyourresearch.Sinceyoumostlikelydon’tknowawholelotaboutyourtopic,youwillhavetouseavarietyofsourcestohelpyougain
information.ThesesourcesshouldbecitedcorrectlyinMLAformat.
Goal3:CreativeFinalProject
AfterreadingToKillaMockingbird,studentswillbeaskedtoreflectonthecharacters,themesandeventsthatweremostpredominantthroughoutthenovel.Inordertodothis,studentswillbegivenachoicebetweenthreeunconventionalandcreativewriting/projectassignments:aCD,acollageoraseriesofpoems.Eachofthesechoicesinvitesstudentstothinkcriticallyaboutthevariousaspectsofthetextswhilealsogivingthemachancetoshowtheirowncreativeabilities.
Studentswillhavetheopportunitytoworkinpairsorgroupsofthreeinordertocompletetheirchosenassignment.Beforebeginningtheassignment,eachgroupwillbeaskedtoturninaproposalthatwilloutlinetheapproachtheyplantotake,howtheworkwillbedividedamonggroupmembersandwhattheirfinalproductmightlooklike.AfterIhavereadtheproposalsandconferencedwitheachgroup,theywillbegivenclearancetobeginwork.Finally,studentswillturnintheirfinalproductaswellasashortpaperexplainingtheirproduct.Anidealprojectwillincludethefollowingcriteria:
Aqualityprojectthatmakescleareachstudents’understandingofthethemes,charactersand/oreventsofthenovelthroughthewrittenandvisualproducts
Evidenceofplanningandthoughtfuleffort Aneatandvisuallyinterestingprojectthatshowsattentiontodetail Adescriptivewrittenproductthatmakesthegroup’sunderstandingofthenovelclear Cooperativeandsupportivelearninggroupsthatvalueequalcontributionfromeach
member
CreativeFinalProjectRubric* 5 3 1 Points
EarnedProposal Showsthoughtfuleffortin
planningresultinginahighlyfocusedandorganizedproductwithclearconnectiontothenovel
Showssomeeffortinplanningresultinginasomewhatfocusedandorganizedproductwithunclearconnectiontothenovel
Showsnoeffortinplanningresultinginanunfocusedandunorganizedproductwithnoclearconnectiontothenovel
____/5pts
Connections Clearlydemonstratesconnectionstothethemes,characters,and/oreventsinthenovel
Vaguelydemonstratesconnectionstothethemes,characters,and/oreventsinthenovel
Doesnotdemonstrateconnectionstothethemes,characters,and/oreventsinthenovel
____/5pts
Project Exhibitsthoughtfuldesign Exhibitssomeattention Exhibitsnoattentionto
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Product andcarefulattentiontodetailandform
todesign,detailandform
design,detailandform ____/5pts
WrittenProduct
Providesanswerstoanyambiguousdecisionsmadeintheprojectandoffersaclearexplanationfortheoverallproject
Providessomeanswerstoanyambiguousdecisionsmadeintheprojectandoffersavagueexplanationfortheoverallproject
Doesnotprovideanswerstoanyambiguousdecisionsmadeintheprojectandoffersnoexplanationfortheproject
____/5pts
GroupWork Groupworkswelltogetherandeachgroupmembercontributesequally
Groupworkstogetherforthemostpartbuteachmemberdoesnotcontributeequally
Groupdoesnotworktogetherandnoneofthememberscontributeequally
____/5pts
*Studentshavetheopportunitytoscorea4ora2ifsome,butnotall,ofthecriteriainboththehigherandlowerlevelsaremet.
CreativeFinalProjectNowthatwehavefinishedreadingToKillaMockingbird,youhavetheopportunitytoshowwhatyouhavelearnedaboutthethemes,charactersandeventsinnovelinahighlycreativeway.Belowisalistofthreeprojectideasthatwillallowyou
toshowwhatyouknowaboutthenovel:
Music:MakeaCDofatleast5songsthatrepresentthethemes/characters/eventsinthenovel.MakeacoverfortheCD.Also,includelinernotesthatexplaintherelationshipbetweenthesongsandToKillaMockingbird.In
short,makesurethereisatleastoneparagraph(4‐6sentences)writtenforeachsong.Eachparagraphshouldmakeconnectionsbetweenthesongandthenovel.Itshouldbeevidentthatyouhavereadandthatyoufully
understandthethemesandhowtheyareconnectedtothelyricsyouhavechosen.
Collage:Onasheetofposterboard,makeacollagethatrepresentsatheme,characteroreventinthenovel.The
collageshouldbeaccompaniedbyatyped2pagepaperthatexplainsthetheme,characteroreventyouhavevisuallyrepresentedinyourcollage.
Poetry:Writeatleast3shortpoemsoronelongpoem,intheformofyourchoosing,aboutthenoveloroneofthe
maincharacters.Thepoemcanbetoldbyanarratorofyourcreationorfromtheperspectiveofoneofthecharacters.Writea2paragraphpaper(4‐6sentencesperparagraph)explaininghowyourpoemsareconnectedto
thenovel.
Individually,youwilldecidewhichprojectyouwouldliketodo.Beforeyoubeginwork,youwillbeaskedtoturnina1/2pageproposalwhichoutlineswhatstepsyouplantotakeincompletingthisprojectandwhatthefinalprojectwilllook
like.Onceyou’veconferencewithme,you’refreetobegin!
Remember,whilecreativityisimportant,theconnectionsyoumaketothethemes,charactersandeventsinthenovelareMOSTimportant!
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Introductory Activi ty
AnticipationGuideforToKillaMockingbird
Eachofthefollowingstatementsexpressesanopinion.Carefullyreadeachstatement.Then,onyourpaper,markwhetheryouAGREEorDISAGREEwitheachstatement.
NOTE:ThereisNOrightorwronganswer!
1. Ifsomeoneisontrialformurder,theyareprobablyguilty.2. Ineverjudgeapersonbasedontheirappearance.3. Peopleoftenfearwhattheydon’tunderstand.4. Itisdifficulttostandupforsomethingwhennooneelseagrees.5. Anysetofbeliefsisokay,aslongasyoubelieveinthemsincerely.6. Girlsshouldalwaysactlikegirls.7. Lawsaredesignedtomakesocietyfairforallitscitizens.8. Courageisdoingwhatyouthinkisrightwhentheoddsofsucceedingareagainstyou.9. Peopleshouldalwaystrytounderstandandtolerateotherpeople,nomatterhowdifferent
theyare.
10. Whathappenedinthepastdoesn’thaveanyeffectonmylifetoday.11. Theoldadage,“Sticksandstonesmaybreakmybones,butwordswillneverhurtme,”istrue.
StatementsmodeledfromSmagorinsky,2008,p.178
Schedule
2minutes:Passoutthepapercopiesofanticipationguides(seeabove)toeachstudentandletthemknowthatwearebeginninganewunitfocusingonthenovelToKillaMockingbirdbyHarperLee.8minutes:Gooverthedirectionsfortheanticipationguideandallowstudentstimetothinkaboutandrespondtoeachofthestatements.Meanwhile,Iwillpassouttheremoteclickers.5minutes:Havestudentsentertheirresponsestoeachofthestatementsviaremoteclickers.15minutes:Allowstudentstogetintogroupsof4anddiscusstheirresponsestoeachofthestatementsontheanticipationguide.Eachgroupwillchoosearecorderwhowillwritedowntheirgroup’sanswerstothefollowingquestionswhichwillbedisplayedontheboard:
• Didyoufeelnervousrespondingtothesestatementshonestly?Whyorwhynot?• Whatquestionsweremostdifficulttoanswer?Why?• Basedonthesestatementsandanypriorknowledgeaboutthenovel,whatdoyouthinkthe
novel,ToKillaMockingbird,mightbeabout?Whatmajorthemesmightbepresentinthenovel?
