To Kill a Mockingbird

By Harper LeePublished 1961

Pulitzer Prize Winner

Agree or Disagree

After a statement is read, choose whether or not you agree or disagree.

Record the reason why you take this position on your paper.

Turn the paper in. Title it “Agree or Disagree”Include your name and date

Chapter 1 Setting: Mobile, Alabama, 1940sSetting: Mobile, Alabama, 1940s Plot: This first chapter documents the Finch family and how it came to Alabama.

Simon Finch was a fur-trapping apothecary from England, Cornwall. He was a Methodist but felt persecuted, so he left and ended up in Mobile, AL. He made money in medicine, then bought three slaves and established a homestead on the Alabama River called “Finch’s Landing” and made a living in cotton. Scout retells her family history from her home in Maycomb, Alabama. Readers are introduced to the characters in Scout’s life to begin the story and event that lead up to how Jem broke his arm.

Characters:Atticus Finch –Mother – died of heart attack when Scout, the narrator, was two and Jem was six. John Hale Finch, Atticus’s brother. Alexandra, Atticus’s sister - remained at the Landing. Jem – narrator’s brother and four years older. Calpurnia – house cook, African American, acts as Scout’s mother. Dill – comes to town for the summer, 6-7 years old, Charles Baker Harris. Scout – 6 years old, tomboy, likes to fight, narrates the story of how her brother comes to break his arm.

Atticus’s role: link to Scout’s past Jem’s role: Scout’s role model Quote: “Jem wanted Dill to know once and for all that he wasn’t scared of

anything….Besides, Jem had his little sister to think of (Lee pg 14).

Chapter 2 – “First Day of School”

Setting: School. Plot: At first grade, Scout describes her relationship with her new teacher,

Miss Caroline, who didn’t know her students very well. She is upset that Scout knows how to read. Walter Cunningham – a boy from a poor family, whose father had to pay Atticus in trade instead of with money. Scout feels put out by Walter because she has to defend him against Miss Caroline. Because Scout speaks up for Walter, Scout gets into trouble, hands are slapped with a ruler, and she has to stand in the corner. Students laughed at her.

Characters: Miss Caroline, Walter Cunningham Atticus’s role: Teacher Jem’s changes: He will walk Scout to school, but won’t play with her at

school. He is pulling away from her during certain situations. Quote: “We’ll do like we always do at home,’ he said, ‘but you’ll see –

school’s different” (Lee 16).

Chapter 3 – “Home and School”Setting: Same day at school, next day and that eveningPlot: Jem has to break up a fight Scout starts with Walter

Jem asks Walter to dinner and shares his news about touching the Radley house. Walter thinks Jem’s brave.

While Walter is eating, he pours molasses over his food. Scout complains and then is scolded by Calpurnia.

The next school day, Burris Ewell has head lice and is sent home. Scout talks to Atticus about the Ewells and teaching her to read. Characters: Ewell familyAtticus’s role: Scout asked Atticus about staying home from school. She also tells

him about not being about to read to her. Atticus has two messages:Jem’s role: Starts to apply world situations to himself. Jem stays up in the tree

house as a protest against Atticus.Quote: “Sometimes it’s better to bend the law a little in special cases” (Lee

31)Compromise is reached “…an agreement reached by mutual concessions…..If

you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have” (Lee 31).

Chapter 4- “The Neighborhood”Setting: SummerPlot: a) Scout find tin foil and gum in the tree knot-hole of the two live oaks at the edge of the

Radley lot. (37) b) The second gift – a tiny shiny package, “small box patchworked with bits of tinfoil collected from chewing gum wrappers…Inside were two scrubbed and polished pennies….Indian-heads” (38-39)c) Jem decides to keep them until school starts. (39) Jem will keep them in his trunk. d) Kids start playing Boo Radley Games. Scout rolls in a tire into Boo’s yard. Later they are playing the Boo Radley Game and Attitucs catches them. Scout tells Jem she had heard Boo’s voice, a laugh coming from the house when she was in his yard.

Characters:. Neighborsa) Cecil Jacobs – lives at the far end of the street, next door to the post office. (39)b) Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose – lives two doors up the street from Scout and Jem – said to be the meanest old woman ever. (39)c) Dill arrives for the summer - Says his father is the president of the L & N Railroad, lives at Miss Rachel’s

Atticus’s advice or role: He catches the children trying to make Boo come out. In this chapter, he is a disciplinarian wanting the kids to stay away from his house.

