Valley Stream Central HS District

Valley Stream Central HS District

CAP Project

To Kill A Mockingbird

Instructional Unit & Lesson Plans

Summer 2009

Curriculum Writers

Joan Vitale Strong – Project Supervisor, South High School

Christine Baker– South High School

Christy Mansfield– North High School

Administration

Dr. Marc F. Bernstein, Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Thomas Troisi, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. William Heidenreich, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel & Administration

Mr. Wayne Loper, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations

Ms. Maureen Henry, Principal, South High School

Mr. Clifford Odell, Principal, North High School

Dr. Joseph Pompilio, Principal, Central High School

Dr. Kathleen Walsh, Principal, Memorial Junior High School

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Course: English 1R Teacher:Joan Vitale Strong

Instructional Unit: To Kill A Mockingbird

Content Objectives: What will students know and be able to do by the end of this instructional unit?

Students will:

1. Learn about the history of African Americans in the South through analysis of historical and literary sources.

Expose howTo Kill A Mockingbird frames issues of courage and cowardice against the backdrop of the American South in the 1930s?
Expose the students to the history and cultural milieu of the deep South in 1935 America
Gain an awareness of how one’s society might force its citizens to take unpopular, but moral, stances in order to promote change.
Demonstrate close textual reading
Recognize and analyze the characteristics of literary genres, including fiction (e.g., myths, legends, short stories, novels), non-fiction (e.g., essays, biographies, autobiographies, historical documents), poetry (e.g., epics, sonnets, lyric poetry, ballads) and drama (e.g., tragedy, comedy).
Interpretand understand literary devices such as allusion, symbolism, figurative language, flashback, dramatic irony, dialogue, diction, mood, tone, style and imagery.
Identify and understand vocabulary in the novel
Write creative works that reflect the themes of racism, compassion, and tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Explain and interpreting archetypal characters, themes, settings.
Be able to distinguish point of view and the innocence of the childhood perspective of the novel.
Explain how the writer creates character, setting, motif, theme, suspense, mystery and other elements.
Determine a character's traits from his/her actions, speech, appearance, or what others say about him or her.
Practice Oral presentation and communication skills
Support all assertions and interpretations of text with direct evidence from text, from authoritative critical knowledge of the genre, or from authoritative criticism of the novel.

Key Subject Competencies

What the students will need to know to accomplish the objectives

draw conclusions/make inferences
identify author’s purpose
identify and discuss use of literary elements and devices
write extended responses
listening, note-taking, and synthesizing
express oral interpretations of literature
compare and contrast literary work with other genres (i.e. fiction, non-fiction, poetry, charts, and graphs)
learn and use new vocabulary
synthesize information into an oral and/or written presentation
identify, understand, and implement various roles and responsibilities that exist in group work
identify, understand, and articulate qualities of exemplary, proficient, and emerging work

General Study Skills

(Should be subject specific)
1.read for information
2.critical thinking and problem solving skills
3.communication
4.creativity and innovation
5.collaboration
6.contextual learning
7.information and media literacy

Length of Unit:

4-6 weeks /

State Learning Standards Addressed:

ELA Standards I - IV

F. Working Vocabulary for the Instructional Unit:

* Denotes those terms most frequently appearing on Regents Examinations.

See attached vocabulary list of of 99 words

G. Special Learning Techniques/Strategies* - In addition to teacher-directed methodologies (e.g., lecture), techniques/strategies that are the “best fit” in regard to the content objectives, key subject competencies and general study skills of the unit.

H. Resources/Materials/Media

H. Resources, Materials, Media

I. Methods of Assessment

Assessment / Day
Note-taking and written and oral reflection A5, A14, / Lesson 2, 15
Large/small group discussion A1, A2, A4, A13, A15 / Lesson 8, 9
Completion of organizer A6, A4, A13, A5 / Lesson 3,10
Exit tickets A1, A2, A9, A10, A13 / Lesson 6,7
Written and verbal character analysis A2, A9, A5 / Lesson 4, 6
Annotations of text A10, 12, 13, 14 / Lesson 8, 9,16
Answer of multiple choice questions A8 / Lesson 1
Student creation of multiple choice questions A6, A10, A12 / Lesson 16
Criticism analysis A6, A10, A15 / Lesson 3, 15,16
Writing Reflection A1, A14, A9,A10, A12 / Lesson 3, 4, 5, 8, 9,16
Completion of theme worksheet/index card A7, A15 / Lesson 11, 12
Critical Lens Essay A5, A1, A3, A6, A10, A15 / Lesson 10,13
Free Response Paragraph/Essay A7, A15 / Lesson 11, 12
Fill in the blank A8 / Lesson 1
Sentence completion A8 / Lesson 1
Research and writing A1, A14, A15 / Lesson 2,9
Oral presentation A14 / Lesson 2, 9, 16

