Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 9
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ELA

Unit 6

8th Grade

Lesson 9 of 35

Objective


Explain how specific events and lines of dialogue in To Kill a Mockingbird reveal aspects of characters and cause a change in perspective.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  — chapters 10 and 11

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How does Atticus’s comment about Mrs. Dubose on page 128, “She was the bravest person I ever knew,” reveal aspects of his character? Explain your thinking and provide one additional piece of evidence from the text that supports your answer.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


  • How does the incident with the mad dog change the way Scout and Jem perceive their father? Support your answer with at least two pieces of specific evidence from the text.
  • How does the line on page 127, “Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,” change the children’s (and the reader’s) understanding of Mrs. Dubose? Support your answer with at least two pieces of specific evidence from the text.
  • Discussion: Atticus is quick to forgive Mrs. Dubose for the terrible things she said about him. Would you be able to forgive a person so easily for that? What are the benefits and downsides of forgiveness?

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • Because this is the end of part one of the text, students should use this as a natural opportunity to reflect on what has happened thus far in the text. Authors will divide their texts into parts for a number of reasons: sometimes as a way to signal shifts in time or narrators, or to mark a literal or symbolic ending. Ask students to consider what purpose this section of text has served and what we are expecting will happen as the text moves on to its second part.

Notes

  • Today’s reading includes the N-word (pages 117, 118, 119, 124).
  • Draw students’ attention to the line on page 103: “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” It’s always important to pay close attention to any time in a text where the title of the book is mentioned, and this is the first time it’s appeared. It’s ok if we don’t totally understand yet why the book is called To Kill a Mockingbird, but just note this moment and what we learn in this passage.

Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.3 — Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
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Lesson 8

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Lesson 10

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