Thesediscussionquestionsareintendedtobeaguidetohelpstudentsknowwhattypesofconversationshouldoccurduringtheirgroupdiscussions.Meanwhile,Iwillutilizetheavailable
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softwaretovisuallyrepresentthestudents’responsestoeachofthestatements.EX:apiegraphshowinghowmanystudentsagreedvs.disagreedwitheachstatement.20‐25minutes:Thevisualrepresentationsofthestudents’responsestotheindividualstatements,whichIwilldisplayviatheprojector,willhopefullyspurdiscussion.Asaclass,wewilldiscusseachoftheelevenstatementsaswellasthestudents’answerstothegroupdiscussionquestions.
Thisactivityisestimatedtotake55minutesina90minuteblock.However,asthenatureofdiscussionisunpredictable,itcouldrunmoreorlessthan50minutes.Consequently,theactivitiesfortheremainderoftheblock,whichwillbedecidedatalaterdate,willbekeptflexible.
Week 1 Lesson Plans – An Int roduct ion to TKAM MONDAY EQ:Whatdoyouknowaboutyourselfandyourpeers?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC3,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL3,ELA9RL5,ELA9LSV1Materials:Copiesofanticipationguides,groupworkquestions,remoteclickers,projector,listofvocabularywords3minutes:Housekeeping3minutes:PassoutthepapercopiesofanticipationguidestoeachstudentandletthemknowthatwearebeginninganewunitfocusingonthenovelToKillaMockingbirdbyHarperLee.10minutes:Gooverthedirectionsfortheanticipationguideandallowstudentstimetothinkaboutandrespondtoeachofthestatements.Meanwhile,Iwillpassouttheremoteclickers.7minutes:Havestudentsentertheirresponsestoeachofthestatementsviaremoteclickers.15minutes:Allowstudentstogetintogroupsof4anddiscusstheirresponsestoeachofthestatementsontheanticipationguide.Eachgroupwillchoosearecorderwhowillwritedowntheirgroup’sanswerstothefollowingquestionswhichwillbedisplayedontheboard:
• Didyoufeelnervousrespondingtothesestatementshonestly?Whyorwhynot?• Whatquestionsweremostdifficulttoanswer?Why?• Basedonthesestatementsandanypriorknowledgeaboutthenovel,whatdoyouthinkthe
novel,ToKillaMockingbird,mightbeabout?Whatmajorthemesmightbepresentinthenovel?
Thesediscussionquestionsareintendedtobeaguidetohelpstudentsknowwhattypesofconversationshouldoccurduringtheirgroupdiscussions.Meanwhile,Iwillutilizetheavailablesoftwaretovisuallyrepresentthestudents’responsestoeachofthestatements.EX:apiegraphshowinghowmanystudentsagreedvs.disagreedwitheachstatement.20minutes:Thevisualrepresentationsofthestudents’responsestotheindividualstatements,whichIwilldisplayviatheprojector,willhopefullyspurdiscussion.Asaclass,wewilldiscusseachoftheelevenstatementsaswellasthestudents’answerstothegroupdiscussionquestions.
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30minutes:Vocabulary–10wordsfromthefirstfourchaptersofTKAMwillbedisplayedontheboard.Studentsareresponsibleforwritingthewordsontheirownsheetofpaper.KEEPTHISLIST!!Usingthedictionariesthatavailableintheclassroom,studentswillbegindefiningeachofthe10words.
Week1VocabularyassuagedtaciturninquisitiveplacidlyamiablemalevolentimmunenebulousindigenouscompromiseHomework:FinishdefinitionstobeturnedinTuesdayforcompletiongrade.(It’saneasy100!!)TUESDAY EQ:WhatdoyouknowabouttheU.S.inthe1930’s?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL3,ELA9W3,ELA9LSV1Materials:Websearchworksheet“TellMeAboutthe1930’s”,groupworkworksheet“TellMeAboutthe2000’s”,computerlab3minutes:Housekeeping&homeworkcollection10minutes:JotList‐Onyourownsheetofpaper,jotdown5thingsthatcometomindwhenyouthinkaboutthe1930’s?Whatimagesdoyouthinkof?Whattypesofthingsweregoingonthecountryduringthattime?THEN,jotdown2thingsyouwouldliketoknowaboutthe1930’s.Trytobespecific.Inotherswords,don’tjustsay,“Everything.”Thinkaboutthingsthatyou’reinterestedinnowandspeculateabouthowitmighthavefitin,ifatall,duringthe1930’s.45minutes:Wewillspendthenext45minutesresearchingseveralaspectsofthe1930’sinthecomputerlab.Youwillbegivenaworksheetwith10categoriesandampletimeinthelabtoresearcheachofthecategoriesinordertofindafewtidbitsofinformationregardinghowtheyrelatetothe1930’s.Useyourtimewisely!
Tellmeaboutthe1930’s…1. Whowasthepresident?2. Whatstatewastheeconomyin?(Wasitthrivingorfailing?)3. Whatkindofeducationdidmostpeoplehave?(Alittlehighschool?Highschool?College
degree?Graduatedegree?)4. Whatkindsofjobsdidmostpeoplehave?(Deskjobs?Governmentjobs?Nojobs?Outside
work?Self‐employed?)5. Whatdidpeopledoforentertainment?6. Whattypesofmusicwaspopular?7. Whatdanceswerepopular?8. Whoweresomeofthecelebrities?9. Whoweresomeoftheathletes?10. Whattypesofcrimeswerecommon
30minutes:Ingroups,studentswillbegivenasecondworksheetthatasksthemtoanswerthesamequestionsaboutthe2000’s(morespecifically,2009).Together,theyaretoanswerthequestionsforeachcategorysothatonWednesdaywecanmakeacomparativechart.Homework:Finishvocabularydefinitionstoturnintomorrowfor½credit.Wednesday
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EQ:Howarethe1930’ssimilarand/ordifferentfromtoday?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC4,ELA9RL3,ELA9LSV1,ELA9W3,ELA9LSV2Materials:Projectablechartcomparing1930’sand2000’s,copiesofMini‐Researchprojectprompt,listofresearchprojecttopics,computerlab3minutes:Housekeeping&homeworkcollectionfor½credit.25minutes:Completeacomparativechartasaclass.Thefollowingchartwillbedisplayedontheboardandasaclasswewillfillintheinformationforeachcategoryasitrelatestothe1930’sandthenthe2000’s.Aselectedstudentwillserveasthesecretaryandwillsitatthecomputerandrecordourfindings.
Category 1930’s 2000’sPresident Economy Education Jobs Entertainment music Dances Celebrities Athletes Crime 15minutes:AssignMini‐ResearchProjectandansweranyquestionsthatstudentsmighthave.ProbablyNOPowerPoints(????).
AMini‐ResearchProjectBeforewebeginreadingToKillaMockingbird,itisimportantthatyoufamiliarizeyourselveswiththesettingofthenovel.
