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To Kill a Mockingbird:
A Historical Perspective
Kathleen Prody and Nicolet Whearty |
Students gain a sense of the living history that
surrounds the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Through studying primary source materials from
American Memory and other online resources, students
of all backgrounds may better grasp how historical events and human forces have shaped relationships between black and white, and rich and poor cultures of our country.
This unit guides students on a journey through
the Depression Era in the 1930s. Activities familiarize the students with Southern experiences through the study of the novel and African American experiences through the examination of primary sources.
Objectives |
Students will:
- learn about the history of African Americans in the South through analysis of historical and literary primary source photographs and documents;
- demonstrate visual literacy skills;
- master research skills necessary to use American Memory collections;
- be able to distinguish points of view in several types of primary sources;
- be able to identify literary devices and figurative language in historical documents and personal narratives;
- demonstrate the technique of recording oral histories; and
- write creative works that reflect the themes of racism, compassion, and tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird.
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Time Required |
4 to 5 weeks, depending on the time allowed for reading
the novel. Activities range from 1 to 4 days.
Several optional extension activities can affect the length of the To Kill a Mockingbird unit. |
Recommended
Grade Level |
10th grade; adaptable for 7-12th grades |
Curriculum Fit |
Interdisciplinary, encompassing mastery skills in language arts and history. The unit emphasizes language arts and includes: creative writing, critical analysis of the printed page, theme, voice, visual literacy, and research skills. |
Standards |
McREL 4th Edition Standards & Benchmarks
Historical Understanding
Standard 2. Understands the historical perspective
Language Arts
Standard 4. Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Standard 6. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts
Standard 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
Standard 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
US History
Standard 29. Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties |
Resources Used |
American Memory:
"The
Scottsboro Boys" Trials
Southern Poverty Law Center
A View from a Helena Black by Dr. Raymond Howard
Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, Part I: The Awakening. New York, NY: Viking, 1987.
Hugo, Richard. The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on
Poetry and Writing. New York: Norton, 1979.
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. |
Enrichment Activity Resources |
Brown, Sterling A. "Strong Men" from Collected Poems of Sterling A. Brown. Evanston, Ill.: TriQuarterly Books, 1996.
Chura, Patrick. "Prolepsis and Anachronism: Emmett Till and the
Historicity of To Kill a Mockingbird." Southern Literary
Journal. (June 2000): 1-26.
Douglass, Frederick. "A Child's Reasoning," Chapter VI of
Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. Hartford, Conn.: Park Publishing Co., 1881.
Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Library.
DuBois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folks. New York: Bantam Classic, 1989. University of Virginia Electronic Text Center.
Feelings, Tom. Middle Passage: White Ships and Black Cargo. New York: Dial Books, 1995.
Haley, Alex. Roots. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1976.
Hughes, Langston. The Negro Mother and Other Dramatic Recitations. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1971.
Jacobs, Harriet A. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Boston: Published for the Author, 1861.
Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Library.
Juneteenth Pictorial: Middle Passage.
Mr.
Lincoln's Virtual Library, American Memory.
Northup, Solomon. Twelve Years A Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of Newark, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841.
Auburn, N.Y.: Derby and Miller, 1853. Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Library.
Randall, Dudley. "Booker T. and W.E.B." in Danner, Margaret and Dudley Randall. Poem Counter Poem. Detroit, MI.: Broadside Press, 1969. |
Procedure
See the Procedure page for a complete description of activities with links to appropriate materials.
- Navigating American Memory - developing search strategies.
- Historical Understanding of Setting - visual literacy activity with photographs of Alabama during the Great Depression.
- Exploring Oral History - analysis of oral histories from Alabama collected between 1936-40.
- Writing Connection - create a town poem based on photographs in lesson II.
- Getting into the Novel - reading first 10 chapters with activities building on lessons II and III.
- Mob Justice - continued reading of the novel with parallel primary source readings on mob behavior and lynching.
- Justice in the Courts - continued reading of the novel.
- Pulling it all Together - students complete one or more culminating activities.
Extension
Multidisciplinary enrichment activities:
The Roots of Slavery - readings in primary sources to provide multiple pictures of slavery and the slave trade.
The Emancipation Proclamation: Unfulfilled
Promises - Using drafts of the proclamation and a speech at an Emancipation anniversary celebration, students compare promise and reality.
Opposing Perspectives on the "Race
Problem" - Using a speech by Booker T. Washington and an excerpt of a text by W.E.B. DuBois, students debate the positions held by both men.
Struggle for Equality - Using readings from African American Perspectives, 1818-1907, students prepare a 60 Minutes-style news program.
Evaluation
Student evaluation will be based on:
- Completion of all writing assignments:
- town poem
- found poem
- editorial
- response to oral history interview
- comparison/contrast thesis-based essay;
- An objective test on the novel; and
- Active participation in all class discussions.
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