Experiential Education and To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
(This image comes from here.)
Historical Perspective
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that deals with a lot of tough issues, such as racism and the Great Depression, which makes it especially useful in discussing the historical context of the novel. Through the lessons developed by the Library of Congress (click here), students will have an opportunity to understand the context of Harper Lee's novel.
What makes the lessons provided by the Library of Congress so useful are the original materials that they provide, including photographs from the great depression, African American perspectives, information about the Scottsboro Boys' Trial, and information about the poverty levels within black communities. Students will become engaged in their search for the truth behind Lee's novel.
In addition to gaining an understanding of the contextual relevance of Lee's novel, students will also develop research skills, the ability to distinguish between different points of view, writing of an editorial, of a poem, and of a compare and contrast essay. (Please click here.)
An extension of this activity would be for students to create their own narrative about where they're from. This will help students to connect Lee's novel to their own lives. Ask students to write about one memory from childhood, then ask them to share with the class.
(This photograph comes from here.)
TKaM Tea Party
I've found that one of the best ways of getting students interested in what they're learning about is by giving them a choice, and by giving them the freedom to explore a character. Doing a tea party, or any other sort of "real life" experience in which students are required to dress in character, speak in character, and become a character, is a great way to give students the freedom to explore improv, thus enhancing critical thinking skills, and creative ability. Please see my RESOURCES page for the handout for this tea party! (This idea has been adapted from Kylene Beers' book, When Kids Can't Read.)
On Read Write Think (www.readwritethink.org) they offer an extensive lesson plan called, "Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party," (click here), which is an alternative assignment that could be offered to seventh graders, or any grade level of students, who are reading through Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
This tea party can be easily adapted for any novel, and could be espeically fun for any story in which the characters have secrets between each other. It would be especially fun for students to have to hide facets of their personalities from each other. For example. this would be an excellent activity if you're teaching the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn, or Othello by William Shakespeare.
The Blues
An important aspect of teaching any novel is helping students identify with the themes. PBS has an excellent lesson (click here) that allows students to connect with some of the themes from To Kill a Mockingbird (identity, oppression, and protest), while connecting to Blues music. "To help students understand these ideas, this lesson incorporates the blues and other literature of the time. Ultimately, students will be asked to consider both African American oppression and activism through a variety of lenses."
The lessons include many different aspects, including asking students to analyze the different men within the novel, versus those who are singing some of the blues songs. Students will also analyze what singing the blues allowed African Americans to do (protest through music), and they will read a letter by Martin Luther King, Jr., who did not stand for the oppression that he faced. This lesson will surely create a lot of discussion about a very intense, and important part of American history. Check out the music: Click here.
I think it would appropriate to introduce students to this lesson by turning your classroom into a sort of blues club, with dim lighting, cozy seating, and blues music playing when students enter the classroom.