Aswewilldiscuss,thesettingofapieceofliteratureinvolvesthebackground,atmosphereandenvironmentinwhichcharactersliveandmove.Inthecaseofthenovel,ToKillaMockingbird,thesettingistheAmericanSouthduringthe
1930’s.Whilethatmayseemlikeenough,thereisactuallymuchmoretoit:Duringthe1930’sthereweremanyissuesrelatingtorace,classandgenderthatareintroducedinthenovel.Inorderto
betterunderstandthesettingofthenovelandtheissuesthatthecharactersarefacedwith,youwillhavetheopportunitytochooseatopictoresearchandthenpresenttotheclass.
Tohelpguideyourresearch,Iwillprovideyouwithalistoftopicsfromwhichtochooseatopictoresearch.Youandyourpartnerwillbeaskedtocompletethefollowingrequirements:
A3‐5minutepresentation.Thismeansthatyouwillhavetochoosewhichinformationismostimportantfortheclasstoknowandwhatthingscanbeleftout.
Aposterthatgoesalongwithyourpresentation.Makeitinformativeandattractive! A1‐2pagetypedpaperthatsummarizesyourresearchINYOUROWNWORDS.(Donotsimplycutandpaste.It
willresultinanautomaticzero.)Ifyoudoquoteasourceinyourwork,givecredittothatsource.Sinceyoumostlikelydon’tknowawholelotaboutyourtopic,itisexpectedthatyouwillhavetouseavarietyofsourcestohelp
yougaininformation.ThesesourcesshouldbecitedcorrectlyinMLAformat.
10minutes:HavestudentssignupforMini‐ResearchProject.45minutes:Computerlabforresearch.Homework:Onesentenceforeachvocabularyword–dueFriday.
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THURSDAY EQ:Whatisastereotype?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC4,ELA9RL3,ELA9LSV1Materials:Computerlab3minutes:Housekeeping.35minutes:ExploringStereotypesactivity:
• Havestudentsthinkaboutandjotdown3‐5differentstereotypes. • Explainthatstereotypesareawayoflabelingcategoriesofpeopleinwaysthataretypically,
butnotalways,harshandunfavorable.• Askstudentscometotheboard,afewattime,andwritedownaclassroomappropriate
stereotype.• Then,asaclass,wewilllabeleachofthestereotypesUnfavorable(U),Favorable(F),orNeutral
(N).• Asaclass,wewillthendiscusshowstereotypesareveryprevalentinthenovel,TKAM,andhow
someofthewordsusedtocategorizepeoplecanbebothfunnyandharsh.60minutes:ComputerlabresearchforMini‐ResearchProject.Homework:Onesentenceforeachvocabularyword–duetomorrow.
FRIDAY EQ:Howdoeslanguagechangeacrossgenerations?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC3,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL3,ELA9RL5,ELA9LSV1Materials:Copiesofarticle“AForbiddenWord:PeopleareBeginningtoTalkabouttheN‐Word”,questionsforvocabularygame3minutes:Housekeeping&homeworkcollection.10minutes:Vocabularyclarification‐Reviewwordsmostcommonlymisusedinstudents’vocabsentences.3minutes:Showexamplesofandtalkaboutwhatmakesanexemplaryposter.45minutes:Readarticle–“AForbiddenWord:PeopleareBeginningtoTalkabouttheN‐Word”Havestudentshighlightimportantpartsofthearticleasitisreadaloudtothem.Thenhavethemwriteagooddiscussionquestionrelatingtothecontentofthearticleandanswertheirownquestion.Onceeveryonehasfinished,openthefloortodiscussion.Studentsmaywishtoposetheirquestionstotheclasstostartdiscussion.30minutes:Jeopardywithvocab/1930striviagame.(Winninggroupreceives2bonuspointsonVocabQuiz!)Homework:StudyforVocabularyQuiz‐MONDAY!!
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Week 2 – Chapters 1-8 of TKAM MONDAY EQ:HowareaspectsofHarperLee’spersonallifereflectedinthenovel?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC3,ELA9RL3,ELA9RL5,ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2Materials:CopiesofVocabularyQuiz,postermakingsupplies,TKAMbooks,HarperLeePowerPoint,copiesofReading/ActivitiesSyllabus3minutes:Housekeeping.15minutes:VocabularyQuizoverWeek1words.40minutes:In‐classtimedevotedtoMini‐ResearchProjectpartnercollaboration.Studentsshouldbeworkingonhowtheywillpresenttheirposterstotheclassandfinalizingposter.PresentationsdueTuesday(11/17).Ifstudentsfinishcollaborationearly,theymayworkindependentlyondefiningWeek2Vocabularywords.5minutes:PassoutTKAMbooks.StudentsshouldtakethistimetocopydowntheWeek2Vocabularywordsiftheyhaven’talready.
Week2Vocabulary
auspiciousdiminutivevapidstealthydomicilepeculiarbenevolententailmentdispensationcontentious
10minutes:HarperLeePowerPoint.50minutes:In‐classreadingofTKAM‐outloud(Chapters1‐2[29pages]).Thisextendedperiodofin‐classreadingisintendedtohelpgetstudentsthroughallthedescriptionsofcharactersandMaycomb,ALandintothestoryitselfassometimesstudentshavedifficultypushingthroughthefirstcoupleofchapters.Homework:FinishreadingTKAMthroughChapter3&definevocabularywords.PosterPresentationsTOMORROW!TUESDAY EQ:Whatconnectionscanyoumakebetweenhistoryandthenovel?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL3,ELA9RL4,ELA9RC4,ELA9LSV2Materials:Rubricsforgradingpresentations,copiesof“What’sinaName?”WS3minutes:Housekeeping&Homeworkcollection–vocabdefinitionsforFULLcredit.20minutes:Presentations:
1. Lice2. TheGreatDepression3. FDR
5minutes:QuickWriteononeofthepresentationtopics.15minutes:“What’sinaName”symbolismactivity:
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What’sinaName?–SymbolisminToKillaMockingbird
Name LiteralMeaning SymbolisminTKAM Description/QuotefromText
Finch
Atticus
Scout
Calpurnia
20minutes:IntrotoReaderResponseJournal&RRJEntry1.Overthenextthreeweeks,aswereadthenovelToKillaMockingbirdbyHarperLee,youwillbeaskedtokeepaReading
ResponseJournal(RRJ).ThisisYOURjournal.Thoughitismuchlikeadiary,Idon’twantyoutotellmeaboutwhatyoudidlastweekend.WhatIdowantyoutellmeiswhatthingscometomindasyoureadToKillaMockingbirdandanyof
thesupplementalmaterialswemightencounteroverthenextsixweeks.Whiletheseentriescanandshouldbeyouropinion,Idon’treallywanttohearwhetherornotyoulikethebook.Digdeeper!
Tohelpyougetstarted,hereisalistofpossibleentryideas:
• Makeconnectionsbetweenthetextandyourownexperiences.Whatdoesthereadingmakeyouthinkof?Doesitremindyouofanyoneofanything?
• Makeconnectionsbetweenthetextandothertextsorevents.Doesthismakeyouthinkofanyotherrelatedissuesfromthepastorthepresent?
• Askyourselfquestionsaboutthetext.Whatdon’tyouunderstandaboutthenoveloraparticularpassagewithinthenovel?
• Writedowninterestingwords,images,phrases,ordetails.Askquestionsaboutwhytheauthormighthavechosenthem.Tellhowtheymadeyoufeel.
