To Kill a
Mockingbird
Pre-Reading Packet
Name:______________________
How & WHy We Read Literature
After watching the Discovery News video, identify three (3) reasons why reading literary fiction is good
for our brains:
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After watching John Green’s Crash Course Literature video, identify three (3) reasons why we should
read literature/literary fiction?
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Now, by synthesizing your information, write a proficient claim statement which answers the following
Why should we read literary fiction?
question: ​
Proficient Claim Criteria
❏
Debatable​
-​
not a fact​
&​
Defensible​
not an opinion
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written as a complete grammatical
statement
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names all important characters
and concepts
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avoids 1st and 2nd person (no You,
or I, or Me)
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uses clear and specific formal
academic language
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directly answers the question or
addresses the prompt
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reflects an accurate understanding
of the facts
My Proficient Claim Statement
To Kill A Mockingbird
Important Characters
Atticus Finch
Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer
Aunt Alexandra Finch Hancock
Atticus’s sister, traditional and strict
Bob Ewell
Head of one of Maycomb’s poorest white families, often drunk
and unemployed
Boo (Arthur) Radley
Finches’ neighbor, called “Boo” (as in a ghost) because no one
ever sees him
Calpurnia
Cook for the Finch family
Dill (Charles Baker Harris)
Summer-time friend of Scout and Jem
Heck Tate
Maycomb county sheriff
Jack Finch
Atticus’s younger brother, a bachelor and doctor
Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch)
Scout’s brother, age 10 at the beginning
Mayella Ewell
Bob Ewell’s daughter, accuses Tom Robinson of raping her
Miss Maudie Atkinson
Finches’ neighbor, friendly to Scout and Jem
Miss Rachel Haverford
Finches’ neighbor, Dill’s aunt with whom he stays during the
summers
Miss Stephanie Crawford
Finches’ neighbor, the town gossip
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose
Ill-tempered, elderly woman down the road
Nathan Radley
Finches’ neighbor, Boo Radley’s older brother
Scout (Jean Louise Finch)
Main character, narrator, age 6 at the beginning
Tom Robinson
Field worker accused of rape
Name:_____________________________
Predictions for TKAM
Directions: Using your skills for observation and interpretation, make a prediction on the
outcome for ​
To Kill a Mockingbird.
I​
HEARD​
the following details when listening to the story overview:
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I believe these details mean: (What does it mean? Why does it matter?)
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Name:________________________
To Kill a Mockingbird ​
by Harper Lee Anticipation Guide
Directions: Respond to each of the following statements with AGREE or
DISAGREE. Be ready to explain your answer to the class.
AGREE
DISAGREE
1. It is hard to stand up for what you believe if no one
else agrees.
2. It is natural to have a fear of the unknown.
3. Someone has made an assumption about me
based on knowledge of my family and friends.
4. There are certain groups/people that are better
than others.
5. There are many differences between small town
values and big city values.
6. A hero is someone who succeeds at whatever he
or she sets out to do.
7. A model family consists of a father, a mother, and
children.
8. Girls should act like girls, and boys should act like
boys.
9. You can usually tell what kind of person someone
is by how he/she looks.
10. If someone stays away from people, he/she
probably has something to hide.
11. Some words are so offensive they should
never be said or written.
12. The saying, “Sticks and stones will break my
bones, but names will never hurt me!” is true.
13. Since the Civil War abolished slavery , people
of color have easily integrated into all areas of
society.
14. When the law does not succeed in punishing
criminals, citizens should do so.
15.
It’s wrong to kill another person.
16. All people, regardless of race, gender,
economic status, or religion, have equal rights in
our courts.
17. A person found guilty in our courts of a violent
crime should be killed.
18. A prison guard should kill a convict attempting
to escape.
19. A child who insults another child’s parents
should be taught a lesson.
20.
It’s wrong to hate anyone.
21. Racial or Gender issues shouldn’t be discussed .
22. Most people struggle with finding their identity.
23. Using proper grammar is a sign of intelligence.
24. If the action is good, it is okay, even if the intention
was for the wrong reasons.
25. Only “bad people” do racist or sexist actions.
To Kill a Mockingbird
First page
When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at
the elbow. When it healed, and Jem's fears of never being able to play football
were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was
somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand
was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn't have
cared less, so long as he could pass and punt.
When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we
sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewell’s
started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before
that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea
of making Boo Radley come out.
I said if he wanted to take a broad view of the thing, it really began with
Andrew Jackson. If General Jackson hadn't run the Creeks up the creek, Simon
Finch would never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he
hadn't? We were far too old to settle an argument with a fistfight, so we consulted
Atticus. Our father said we were both right. Name:_______________
To Kill a Mockingbird First Page Analysis
Directions:​
Read the first page of ​
To Kill a Mockingbird​
to yourself. Once everyone has read it to themselves, I will
read the page out loud. After I have read the page out loud, answer the following questions:
·
Write down as many things as possible that you have learned from this passage
Example: When Jem was 13, he broke his arm.
·
Write down three questions you have after reading this first page
Example: How did Jem break his arm?
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
Name:_________________ To Kill a Mockingbird
Active Reading Worksheet
Directions:​
While reading Ch. 1 answer the following questions and provide page numbers.
Make a prediction:
I predict that…
Ask a question:
Why did…
Make a comment:
I like the part where…
Make a connection:
This reminds me of…