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #1

Vocabulary in TKAM- PART 1

Instructional Objective: (Connected to Instructional Unit) / Students will be able to:
Identify and understand vocabulary used in the novel.
Aim: (Open Ended Question) / Why is the vocabulary significant to the novel and how can it enhance your understanding of the reading?
Do Now:(Anticipatory) / Assign students to distribute vocabulary list and dictionaries
Procedure: / Students will review list and define words using dictionaries they have been provided with.
Students may work in pairs to expedite completing the list.
Closure: / Review definitions from page one of list.
Homework: / Complete definitions for the rest of the list.
Write original sentences for first 10 words.
Assessment:Participation, inquiry, completion of task assigned / Students will become familiar with and introduce new vocabulary into their everyday usage.

Vocabulary in TKAM- PART 1

Vocabulary List for Part One – To Kill a Mockingbird

1. assuage - ______

2. apothecary - ______

3. piety - ______

4. strictures - ______

5. dictum - ______

6. chattels - ______

7. sustain - ______

8. taciturn - ______

9. unsullied - ______

10. imprudent - ______

11. profound - ______

12. derive - ______

13. amble - ______

14. entity - ______

15. collard(s) - ______

16. veranda - ______

17. malevolent - ______

18. phantom - ______

19. nocturnal - ______

20. mutilate - ______

21. culprit - ______

22. predilection - ______

23. domicile - ______

24. terrain - ______

25. foray - ______

26. condescend - ______

27. indigenous - ______

28. illicit - ______

29. covey - ______

30. entailment - ______

31. sojourn - ______

32. expound - ______

33. contentions - ______

34. morphodite - ______

35. disapprobation - ______

36. discernable - ______

37. aberration - ______

38. plaited - ______

39. dire - ______

40. guile - ______

41. obstreperous - ______

42. rudiment - ______

43. apoplectic - ______

44. umbrage - ______

45. rectitude - ______

46. interdict - ______

47. palliation - ______

48. reconnaissance - ______

49. tirade - ______

50. philippic - ______

51. undulate - ______

52. viscous - ______

53. cantankerous - ______

54. aggregation - ______

55. altercation - ______

56. formidable - ______

57. obliquely - ______

58. myopic - ______

59. pensive - ______

60. morphine - ______

Vocabulary Test for To Kill a Mockingbird (1 – 25)

Name:______Date:______Per:_____

Match the word with its definition on the right. Write the letter of your answer on the blank line.

1.______phantom A. intellectually deep, insightful

2.______terrainB. the guilty party

3.______taciturnC. active at night

4.______predilectionD. land

5.______profoundE. an individual

6.______verandaF. druggist

7.______culpritG. established in a house

8.______chattelsH. steal, raid

9.______nocturnalI. greens

10.______apothecaryJ. to rip apart

11.______entityK. a porch

12.______dictumL. silent, moody

13.______domiciledM. ghostlike

14.______forayN. to obtain from a source

15.______collardsO. preference

16. ______deriveP. formal speech

Q. personal property

Antonyms – Match the word with word or phrase that is most nearly opposite in meaning.

1.______mutilateA. kind hearted

2.______imprudentB. unbounded, free

3.______malevolentC. to end, stop

4.______ambleD. nonreligious, unholy

5.______sustainE. wise in judgment

6.______stricturesF. to excite, intensify

7.______pietyG. dirty

8.______unsulliedH. to piece together

9.______asssuageI. to silence

J. to run

Vocabulary Test #2 -To Kill a Mockingbird (26-60)English

Name:______Date:______Per:____

Use each of the following words in a sentence that clearly shows that you understand the meaning of the word.