IdoNOTwantyoutosummarizethereadinginyourentry.However,itiscertainlyencouragedthatyouincludepassagesand/orquotesfromthereadingstohelpyoumakeyourpoint!
Youwillberesponsibleforatotalof15entriesthatareaminimumoftwoparagraphseach.(Aparagraphinvolvesis4‐6
sentences,minimum.)ThoughIwon’tbegradingforspelling,grammarormechanics,thesethingsarestillveryimportantandshouldbetakenintoconsideration.Iwillcollectyourjournalstwotimesoverthenextthreeweeks;oncerandomly,
andonceattheconclusionoftheunit.
20minutes:In‐classreadingofTKAM‐outloudorsilent(Chapters3‐4[25pages]).Homework:FinishreadingTKAMthroughChapter4&FinishRRJEntry1.WEDNESDAY EQ:Whatconnectionscanyoumakebetweenhistoryandthenovel?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL1,ELA9RL3,ELA9LSV2Materials:CopiesofEOCTcrossword,rubricsforpresentations,copiesofquiz3minutes:Housekeeping&Homeworkcollection(vocabdefinitionsfor½credit).
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15minutes:EOCTPracticeWork‐crosswordofpoetryterms.7minutes:ReadingQuizoverChapters1‐4:
1. Whoisthenarratorofthenovel?2. Whoisthe“malevolentphantom”thatthechildren,especiallyDill,aresofascinatedwith?3. Fillintheblank:“UntilIfearedIwouldloseit,Ineverlovedto_____________.Onedoesnot
lovebreathing.”4. WhatdoesMissCarolineseethatcauseshertofreakoutandtrytosendBurrisEwellhomefrom
school?5. WhenAtticuscomeshomefromworkattheendofChapter4,whatgamedoeshefindJemand
Scoutplayingonthefrontporch?15minutes:Presentations:
1. NewDeal2. WPA
5minutes:QuickWriteononeofthepresentationtopics.25minutes:In‐classreadingofTKAM(Chapters5‐6[20pages]).Homework:FinishreadingTKAMthroughChapter6&vocabsentencesduetomorrow.THURSDAY EQ:Howdoesthepoem“Petals”connecttoTKAM?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL3,ELA9RL4,ELA9RC1,ELA9RC3,ELA9RC4,ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2Materials:Copiesof“Petals”handouts,rubricsforpresentations3minutes:Housekeeping&Homeworkcollection‐vocabsentencesforFULLcredit.15minutes:Presentations:
1. PulitzerPrize2. TrumanCapote
30minutes:PoetryAnalysis‐“Petals”byAmyLowellusingtheMOBI:Lifeisastream AOnwhichwestrew BPetalbypetaltheflowerofourheart; CTheendlostinadream. ATheyfloatpastourview, BWeonlywatchtheirglad,earlystart. CFreightedwithhope, DCrimsonedwithjoy, EWescattertheleavesofouropeningrose; FThewideningscope, DTheirdistantemploy, EWenevershallknow.Andthestreamasitflows FSweepsthemaway, GEachoneisgone HEverbeyondtoinfiniteways. IWealonestay GWhileyearshurryon, HTheflowerfaredforth,thoughitsfragrancestillstays. I
TopicstoAddress:‐Rhymescheme‐Embodiesthetoneofnostalgicpast
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‐Jem’scomingofage10minutes:Fillintheblankreview/notessheetoverChapters1‐6.(RemovecertainkeywordsfromthechaptersummariesonSparknotes.com.Then,asaclass,readthesummariesandfillintheblanks.Whilethisactivityisratherrote,itprovidesanicereviewforthestudentswhohavereadandoffersthosewhohaven’ttheopportunitytocatchup.)15minutes:BeginandworkonRRJEntry2.20minutes:In‐classreadingofTKAM(Chapter7‐8[15pages]).Homework:FinishreadingTKAMthroughChapter8&FinishRRJEntry2.
FRIDAY EQ:Whathastheauthordonetomakespecificcharactersinthenoveluniqueandinteresting?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL1,ELA9RL4,ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2,ELA9W1,ELA9W2,ELA9C2Materials:CopiesofFoundPoemdirections,rubricforpresentations,3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabsentencesfor½credit.10minutes:QuizoverChapters5‐8:
1. WhatareJemandDilltryingtogiveBooRadley?2. WhatdidthechildrenseethatscaredthemawayfromtheRadleyPlace?3. DillsaidthathewonJem’spantswhiletheywereplayingwhatgame?4. WhathappenstotheknotholeinthetreewhereJemandScouthadbeenfindingvarious
trinkets?5. WhoputsablanketoverScout’sshoulderswhilesheandJemarestandingoutsidewatchingthe
fire?40minutes:FoundPoemActivity–CharacterPoem:
10minutes:Vocabularyclarification‐Reviewwordsmostcommonlymisusedinstudents’vocabsentences.25minutes:Jeopardywithvocabwords.(Winninggroupreceives2bonuspointsonVocabQuiz!)Homework:StudyforVocabQuizonMonday&FinishworkingonanyincompleteRRJEntries.
• Asagroup,selectseveralpassagesfromthenovelthatdescribeatleast2ofthefollowingcharacters:1. AtticusFinch2. Scout3. Jem4. Dill5. Calpurnia6. BooRadley
• Notethepagenumber(s)forthosepassages.Circle/identifywordsandphrasesinthosepassagesthatseemkeytounderstandingspecificaspectsoforqualitiesofthatcharacter.
• Usingthewordsyouhaveidentified,createapoemaboutthatcharacter.Itcanbeanystyleyouwish,butshouldbeaminimumof3lines.
• Finally,writeyourpoemonavisuallyattractivemanneronasheetofwhitepapertobedisplayedintheclassroom.PLEASEADDATITLETOYOURPOEMsoweknowwhoit’sabout!!!
• Onceyouhavecompletedonecharacterpoem,moveontoanothercharacter.
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Week 3 – Chapters 9-15 of TKAM MONDAY EQ:Whatisworthfightingfor?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL5,ELA9LSV2Materials:Copiesof“Norman’sEnemy,”Week3Vocab3minutes:Housekeeping15minutes:ChalkTalk–“Whatisworthfightingfor?”20minutes:Readshortstory:“Norman’sEnemy.”Discusssimilarities/differencesbetweenScoutandNorman.Questionstoconsider:
1. Whatisyourresponsetothesaying,“Sticksandstonesmaybreakmybones,butwordswillneverhurtme?”
2. ComparetheviewstowardsfightingofAtticusandNorman’sfather.3. Comparetheconflicts(internalandexternal)ofScoutandNorman.
5minutes:CopyWeek3Vocabulary:Week3Vocabulary
inordinatelyobstreperousumbrageingenuousapoplecticinterrogateundulateprovocationaltercationdecree
15minutes:BeginRRJEntry3.20minutes:Inclassreading–(Chapter9[19pages]).Homework:Finishvocabdefinitions,finishreadingthroughChapter9.
