Mrs. French's Homepage

Click here to edit title.

Click here to edit text.

Pre-Reading Research

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama. The consciousness of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the quiet heroism of one man’s struggle for justice. Through the young eyes of his children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930’s.

In order to appreciate and properly analyze a literary novel you must first understand the time period, environment, social climate and the individuals on which it is based. As we study Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, we have to look beyond the literary context into the past. It is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the plot and its setting. We must seek to understand the people, their way of life, and the ideas upon which their lives are built.

Please Note: I created this page and wrote all of this in March and I can't delete it . We (10th graders) were in the computer lab the day we learned we would be shutting down. Odd, I know, but I can still feel myself looking at the instructions and wondering how we were going to make this work. But we did. So here it stays to remind me...us...that we can do this and do it right.

The Process: I'm leaving this up because I wrote it before...you know :(

All questions should be answered thoroughly. You have ample time to complete ALL questions; be sure to SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY. The questions will be graded for correctness! Work together, if you choose, to find the best sources of information & respond to the questions accurately and thoroughly. Using complete sentences, open a Word Doc and type your responses. Do NOT copy and paste. Take the necessary steps to be sure you have what you need to work on this outside of class.(Google Drive, flashdrive, etc.)

Evaluation:

The questions will be graded for accuracy and detail and there will be a multiple choice quiz based on the information researched.

Task: You will search, scan, and select specific information on the topics related to the novel. There are 30 response questions and a series of websites provided for your convenience. Please use the document attached to the assignment in teams to complete your research. You may work with a partner, but the stakes are higher if you choose to do this with someone.

Before you begin, watch these two short videos as a prelude to this unit.

Is this novel still relevant today?

The Southern Reaction to the Novel in 1960

Suggested Websites: PLEASE search elsewhere if you need more information!

The History of Jim Crow, Jim Crow Laws, and Plessy v. Ferguson

A Brief History of Jim Crow

The Civil Rights Movement

Jim Crow and Plessy v. Ferguson

Jim Crow

Brown v. BoE

The Great Depression

Social and Cultural Effects of the Depression

The Great Depression Hits Farms and Cities in the 1930s

9 Principal Effects of the Great Depression

Sharecroppers

Sharecropping and Tenant Farming in Alabama

The Scottsboro Boys

#1 The Case of the Scottsboro Boys (2:31 Video)

# 2 Summary of Facts Surrounding the Case (Article)

#3 The Trial and Defense (Article)

#4 Powerful & REALISTIC Summary (7 min. video 3:52=favorite part)

#5 Injustice in Alabama (Article)

#6 The Communists and the Scottsboro Boys

Harper Lee

Biography 1 Harper Lee Fast facts

Biography 2 Famous Authors: Harper Lee

Biography 3 Biography

Biography 4 Just the Facts

To Kill a Mockingbird

Banned Books

STOP HERE

Research Links End Here. The Next Section Is for Reading the Novel.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Each of the hyperlinks mark the start of the chapter. If you plan to read more than one chapter in a sitting, you do not have to click the next link. It will continuously run. These times are to help you find your place.