1. procure - ______

______

2. propensity - ______

______

3. covey - ______

______

4. altercation - ______

______

5.pensive - ______

______

II. Give a one word SYNONYM for each of the following.

1. myopic - ______

2. viscous - ______

3. illicitly - ______

4. indigenous - ______

5. rudiments - ______

III. Give a one word ANTONYM for each of the following.

contention - ______
aberration - ______

3. expound - ______

4.obstreperous - ______

5. obliquely - ______

Complete the following sentences using the words below.

plaited discernible aggregation palliation

condescended reconnaissance entailment expound

formidable indigenous sojourn

Following the accident, the scar on her face was barely ______.
The ______of laundry my son keeps behind his bed is truly amazing.
A ______to the Hamptons for the summer would certainly be a wonderful break.
Unable to tolerate her rude behavior any longer, I ______to telling her exactly what I thought of her.
The older girl carefully ______her younger sister’s hair.
In ______for overcharging me, she attempted to give me free samples.
It appears as if streams are ______to the town you live in.
My mother sent me on a ______mission to spy on my younger brother.
It is Scout’s reminder to Mr. Cunningham about his ______which causes him to think about what he is doing.
Apparently, quitting smoking is (a, an) ______undertaking for anyone who is addicted to cigarettes.

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #2

PART 1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TKAM

Instructional Objective:
Aim / Students will be able to research the background of the time period surrounding the novel for a deeper understanding of the events that take place.
Why is it important to know about the time period in which the novel is set?
Do Now:(Anticipatory) / Students will be broken into groups and will be using the internet as well as book information to research their assigned topics.
Procedure: / 1. Topics will be selected.
2. Groups will be formed.
3. Groups will designate assignments for its members.
Closure:
Homework: / Before leaving class students will have a clear idea of their assigned tasks.
Organize notes obtained to prepare for presentation to the class.
Assessment:Participation, inquiry, completion of task assigned. / Each group will be responsible for the following:

a visual presentation (a poster, movie clip)
a handout for the class with questions based upon presentation

TOPICS

The Great Depression
Reconstruction Era
Jim Crow Laws
Klu Klux Klan
Plessy v. Ferguson

a thorough explanation of the topic and how it relates to the novel.

Brown v. Board of

Education

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #3

PART 1

FORMUALTING OPINIONS ABOUT CHARACTERS IN TKAM

Instructional Objective: (Connected to Instructional Unit) / Students will be able to identify and formulate opinions regarding the main characters of the novel so far.
Aim: / What makes us formulate opinions about characters?
Do Now:(Anticipatory) / Choose either Scout or Jem and write a description of them thus far. Include age, appearance, actions, and anything else which you feel is revealing about their character.
Procedure /

Discuss Do Now responses.
Discuss some of the differences between Scout and Jem.
How is Scout somewhat like a tomboy?
What may account for this?
How do these two relate as siblings?

6. Distribute character chart. Have students work to complete characters who have been introduced thus far.
Closure: / Discuss possible differences in the Finch family versus some of the other families that have been introduced so far.
Homework: / Complete the chart for all characters that have been introduced in the novel thus far.
Assessment:Participation, inquiry, completion of task assigned / Students will be paired to share and compare information in class tomorrow.

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #4

PART 1

SATIRE AND HUMOR IN TKAM

Instructional Objective: (Connected to Instructional Unit) / Students will be able to analyze the satire in chapter two through the use of humor.
Aim: (Open Ended Question) / Based upon her first day of school, what is Scout’s impression of education? How is the use of humor used in this situation?
Do Now:(Anticipatory) / Choose one of Scout’s classmates and describe him or her.
Procedure: Direct Instruction /Guided Practice and Independent Practice / 1. Discuss do now – compare and contrast characters/families – Finches v. Cunninghams
2. Discuss Scout’s reaction to her new teacher.
3. Discuss the Cunningham family and the way in which Scout attempts to explain them to her teacher.
4.Distribute questions and have students use their books to complete.
5.Share responses.
Closure: / What have we learned about the social differences in the families in Maycomb?
How has Harper Lee poked fun at the education system through her naïve narrator, Scout Finch?
Homework: / Write a short journal entry from the point of view of Miss Caroline describing her first day of school.
Assessment: / These will be shared and read in class tomorrow.

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #5

PART 1

MYSTERIOUS CHARACTERS IN TKAM

Instructional Objective: / Students will understand how the author developed the character of Boo Radley by building mystery and suspense around him.
Aim: / How does an author create a mysterious character?
Do Now:(Anticipatory) / Have students list the information we are given so far concerning Boo Radley.
Procedure: Direct Instruction /Guided Practice and Independent Practice /

Discuss the do now answers and make a list on board. (beginning with the name of “Boo”)
Look at compiled list to observe what information is actually first hand and what is rumored.
Have students look at the physical description given of Boo. Why might the author be exaggerating? Remind students that we are seeing things through the eyes of young children.
Distribute hand out of quotes relating to Boo. Have students work in pairs to complete what these quotes indicate about opinions of this character.
Students may share their answers and relate to

how the author created an image of Boo in our minds.
Closure: / Why are we as readers drawn to a character such as Boo Radley?
Homework: / Draw or sketch a picture of Boo Radley.