TUESDAYEQ:WhataretherelationshipsbetweenthemaincharactersinTKAMandhowaretheyimportanttothetheme(s)ofthenovel?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2Materials:Legalsizepaperforsociograms3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabdefinitionsforFULLcredit.10minutes:Discussionrelating“Norman’sStory”toScout’sactionsinChapter9.35minutes:Sociogram‐Ingroupsof4,studentswillbeaskedtocreateavisualthatshowstherelationshipbetweenthefollowingcharacters:Scout,Jem,Dill,Atticus,Boo,Cal,MissMaudie,andMissCaroline.Studentsareencouragedtoshowtherelationshipsbetweenthecharactersusingwhatevertypeofvisual/graphicorganizertheyseefit.However,itisimportantforthemtokeepinmindthatScout,thenarrator,isconnectedtoeverycharacterinsomeway.10minutes:Grouppresentationsofsociograms.30minutes:Inclassreading–(Chapters10‐11[31pages]).Homework:FinishreadingthroughChapter11.
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WEDNESDAY EQ:WhatisonemajorthemeexhibitedinPartIofTKAM?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC3,ELA9RL2,ELA9RL4Materials:Fillintheblanknotessheets,anymake‐upquizzes/workforstudents,TKAM‐Part1TESTreviewsheets3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabdefinitionsfor½credit.15minutes:BeginRRJEntry4.10minutes:Fillintheblankreview/notessheetoverChapters7‐11.(RemovecertainkeywordsfromthechaptersummariesonSparknotes.com.Then,asaclass,readthesummariesandfillintheblanks.Whilethisactivityisratherrote,itprovidesanicereviewforthestudentswhohavereadandoffersthosewhohaven’ttheopportunitytocatchup.)60minutes:AsPartIofthenovelconcludes,thisdaywillbeusedtoreflectonwhatwe’vereadthusfarandcatch‐uponanyreadingand/orworkthatmaybeoutstanding.Duringthisblockoftime,studentswillhavetheopportunitytochoosefromseveralactivitiesthattheyfeelwillhelpservethembest:
1. Catch‐uponreadingTKAMthroughChapter112. Completeand/orreviseanyRRJ’s(3entriestobeworkingon)3. Completeanymissedwork(vocabularyquizzes,readingquizzes,worksheets)4. StudyforTKAM‐Part1TEST5. Beginwritingsentenceswithvocabularywords6. BeginreadingaheadinTKAM
However,iftheclassasawholefallsbehind,thisdaywillbeusedtohelptheentireclassgetcaughtup.Homework:StudyforTKAM‐PartITEST&finishvocabsentences.
THURSDAY EQ:Whatconnectioncanyoumakebetweenthepoem“WeWeartheMask”andChapter12ofTKAM?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL1,ELA9RL4Materials:TKAM–PartITest,copiesof“WeWeartheMask,”DunbarPP3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabsentencesforFULLcredit7minutes:Studentsmaystudyquietlyoraskteacherspecificquestionsaboutthenovelinpreparationforthetest.45minutes:TKAM–Part1TEST–Thetestshallincludeapproximately25questions:
• 7matching• 9multiplechoice• 8shortanswer/fillintheblank
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• 1essay30minutes:In‐classreadingofChapter12.DiscussionofhowCalpurniaactsintheFinchhomeincontrasttohowsheactsatchurch(language,dress,mannerisms,etc.)10minutes:BriefPowerPointonPaulLaurenceDunbarinpreparationforreading,“WeWeartheMask.”20minutes:Readinganddiscussionofthepoem,“WeWeartheMask.”Homework:AssignedRRJEntry5:Makea‘text‐to‐text’connectionbetweenDunbar’spoem,“WeWeartheMask,”andCalpurnia’sactionsinChapter12.UsethepoemtohelpyouexplainwhyCalpurniamayhaveacteddifferentlyattheFinch’shomethanshedidatchurch.ReadthroughChapter13[10pages].
FRIDAY EQ:Whataretheuniquecharacteristicsand/ormotivationsofthemaincharactersinTKAM?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,RLA9RL1,ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2Materials:Rubricsforpresentations,instructionsforbodybio,legalsizepaperforbodybio3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabsentencesfor½credit.10minutes:Presentations:
1. Segregation2. Women’sRights
5minutes:QuickWriteononeofthepresentations.45minutes:BodyBiography–tobecompletedingroupsof3or4:
ChooseonecharacterfromToKillaMockingbird.Youwilldoabodybiographyofthatcharacteronasheetofcomputerpaperorconstructionpaper.Onyourbodybiography,
includethefollowing(youmightwanttochecktheseoffasyougosoyoudonotleaveanythingoff!):
• drawapictureofthecharacter;yourpictureshouldbeaccuratetothestory;writehis/herfullnameatthetoporbottomofyourpicture
• inthecharacter’shead,draw/labelwhathe/shethinksorworriesabout• inthecharacter’sheart,draw/labelwhathe/sheloves• inoneofthecharacter’shands,draw/labeloneofhis/herhobbies• onthecharacter’sbackbone,draw/labelhis/herbestquality• onthecharacter’sleftleg,draw/labelsomethingorsomeonewhosupportsthecharacter• onthecharacter’srightleg,draw/labelsomethingthatmotivatesthecharacter• onthecharacter’sleftfoot,draw/labelyourinitialimpressionofthecharacter• onthecharacter’srightfoot,draw/labelyourimpressionofthecharacterbytheendofthe
book(thismightrepresentsomewaythatthecharacterhasgrown)• giveyourcharacteravoicebubble,andincludeyourfavoritequotationthatyourcharacter
actuallysaysinthebook;youwanttochoosethequotationthatrepresentsyourcharacterbest
• onthebackofyourBodyBiography,explainin2‐3completesentenceswhetherthischaracter
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isstatic(remainsthesame)ordynamic(onewhochangessignificantlyduringthecourseofthestory).*YourBodyBiographyshouldbeCOLORFUL,NEAT,ANDACCURATEaccordingtothedetailsgiveninthenovel.
15minutes:ShareBodyBiographieswiththeclass.20minutes:In‐classreadingofTKAM(Chapter14&15‐[27pages]).Homework:FinishreadingthroughChapter15andStudyforVocabQuiz!
Week 4 –Chapters 16-25 of TKAM MONDAY EQ:AsPartIIofthenovelbegins,whatareyourpredictionsabouttheeventsabouttounfold?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL5,ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,ELA9LSV2Materials:Week4Vocabulary,reviewnotesworksheets,presentationrubrics3minutes:Housekeeping.15minutes:VocabularyQuizoverWeek3Vocab.15minutes:Presentations:
1. Lynching2. JimCrowLaws3. ScottsboroTrials
5minutes:QuickWriteononeofthepresentations.10minutes:CopyWeek4Vocabandbegindefiningwords:
Week4Vocabulary
diligentlyinconsistentdevoidtactfulprerogativeirritableantagonizeinfalliblebegrudgecommence
10minutes:Fillintheblankreview/notessheetoverChapters12‐15.(RemovecertainkeywordsfromthechaptersummariesonSparknotes.com.Then,asaclass,readthesummariesandfillintheblanks.Whilethisactivityisratherrote,itprovidesanicereviewforthestudentswhohavereadandoffersthosewhohaven’ttheopportunitytocatchup.)30minutes:In‐classreadingofTKAM–(Chapter16‐[13pages].Homework:FinishreadingChapter16&DefineWeek4Vocab.
TUESDAY EQ:DoesHarperLeeuseethos,pathosorbothtoappealtoherreadersinthetrialscene?GPSAddressed:ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL4Materials:Copiesofthescript,copiesofquiz
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3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabdefinitionsforFULLcredit.10minutes:QuizoverChapters12‐16:
1. WhatexplanationdoesCalpurniagivefortalking“nigger‐talk”inChapter12?2. HowdoesAtticusdealwithfindingDillinScout’sroominChapter14?3. ExplainwhythemenwenttothejailinthemiddleofthenightinChapter15.4. WhatsubtlechangedoesScoutnoticeinAtticusinChapter16?5. Withwhomdothechildrensitwithinthecourtroom?
