Paired Reading for to Kill a Mockingbird
Equally I mentioned in an before mail, instead of doing a traditional short stories and/or poetry unit, I adopt to teach a novel or drama and then supplement with thematically relevant texts. Here are the texts I pair with To Kill a Mockingbird and the skills I emphasize with each.
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To Impale a Mockingbird Poesy Pairings
Since To Kill a Mockingbird is the first text my sophomores read, this unit is also the first place my students encounter verse. For this reason, when I select poems for this unit of measurement, I look for texts that are thematically relevant. But I as well look for texts that aid my students build the fundamental skills needed for analyzing poetry.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
i. "We Article of clothing the Mask" and "Sympathy" past Paul Laurence Dunbar. This is often the first verse form my students run across. So this is frequently the poem I'm using to teach my students the 4 steps for pre-reading a poem. Here are some of the reasons this text is a good introduction to verse annotation:
- Reliable meter and rhyme scheme. One of the steps to pre-reading poetry is to place the rhyme scheme. And Dunbar keeps an intentional rhyme scheme with purposeful deviations.
- Empathic punctuation. Similarly, Dunbar's utilise of punctuation is varied but deft. Students are able to have a meaningful kickoff feel analyzing his choices.
- Meaningful indicate of view. Point of view is primal to understanding most texts, but the plural "we" in this verse form is especially meaningful. From a didactics perspective, this is a great fashion to introduce students to the idea that point of view can be telling.
Apart from its poetic merits, "Nosotros Vesture the Mask" is thematically relevant. One of the criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is the portrayal of blackness characters. "We Clothing the Mask" provides some insight into the roles characters like Calpurnia are asked to play. Reading this poem against the scene at Start Purchase Church tin can be powerful. My resource for "Nosotros Wear the Mask" are here.
Additionally, students likewise read Dunbar's "Sympathy." Like To Kill a Mockingbird, this poem uses a bird every bit a symbol. For this reason, reading this poem opens upwards a great conversation about synthesis thinking. How do two different authors with two dissimilar historical and cultural contexts get in at a like symbol? Why this symbol?
Furthermore, the devastation at the heart of "Sympathy" helps students think through Tom Robinson'south fatal decision to run. Before reading "Sympathy," enquire students if they think Tom's conclusion makes sense. Ask the same question after reading "Sympathy," and you will have an extraordinary chat with students. Bank check out my "Sympathy" resource here.
Maya Angelou
2. " The Mask " and "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou
After reading Dunbar'due south poem, we too read Angelou's re-interpretation or accommodation of his work. This opens up a great conversation about the mode authors and artists build on 1 another's work, finding way to address similar themes and concerns. In particular, this is a poem where I begin to innovate the concepts of tone and innuendo.
Similarly, "Caged Bird" makes significant allusions to Dunbar's work. With this poem, students build on note skills and on their agreement of tone. But at present we've added symbolism and started in on our synthesis skills. At this signal, we are able to start building a synthesis map to visualize connections between texts. Check out my resources for "Caged Bird" here.
To Kill a Mockingbird and Nonfiction
While To Kill a Mockingbird is fiction, it touches on significant existent-globe concerns, issues, and themes. For this reason, I always pair the novel with a few pieces of nonfiction. This is also where I introduce my students to the four steps for pre-reading informational texts.
First-Person Nonfiction
3. " Credo: What I Believe " by Neil Gaiman
This brusk piece from Gaiman is a contempo addition to myTo Impale a Mockingbirdunit, but it's proven to be invaluable. This is the first slice of nonfiction my students read with me. So this is a vehicle I use for introducing the 4 steps for annotating nonfiction. Here'south what makes this a strong first piece of nonfiction:
- It's nonthreatening. To Kill a Mockingbird is a long novel. And poesy is often intimidating for students. Then having a text that seems nonthreatening tin be a boon for students.
- Text features! In order to understand this text, students may need some prior cognition most Gaiman, his purpose for writing, and some common allusions. For this reason, this is a great text to aid students find value in text features.
- Paraphrasing and summarizing. Sometimes teachers use these terms interchangeably. Just paraphrasing and summarizing are not the same. And then I like to teach students the difference early in the semester. We utilize this text to larn the difference between a paraphrase and a summary. Then we make an anchor chart that nosotros reference equally we write about To Impale a Mockingbird.
Third-Person Nonfiction
iv. " The Economics of the New Jim Crow " from Inequality.org
While Gaiman's piece is in the showtime person, this piece is in the third-person. So this text offers an opportunity to review points of view. Before deploying this text, read it carefully because it begins with a powerful image. The text helps reinforce the notion that American racism has not ended only that it has evolved and has an economic component. This is also nifty for discussing how authors utilise show and figurative language to make and support claims.
Inequality.org too has " The Disparate Impact of Climate Change ," which I do not always accept time to teach (and it's getting a little dated). However, this article makes a smashing point about the connectedness between form, poverty, and discrimination. My students oftentimes miss the form implications of To Kill a Mockingbird , then I value that aspect of this article.
Challenging Nonfiction
5. "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" from Chapter i of The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois.
This is another recent addition to my unit. And it's also, perhaps, the virtually complex text students encounter in this unit. Nevertheless, this text is incredibly powerful. In this section of The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois introduces the concept of "double consciousness." In other words, he names the very sensation Dunbar and Angelou describe in their poetry. Reading this slice helps students sympathize Calpurnia and Tom. Only this verse form as well helps students understand the limitations of To Impale a Mockingbird and of individuals who simply "read" the earth through ane lens. Since this is such a complex text, I have heavy scaffolding in place. Check information technology out here.
Unique Resources
While my students are constantly engaged in traditional texts similar poems, nonfiction manufactures, and novels, there is value in exposing students to alternative texts and resources. For this reason, I suggest these two text pairings. Still, when pressed for time, these are also the texts I omit from my unit.
6. Carmine Payne'south Hidden Rules for Understanding Poverty from A Framework for Agreement Poverty
Many of united states read Cerise Payne's work as undergrads. And while I admit that the text has some bug, the chart of Hidden Rules works extremely well with To Impale a Mockingbird . This is a word point for my students as they evaluate how the hidden rules piece of work inside To Kill a Mockingbird . This is an opportunity to continue synthesis. But this is also some other place to work with text features and word skills.
7. CrashCourse To Kill a Mockingbird : Office I and Part 2
I rarely prove these clips to the whole class. Just I often apply them every bit discussion stations. I'll place one clip at ane station and ask students to either write or answer questions based on the prune. If you lot are not able to use these in grade, yous can post them to your Google Classroom. Be careful nearly when in your reading y'all employ a clip so every bit to guard confronting spoilers. I besides take listening guides for both episodes.
What texts do you pair withTo Kill a Mockingbird? How do you utilise this text to teach the intersection of history and literature? What texts should I add together to this list? Permit u.s. know in the comments!
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Source: https://moore-english.com/paired-texts-for-to-kill-a-mockingbird/
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