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #6

Chapter 12

“It’s not necessary to tell all you know. It’s not lady-like.”

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE (from Instructional Unit):Learn about the history of African Americans in the South through analysis of historical and literary sources. Expose the students to the history and cultural milieu of the deepSouth in 1935 America. Identify/explain/analyze plot events that reflect the themes of racism, compassion, and tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird.DISCOVERY OF CONCEPTS: COMPASSION and CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE and theme statement writing practice.

AIM:How does Harper Lee use characterization to send her messages to the reader?

ANTICIPATORY SET/ DO-NOW:Do you ever change the way you speak to people depending on whom you are with? How? Why? WHOLE GROUP DISCUSSIONorPAIR-SHARE.

PROCEDURE :

~CLOSE READING:Students will review Chapter 12, particularly the scene in which Scout and Jem enter Calpurnia’s church. [Vocabulary for the chapter can be displayed on a monitor or overhead projector for students’ use during this review.]

~How does Harper Lee characterize Lula? Students will make a list of traits and explain how Harper Lee achieves that characterization [through her behavior, what she says and what others say about her] MONITOR AND ADJUST. [Explain what Lee means by “She’s contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her.” Also, define haughty…”puttin’ on airs”]

~WHOLE GROUP DISCUSSION/ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: WHAT MOTIVATES THE CHARACTER AND WHAT IS HER RELATIONSHIP TO HER WORLD?

~Calpurnia’s characterization changes here. How? Why is Scout confused by the way Calpurnia speaks to Lula? Give textual evidence. [“‘What you want, Lula?’ she asked, in tones I had never heard her use. She spoke quietly, contemptuously…Again I thought her voice strange: she was talking like the rest of them.”]

CLOSURE: ~Why does Calpurnia speak “like the rest of the colored folks” at church, but properly elsewhere? Refer back to the text. Write down a full statement of the main message Harper Lee sends through the scenes in this chapter which rely on characterization. The statement should be general and should not mention the characters, but the lesson we learn from the characters.

“Ticket Out” – Write a sentence which explains Harper Lee’s use of characterization here and how it contributes to the reader’s understanding of her message.

Template: Lee characterizes Dolphus Raymond as ______by showing how he [examples/details from the chapter] in order to comment on how human beings tend to _[insert message from the novel.

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #7

Chapter 20

Close Textual Re“It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason.”

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE: Expose the students to the history and cultural milieu of the deep South in 1935 America. Be able to distinguish point of view and the innocence of the childhood perspective of the novel. Determine a character's traits from his/her actions, speech, appearance, or what others say about him or her.

AIM:Why does Dill have to leave the courtroom during the trial?

ANTICIPATORY SET/ DO-NOW:“It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason.” BRAINSTORM an interpretation of this quote. Think of a real life situation in which a person must rely on some sort of explanation for another’s behavior in order to cope/excuse/try to understand. OR: How does Harper Lee characterize Mr. Dolphus Raymond? Use supporting details from Chapter 20.

PROCEDURE :

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: WHAT MOTIVATES MAN, AND WHAT IS MAN’S RELATIONSHIP TO HIS WORLD?/WHOLE GROUP DISCUSSION

~The children discover something significant about Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s daily behavior. What is it?

~Why does he drink Coca-Cola from a sack?

~Why does it take Scout so long to understand the situation?

~How does superstition and/or gossip play a role in what Scout understands about this character?

~How does Harper Lee use characterization to comment on human behavior through Dolphus Raymond in context of the story?

CLOSURE: Through his behavior, what “reason” does Mr. Raymond provide the citizens of Maycomb? [“He’s in the clutches of whiskey-that's why he won't change his ways.”] What does this say about the citizens and their behavior?

OR: “Ticket Out” – Write a sentence which explains Harper Lee’s use of characterization here and how it contributes to the reader’s understanding of her message. Template: Lee characterizes Dolphus Raymond as ______by showing how he [examples/details from the chapter] in order to comment on how human beings tend to _[insert message from the novel]___ .

VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

LESSON PLAN #8

Prejudice and Discrimination in TKAM

(TO be completed after reading up to Chapter25)

DAY 1 (of two day lesson)

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:

~Expose howTo Kill A Mockingbird frames issues of courage and cowardice against the backdrop of the American South in the 1930s.