Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 26
icon/ela/white

ELA

Unit 6

8th Grade

Lesson 26 of 35

Objective


Explain how Harper Lee uses word choice and literary devices to develop tone and establish a suspenseful mood.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  — chapter 28

Fishtank Plus

Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

Target Task


Writing Prompt

What mood does Lee develop during the attack? How does she use figurative language to develop this mood? Provide at least three examples of figurative language from this scene and explain how they develop mood.

Sample Response

Create a free account or sign in to view Sample Response

Key Questions


  • How does Lee begin to build a suspenseful/foreboding mood on pages 293–294? Provide at least four details from the text that help to develop this mood, and explain why.
  • How do Scout and Jem’s tones differ on pages 298 and 299? Provide at least two specific words and phrases from the text that help establish tone.
  • Throughout the attack, Scout is unable to see anything. How does Lee’s decision to make Scout unable to see impact the reader’s experience of the scene? How does this help establish mood?
  • Discussion: What do you think happened during the attack? What specific details help you draw this conclusion?

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • Mood: The emotional atmosphere of a scene; usually thought of as the emotions a scene brings up for the reader.
  • Tone: The way a speaker feels about a specific topic, which is determined by the words they say and how they say it.
  • In thinking about how Lee creates mood, students will need to think carefully about the connotations of words and concepts. If students are struggling with this, focus on the very first paragraph of chapter 28, pulling out ideas like:
    • unusually warm weather suggests that things are slightly strange, out of the ordinary
    • wind growing stronger, rain coming -- a storm is coming in, something dark and dangerous is on the horizon
    • no moon suggests that it is very dark; they are more vulnerable

Notes

  • Students should take note of the brief mention of a mockingbird on page 293. Why do you think Lee chose to include a reference to the mockingbird here?

Homework

  • Review To Kill a Mockingbird, chapter 28.

Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
icon/arrow/right/large copy

Lesson 25

icon/arrow/right/large

Lesson 27

Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

Effective Instruction Made Easy

Effective Instruction Made Easy

Access rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free