60minutes:Inlieuofreadingthetrialscenefromthenovel(Chs.17‐21),wewillreenactthesceneusingthescriptfromthefilmversionofTKAM.Studentswillchoosepartsandperformthemduringclass.Thosewhodonothaveaspecificroleinthereenactmentwillserveasthejuryand/orwitnessestothetrial.15minutes:BeginRRJEntry4–PossibleQuestiontoConsider:Whoshowedcourageinthetrial?How?Why?Homework:FinishRRJEntry4.
WEDNESDAY EQ:Howdoesthefilmenhanceyourunderstandingofthetext?GPSAddressed:ELA9LSV2,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL4Materials:TKAMfilm3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabdefinitionsfor1/2credit.25minutes: ReadandanalyzeLangstonHughespoem,“TheTownofScottsboro.”ConsideritsrelationshiptoTomRobinson’strialinthenovel.Now,inpairs,writeyourownpoemaboutsomeaspectofthetrialand/oreventssurroundingTom’strial.
TheTownofScottsboroScottsboro'sjustalittleplace:Noshameiswriteacrossitsface‐‐Itscourtstooweaktostandagainstamob,Itspeople'sheart,toosmalltoholdasob.
60minutes:TKAMfilmthroughtheendofthetrial.Homework:ReadthroughChapter23&vocabsentencesduetomorrow
THURSDAY EQ:Whatrelationshipmightthepoem,“MyPapa’sWaltz,”havetothenovel?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC4,ELA9RL1,ELA9RL4,ELA9LSV1,ELA9LSV2Materials:Copiesofquiz,copiesof“MyPapa’sWaltz,”copiesofCharacterAnalogyWorksheet3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabsentencesforFULLcredit.20minutes:FinishviewingTKAMfilm.
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20minutes:Readaloud“MyPapa’sWaltz”byTheodoreRoethke.Havestudentsdiscussthemeaningofthepoemasaclass.Whatrelationshipmightithavetothenovel?Doesitrelatetoanyparticularcharacter(s)?15minutes:UsethepoemtoinfluenceyourwritingsinRRJEntry6.30minutes:CharacteranalogyWorksheet:Inpairs,studentswillcompletethefollowingworksheet:
CharacterAnalogies
Completetheexplanationsforeachofthefollowingexamples
Thenonthebackcreatecomparisonsfortwoothercharactersfromthebook.Eachcomparisonshouldhave2‐3quotes(withpage#s)assupport,awell‐writtenexplanationandanillustration.
Arthur“Boo”Radley
“Yourfather’sright,”shesaid.“Mockingbirdsdon’tdoonethingbutmakemusicforustoenjoy.Theydon’teatuppeople’sgardens,don’tnestincorncribs,theydon’tdoonethingbutsingtheirheartsoutforus.That’swhyitisasintokillamockingbird.”(MissMaudiep.90)
“Takingtheonemanwho’sdoneyouandthistownagreatservicean’dragginhimwithhisshywaysinto thelimelight—tome,that’sasin.”(HeckTatep.276)
“Well,it’dbesortoflikeshootin’amockingbird,wouldn’tit?”(Scoutp.276)
BooRadleyislikeamockingbirdbecause__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BobEwell
“Helooksmoresickthananything,”Isaid.
“Letanythinggetinfrontofhimandhe’llcomestraightatit.”
Mr.Tateputhishandtohisforeheadandleanedforward.“He’sgotitallright,Mr.Finch.”
TimJohnsonwasadvancingatasnail’space,buthewasnotplayingorsniffingatfoliage:heseemeddedicatedtoonecourseandmotivatedbyaninvisibleforcethatwasinchinghimtowardus.Wecouldseehimshiverlikeahorsesheddingflies;hisjawopenedandshut;hewasalist,buthewasbeingpulledgraduallytowardus…
…InfrontoftheRadleygate,TimJohnsonhadmadeupwhatwasleftofhismind.Hehadfinallyturnedhimselfaround,topursuehisoriginalcourseupourstreet.Hemadetwostepsforward,thenstoppedandraisedhishead.Wesawhisbodygorigid.(pp.95‐96)
“Mr.Finch,there’sjustsomekindofmenyouhavetoshootbeforeyoucansayhidyto‘em.Eventhen,theyain’tworththebulletittakestoshoot‘em.Ewell‘asoneof‘em.”(HeckTatep.269)
BobEwellislikeamad(rabid)dogbecause________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Homework:ReadTKAMChapters24(13pages).
FRIDAY EQ:Fromthenovel,whatdoyouthinkHarperLeeistryingtosayabouttheroleofwomeninsociety?GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL2,ELA9LSV1Materials:Copiesofquiz,copiesof“Interview:GrowingUpWhiteintheSouthinthe1930s,”copiesofdiscussionquestions3minutes:Housekeeping&HomeworkCollection–vocabsentencesfor1/2credit.10minutes:QuizoverChapters23&24:
1.HowdoesAtticusexplainthefactthatwomencan’tserveonjuriesinAlabama?2.WhatisAuntAlexandra’sconclusionaboutWalterCunningham?3.AftertheirdiscussionaboutMrunas,whatdotheladiesofthemissionarysocietydo?
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4.WhatisMissStephanie’sadvicetoScoutaboutbecomingalady?5.WhatnewsdoesAtticusbringaboutTomRobinson?
45minutes:Readingofthearticle,“Interview:GrowingUpWhiteintheSouthinthe1930s,”outloud,asaclass.Asthepieceiswritteninascripted,interviewstyle,studentswillbegivenrolestoreadaloud.Attheconclusionofthearticle,studentswillbreakintogroupsof3toanswerthefollowingquestions:
1. Weretheyorweren'ttheytypicalsoutherngirlsraisedinaprivilegedway?2. WeretheirexperiencessodifferentfromScout's?3. Weretheirexperienceslimitedbytheirperceptionofhowthingsweremeanttobe?4. Ifyouwerelookcloselyattheirexperienceswhatattitudesdotheydisplaywhichwereshaped
bytheirparents?theirnurses?theirstatusinwhitesociety?Then,asaclass,wewilldiscussScout’sviewsonbecomingalady.20minutes:RRJEntry7.10minutes:In‐classreadingofChapter25[5pages].Homework:FinishreadingthroughChapter25,completeRRJEntry7,studyforvocabquiz.
Week 5 –Chapters 26-End of TKAM MONDAY EQ:HowdoesDunbaruseextendedmetaphorinhispoem,“Sympathy?”GPSAddressed:ELA9RC2,ELA9RC4,ELA9RL4,ELA9RL2,ELA9LSV1Materials:CopiesofWeek4Vocabquiz,copiesofpoem,“Sympathy”3minutes:Housekeeping&Announcements:NOVocabularythisweek!20minutes:VocabularyQuizoverWeek4Vocab.45minutes:Readthepoem,“Sympathy,”byPaulLaurenceDunbar,aloudasaclass.Thenhavestudentsunderlineanyexamplesoffigurativelanguageandmetaphorswithinpoem.Asaclass,discusstheirfindings.Whatistheoverallthemeofthepoem?Whoisthebird?Whatisthecage?Next,havestudentsconnectthepoemtoTKAM.Whatcharacterinthenovelcouldthispoemmostlikelyrepresent?20minutes:RRJEntry8.Homework:ReadChapters26&27[16pages],completeRRJEntry8.