Jem’s changes – In this chapter, Jem begins to feel that he can assert himself. Quote: “Until it happened I did not realize that Jem was offended by my contradicting him on Hot

Steams, and that he was patiently awaiting an opportunity to reward me (Lee 37).

Chapter 5 - SummerSetting: Summer time in the neighborhoodPlot: We learn that Dill wants to marry Scout. She tries to stay on Jem’s good side but

slows down the Boo Radley game. A new game started by trying to give a note to Boo Radley. The kids are trying to ‘make Boo come out.’ During the attempt, the Jem has to place the note on the sill and Atticus catches them. “Son...stop tormenting that man.”(54) Jem thinks twice about being a lawyer

Characters:a) Miss Maudie Atkinson – always spent time outdoors, thrust out her bridgework, sat on the porch at five o’clock. Made the best cake in the neighborhood. Believes Boo is alive. Daughter of Dr. Frank Buford and knew Uncle Jack as a child.

Atticus’s lesson: He teaches the kids how to treat Boo RadleyJem’s changes: Jem turns against Atticus because he doesn’t like what he was told to

do. Up until this point, Scout sees Jem as a smart, older brother. Now she questions whether or not it is wise to go against Atticus.

Quote to show Atticus’s lesson: “I’m going to tell you seomthing and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man” (Lee 49).

Oral Presentations – 60 pts.

You will be assigned one chapter to read, summarize, and present to the class. (5 pts for being on time)

Presentation guidelines (8-10 minutes): Describe setting (5 pts) Summarize plot (10 pts) Introduce characters (5 pts) Provide a prediction – what do you think will happen next? (5 pts) Answer the following questions –

What advice does Atticus give to Scout and/or Jem? (10 pts) How does Scout see Jem at this point? (10 pts)READ AN EXAMPLE FROM THE TEXT to show either the lesson or Jem’s

changes– (10 pts)

Oral Presentation Student Notes

With each student oral presentation, the audience will record the important information as well as the specific examples about Jem and Atticus.

GOAL: Compile resources for a paragraph about Atticus and an essay about Jem.

Quickwrite #1

Develop an eleven sentence paragraph discussing the the relationship Scout has with Jem.

Begin with a topic sentence –i.e.Scout and Jem’s relationship can be described as…..

Reasons this is true: 1.___________2.___________3.___________

Each reason has an example and an explanation.Sentence eleven draws the paragraph to a closing.

VocabularyDirections: On a separate piece of paper, define the italicized words in each sentence.

1. “…Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged…”2. “All we had was Simon, Finch, a fur-trading apothecary from Cornwall whose piety exceeded only by his stinginess.”3. “So Simon, having forgotten his teacher’s dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves…”4. Simon would have regarded with impotent fury the disturbance between the North and the South…”5. “She married a taciturn man…”6. “Atticus’s office in the courthouse contained little more than a hat rack, a spittoon, a checkerboard and an unsullied Code of

Alabama.”7. “The Haverfords...were impudent enough to do it in the presence of three witnesses…”8. “They ambled across the square…”9. “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom.”10. “The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb.”11. “…not waiting to see if his foray was successful.”12. “Jem condescended to take me to school the first day…”13. “…Jem cut me from the covey of first-graders in the schoolyard.”14. “Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham’s vexations.”15. “My sojourn in the corner was a short on.”16. “Jem’s free dispensation of my pledge irked me.”17. “She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic.”18. “Atticus’s voice was flinty.”19. “He gave a short contemptuous snort.”20. “’Ain’t got no mother,’ was the answer, ‘and their paw’s right contentious.”21. Bonus:22. “He was among the most diminutive of the men

Background to TKM

Background to Harper Lee

Chapters 6-10 – Marking Inferences

Chapter 11 – Relationships in the neighborhood

Chapters 12 -14 - Picking a Topic

Chapter 15Why the mob broke up

Chapters 16 -22 Preparing for the Essay

The Trial

Atticus’s Closing Remarks

Boo and Scout’s Relationship

Final Chapters The incidents that impact Jem

Essay Brainstorming

Essay Outline

Essay Sample

Essay Rubric