To Kill A Mockingbird
Teacher's Guide - Schedule / Lesson Plans

Introduction

Schedule/Lesson Plans

Capstone Project Ideas

Essay Topics

Additional Resources

NCTE Standards

Credits

Back to Reader's Guide

This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 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.

The CD Audio Guides 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. If your community is not participating, encourage a local organization (such as a library, museum, literary center, arts council, or similar non-profit organization) to apply.

Day One

FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [47K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD, Track One (15:45). Read Reader’s Guide essays. Respond to the novel's epigraph by Charles Lamb.
Homework: Chapters 1-3 (pp. 3-32).

Day Two

FOCUS: Arts and Culture
Day Two Lesson Plan [46K PDF]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD, 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: 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: Chapters 8-11 (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: Chapter 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: 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: Chapters 16-18 (pp. 155-189).

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: Chapters 19-24 (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: Chapters 25-27 (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: Chapters 28-31 (pp. 254-281). Begin essay.

Day Ten

FOCUS: A Great Novel
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: Essay due next class period.

ADDITIONAL HANDHOUTS

Handout One: Biography of Harper Lee [47K PDF]
Handout Three: The Civil Rights Movement [46K PDF]