TUESDAY EQ:Whatisoneofthemostimportantthemesinthenovel,TKAM?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL4,ELA9RL1Materials:Copiesofquiz,copiesofRRJEntryRevisionhandout3minutes:Housekeeping.10minutes:QuizoverChapters26&27:
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1.WhydoesJudgeTaylorhaveashotguninhislapwhenhiswifecomeshomefromchurch?2.WhatcommentdidBobEwellmakeaboutTom’sdeath?3.WhatdoesScoutfantasizeabout?4.WhywasHelenRobinsonwalkingamileoutofherwaytogettoherjob?5.WhataboutScout’s‘ham’costumecausesherdiscomfort?60minutes:In‐classreading‐(Chapters28&29[20pages]).20minutes:RRJEntryRevisionInstructions:Thusfar,youhavemadeatleast8entriesinyourRRJ.Ofthoseentries,youaretochooseonetorevise.Inthis
revision,youwillexpandonyourinitialthoughtsmakingthemevenclearerandmorefleshedout.
Yourrevisionshouldalsoincorporateatleastonepieceofsupportingevidencefromthetext.Morethanlikely,thispieceofevidencewillbeaquotetakendirectlyfromthenovel.(RefertoyourworkintheCharacterAnalogy
activitytohelpyouthinkaboutwhattypesofquoteshelpsupportcertainclaims.)Also,includethepagenumberofthequote!
Whilethereisnosetlengthforthisassignment,Iamexpectingthatyourrevisionwillbedoublethesizeofyour
originalentry(EX:ifyouroriginalentryis10sentences,yourrevisionwillbe20).
Finally,Iexpecttheserevisionstobepolished.Therefore,payattentiontogrammar,punctuation,clarityofthought,etc.Wewilldiscussthesethingsmoreaswegoalong.FirstRevisionDue:Thursday!
Homework:ReadChapters30&31[13pages],choosewhichRRJEntryyouwillreviseandbepreparedtoshareittomorrow.
WEDNESDAY EQ:Whatisoneofthemostimportantthemesinthenovel,TKAM?GPSAddressed:ELA9RL4,ELA9RL1,ELA9W1,ELA9C1,ELA9LSV1Materials:Copiesofquiz,copiesofFinalProjectinstructions,copiesofpeerreviewsheets(3perstudent)3minutes:Housekeeping.10minutes:QuizoverChapters30&31
1.WhokilledBobEwell?2.Who“coversup”themurder?3.Ina5sentenceparagraph,describeyourpersonalreactiontotheendingofthenovel?(3pts)
10minutes:Discussionregardingtheendofthenovel.Whatwasyourreaction?Couldithaveendeddifferently?10minutes:InstructionsforFinalProject:
NowthatwehavefinishedreadingToKillaMockingbird,youhavetheopportunitytoshowwhatyouhave
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learnedaboutthethemes,charactersandeventsinnovelinahighlycreativeway.Belowisalistofthreeprojectideasthatwillallowyoutoshowwhatyouknowaboutthenovel:
Music:MakeaCDofatleast5songsthatrepresentthethemes/characters/eventsinthenovel.MakeacoverfortheCD.Also,includelinernotesthatexplaintherelationshipbetweenthesongsandToKilla
Mockingbird.Inshort,makesurethereisatleastoneparagraph(4‐6sentences)writtenforeachsong.Eachparagraphshouldmakeconnectionsbetweenthesongandthenovel.Itshouldbeevidentthatyou
havereadandthatyoufullyunderstandthethemesandhowtheyareconnectedtothelyricsyouhavechosen.
Collage:Onasheetofposterboard,makeacollagethatrepresentsatheme,characteroreventinthe
novel.Thecollageshouldbeaccompaniedbyatyped1pagepaper(thathasparagraphs!)whichexplainsthetheme,characteroreventyouhavevisuallyrepresentedinyourcollage.
Poetry:Writeatleast3shortpoemsoronelongpoem,intheformofyourchoosing,aboutthenovelor
oneofthemaincharacters.Thepoemcanbetoldbyanarratorofyourcreationorfromtheperspectiveofoneofthecharacters.Writea2paragraphpaper(4‐6sentencesperparagraph)explaininghowyour
poemsareconnectedtothenovel.
Individually,youwilldecidewhichprojectyouwouldliketodo.Beforeyoubeginwork,youwillbeaskedtoturn
ina1/2pageproposalwhichoutlineswhatstepsyouplantotakeincompletingthisprojectandwhatthefinalprojectwilllooklike.Onceyou’veconferencewithme,you’refreetobegin!
Remember,whilecreativityisimportant,theconnectionsyoumaketothethemes,charactersandeventsin
thenovelareMOSTimportant!
ProposaldueThursdayattheendofclass.FinalProjectdueMonday.
30minutes:IndividualWorkshoponRRJEntryRevision–duringthistime,studentsshouldbeworkingindividuallyontheirRRJEntryRevisions.Iwillwalkaroundtheroomandtakenoteofwhoisrevisingwhatentry.Iwillalsomakemyselfavailableforquestions.25minutes:GroupWorkshoponRRJEntryRevision–studentswillhaveatleast2oftheirpeersreviewtheirworkthusfarusingthefollowingquestionsasaguide:
Wasthereanythingthatwasconfusing?Ifso,whatwasit? Whatdetailsdoesthewriterinclude? Doesthewriteusesupportingevidencefromthenovel?Isthesupportingevidenceused
productively? Whatisgoodaboutthewriting?Whyisitgood? Arethereanyerrorsthatneedtobecorrected? Whatspecificsuggestionsforimprovementcanyoumake?
Homework:FinalizeRRJEntryRevisionstoturnintomorrowanddecideonFinalProjectchoice.
THURSDAY EQ:Whatisoneofthemostimportantthemesinthenovel,TKAM?
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GPSAddressed:ELA9RL4,ELA9RL1,ELA9W1,ELA9W2,ELA9C1Materials:Computerlab
3minutes: Housekeeping&CollectionofRRJ’sandEntryRevisions.85minutes:WORKDAY–studentswillhaveaccesstothecomputerlabandtheclassroominordertobeginworkingontheirFinalProjects.(Thisismadepossiblebythepresenceofaninclusionteacher.)Thisistheonlyclasstimetheywillhaveasanewunitwillbegintomorrow.Bytheendofclasstime,EVERYstudentmustturnina½pageprojectproposal.Homework:WorkonFinalProjects–DueMonday!
FRIDAY Thisdayisintentionallyleftopenintheeventthatitisneededasacatch‐upday.Ifitisnotneeded,thenextunitwillbegin.
