LanguageTeach

While Reading To Kill a Mockingbird, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, refer to this chart for background information, elements of fiction, and study guides for understanding the novel.

*Understanding the Historical, Social, Cultural, and Racial Overtones of Southern Culture in the 1930s - the Context of the novel*
http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/northergn.htm Listen to the mockingbird sing. Scroll down the page and read about this bird. Then read the task and the quotation in this link: http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/tokil/activity1.htm
http://www.harpercollins.com/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0060194995&tc=rg Read the four-paragraph introduction to the novel.
http://mockingbird.chebucto.org/bio.html Here you can read a biography of the author, Harper Lee.
http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/ Read about Monroeville, Alabama, the childhood home of Harper Lee, whose residents and landmarks served as models for characters and places in the novel.
To understand racial relations in southern states in the 1930s, Read the following two interviews. http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/girl.html?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0923 Interview: Growing Up White in the South in the 1930s http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/mculley.html Interview: Growing Up Black in the South in the 1930s.
http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/history.htm The History of Jim Crow - From Terror to Triumph details the unjust system of racial segregation imposed by custom and by law in southern states.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/085_disc.html Photographs of signs enforcing racial segregation and discrimination. Click on photos to enlarge them.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html Skim this article for information about the Scottsboro boys, who likely serve as the model for the story of Tom Robinson in the novel.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/timeline/index.html Scottsboro Timeline - An interesting account of what really happened and an exposition of "southern justice."
*Lynching* The links in this section provide a disturbing account of the cruelest reality of racism in the 1930s and beyond, lynching.
http://withoutsanctuary.org/main.html This site includes postcards of actual lynchings that were collected and put on display in the year 2000. Be prepared for very disturbing material as you view the movie and the photos.
http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/african/2000/lynching.htm This article explains the background of the above project and has more photos.
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/modules/mod23/mod15_main.htm These links tell the story of a courageous African-American woman who crusaded against lynching early in the 20th century. The link above has a quiz based on information in the next link. After reading the Introduction, open the link for the Biographical note. http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/modules/mod23/mod15_frameset.htm
*Elements of Fiction*
Understanding the Elements of Fiction will enlighten your reading of the novel. Click the hyperlink.
For notes on Setting and Character, click here.
*Study Guides for the Novel*
http://www.bookrags.com/notes/tkm This site gives thorough notes on all chapters of the novel and has interactive links that help with understanding characters, etc.
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/ Vocabulary and allusions (historical references) for all of the Chapters in the novel. Click the button by the chapter you are reading for help with vocabulary and references.
http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/gcse/mockingbird.htm A complete study guide for To Kill a Mockingbird
http://www.eslnotes.com/movies/pdf/to-kill-a-mockingbird.pdf ESL notes based on the movie. You will receive a printed copy of these extensive notes in class.
For notes on Close Reading of a text, click here.
Literary Criticism http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~evans/TKAM.htm?essays&title=Mythology+and+Archetypes+in+Harper+Lee%27s+To+Kill+a+Mockingbird "Mythology and Archetypes in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird" is an analytical article that gives insight into the novel's symbolism, character, and plot.
Games to play after you are well into the novel
http://www.quia.com/jg/344788.html Vocabulary practice chapters 1-3
http://www.quia.com/tq/237211.html A Practice quiz for Chapters 1-6
http://www.quia.com/cb/89416.html This game tests your knowledge of characters, types of prejudice, literary terms, names, etc.
http://www.quia.com/rr/88170.html This game tests how much you remember from the plot.
http://www.quia.com/cm/72254.html Character review for chapters 1 through 11
Index for ESL 91L Lab Material