AForbiddenWord
PeopleAreBeginningtoTalkAbouttheN‐WordTakenfromABCNews.com
April10‐Then‐word,“nigger,”isstillprettymuchtabooinpublicdiscourse.Althoughithasbeenrevived–somesayreclaimed–asatermofsolidarityamongyoungblackmenin
recent years, its longhistory as a powerful andderisive1 racial epithet2 has largely kept it out ofmainstream
culture.Butthatischanging,saysRandallKennedy,aHarvardLawSchoolprofessorwhohaswrittenanewbook
abouttheword,Nigger:TheStrongCareerofaTroublesomeWord.“Peoplearedebatingallovertheplace–in
placeshighandlow–aboutusingtheword‘nigger’,”hesays.Thenewusageof thewordwaspopularizedby“gangsta” rapmusic thatcelebratedWestCoastgang
violence,duringtheearly1990s. Itwasadoptedbymanyyoungblackfansofrapandhip‐hop. Thewordhas
beenusedbycomedianslikeChrisRock,andinmoviesabouturbanculture.Young black men who use the word say they mean it with no offense attached, as a term of
endearment.
“WhenIsay,‘What’sup,mynigga?’,that’skindoflike,“What’sup,mybrother?’,”saysJoePaskett,a23year‐oldfromNewYork.
Scholarssaythisusageofthewordrepresentsaneffortbytheblackpeopletotakeoverthewordfor
themselves,strippingitofthehatefulanddegradingmeaninghistoricallygiventoitbywhites.
1Derisive‐(adj.)abusingvocally;intentionallybeinginsulting,impolite,orunkind2Epithet‐(n.)descriptivewordorphraseexpressingsomerealorimpliedqualityofaperson;atermofabuse
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“N‐i‐g‐g‐e‐r–nigger–isatermcoinedbywhitesupremacistsandslavemasterswhointendedtoharmthe psychology and social standing of black slaves,” saysMichael Eric Dyson, who teaches African‐American
studiesatDePaulUniversityandisauthorofHollerIfYouHearMe:SearchingforTupacShukur.“N‐i‐g‐g‐a,n‐i‐g‐g‐u‐h,n‐i‐g‐g‐a‐z‐ ‘niggaz’aretermsgeneratedwithinthehip‐hopculture…attemptsofblackpeopletowrest3controloverhowtheywillbeviewed,oratleasttermed,bythedominantsociety.”
GenerationGap
ButmanyblackAmericans,especiallyolderones,arenotconvinced. Kennedy,whoarguesinhisbook
thatwords’meaningscanchangewithcontext,saysheisoftenapproachedbyolderblackAmericanswhosaytheyunderstandhisargument,butthatforthemthewordwillalwaysbringbackmemoriesofsegregation,ofbeingturnedawayfromtheballotboxes,ofenforcedsocialinferiority4ofblackpeople.
PlaskettandhisyoungerbrotherJasen,saytheyuse thewordfreelyamongfriendstheirage,butnotwiththeirparentsorolderrelatives.Theirfather,JoePlaskettJr.,saysheunderstandshissons’useoftheword,butdoesn’t like theword’s evolution. “Theydon’t know thehistoryof theword, the context inwhich ithas
beenusedinourhistoryasblackAmericans.Andthat’saproblem.”Their grandmother, Bunny Plaskett, was upset to learn of the boys using the word. “You see, I’m a
Southernerand thewordoffendsme,”shesays. “BecausewhenIwasgrowingupitwasaveryhateful,very
hurtfulword.Thewordwasspokentohurtyou.SoIwouldlikenevertohearthewordagain.”Patricia Williams, a professor at Columbia Law School who writes on racial issues, believes that in
beginningtoacceptthenewusageoftheword,mainstreamculture isunfairly ignoringtheobjectionsofblack
AmericanslikeBunnyPlaskettwhorememberthepainoflifeintheUnitedStatesbeforethecivilrights.“Wordshavehistoriesembedded5inthemthatdon’teverquitegoaway,”saysWilliams,“eventhoughitfeelslikethisis
thewordoftheminute.”CanWhitePeopleUseIt?
Thereisanothertrickyquestion:canwhitepeopleuse“nigga”initsnewusage?Whitefansaccountforalargeshareofrapandhip‐hopsales,andhavelongbeenexposedtothenewusage.
Kennedybelievesitisacceptableforwhitepeopletousetheterm:“Ibelievethatwordscanbeusedin
allsortsofways.Wearethemastersofthewords.”ButDysonhadclearguidelines inhis interviewforDowntown:“Hereis theruleofthumbforallwhite
Americanswhomightbewatchingthisshowastohowtousetheword ‘nigger’–never! Seethat’sageneral
ruleofthumb.”Someyoungwhitesarefloutingthatrule,andusingthetermthemselves,withblackandwhitefriends
alike. “It doesn’t mean anything bad now. It’s not meant to hurt anybody. It’s a casual thing,” says John
Groudy,awhiteteenagerwhosometimesusesthewordwithhisfriends.TheissuecreatedabuzzwhenitcameupinarecentepisodeofFox’shigh‐schooldramaBostonPublic.
Intheepisodeawhitestudentusesthewordwithhisblackfriend,butischallengesbyanotherblackstudent,
3Wrest‐(v.)obtainbyseizingforciblyorviolently4Inferiority‐(n.)lowerinstation,rank,degree,grade,orquality(antonym:superiority)5Embedded‐(adj.)tofixorencloseinasurroundingmass;insertedasanimportantpartofasurroundingwhole
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andafightbreaksout.Theboys’whiteteacherthenleadsaclassdiscussionusingKennedy’sbook–andablackteacheraskstohavethewhiteteacherremovedforevenutteringtheword.◊
WeWeartheMask–PaulLaurenceDunbar
WEwearthemaskthatgrinsandlies,Ithidesourcheeksandshadesoureyes,—Thisdebtwepaytohumanguile;Withtornandbleedingheartswesmile,Andmouthwithmyriadsubtleties.
Whyshouldtheworldbeover‐wise,Incountingallourtearsandsighs?Nay,letthemonlyseeus,whileWewearthemask.
Wesmile,but,OgreatChrist,ourcriesTotheefromtorturedsoulsarise.Wesing,butohtheclayisvileBeneathourfeet,andlongthemile;Butlettheworlddreamotherwise,Wewearthemask!
MyPapa’sWaltz–TheodoreRoethke
ThewhiskeyonyourbreathCouldmakeasmallboydizzy;
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ButIhungonlikedeath:Suchwaltzingwasnoteasy.WerompeduntilthepansSlidfromthekitchenshelf;Mymother'scountenanceCouldnotunfrownitself.ThehandthatheldmywristWasbatteredononeknuckle;AteverystepyoumissedMyrightearscrapedabuckle.YoubeattimeonmyheadWithapalmcakedhardbydirt,Thenwaltzedmeofftobed
Sympathy–PaulLaurenceDunbar
IKNOWwhatthecagedbirdfeels,alas!Whenthesunisbrightontheuplandslopes;Whenthewindstirssoftthroughthespringinggrass,Andtheriverflowslikeastreamofglass;Whenthefirstbirdsingsandthefirstbudopes,Andthefaintperfumefromitschalicesteals—Iknowwhatthecagedbirdfeels!
IknowwhythecagedbirdbeatshiswingTillitsbloodisredonthecruelbars;ForhemustflybacktohisperchandclingWhenhefainwouldbeonthebougha‐swing;Andapainstillthrobsintheold,oldscarsAndtheypulseagainwithakeenersting—Iknowwhyhebeatshiswing!
Iknowwhythecagedbirdsings,ahme,Whenhiswingisbruisedandhisbosomsore,—Whenhebeatshisbarsandhewouldbefree;Itisnotacarolofjoyorglee,Butaprayerthathesendsfromhisheart'sdeepcore,
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Butaplea,thatupwardtoHeavenheflings—Iknowwhythecagedbirdsings!
