2014-2015
9 Grade English Summer Assignment –Freshman Literature
Mrs. Lefebvre
th
To Kill a Mockingbird
ISBN-0-446-31078-6 or 978-0-446-31078-9
Grand Central Publishing
You will be responsible for reading the book and doing the following assignments. The
assignment is three-fold, so make sure you complete all components. You need to own
the book so you can write in it and take your time reading. If you use a tablet version, you
need to be able to annotate on it. Have a composition book to do the assignment in.
Making the MOST of your summer reading:
This will be your first grade for the 2014-2015 school year, so take this seriously. You
will hand in your notebook for a grade. You will also hand in your annotated book for
credit. I will NOT accept any late assignments. Label each part of the assignment and
write legibly. If you are disorganized or I cannot read it, I will not grade it. Make a
section for each part of this assignment to keep information organized and easy to find.
After reading To Kill A Mockingbird, students should complete a “Major Works Data”
sheet in their notebook. These projects will be handed in on the first day of class.
Literacy Elements
Major Works Data Sheet
To Kill A Mockingbird
*
Title of Work
Author
Date of Publication
Genre
*
Characteristics of the genre
*
Historical information about the period of publication
*
Biographical information about the author
*
Plot summary
*
Describe the author’s style
*
Give an example that demonstrates this style, and explain how it does so
*
Major characters
- name
- role (what role does this person have in the story?)
- significance (why is this character significant to the story?)
- Character traits (what sort of person is this?)
*
Describe the setting (s) and the mood the setting (s) create
*
What is the significance of the opening scene?
*
Major symbols, motifs, images
*
What is the significance of the ending/closing scene?
*
Themes
Critical Thinking
Response Journal Format
You will write eight (8) journal responses that span the entire novel. These should be
written in your notebook. For each entry, make sure that you include the following:
* Quote (Be specific, write word for word from book)
Write out the passage and the page number. Don’t forget to put quotation marks
around your excerpt.
* Context
Describe the context in which the quotation appears. What is going on when this
quote arises? Who is speaking? Who is listening?
* Significance
What is the importance of the quote? Is the quote significant because it
foreshadows an upcoming event? Is it giving insight into character? Is it
validating an earlier quote or event? Does it parallel an important thematic or
structural element in the piece?
* Inference
What inferences can you make at this point based on this quotation?
* Personal Connection
In what way do you have or feel a personal connection to this quotation? How is it
applicable to your life?
* Questions
What questions (s) do you have that spring from this quotation or your reading the
novel at this point? Write any other question (s) that you would like to pose to
your peers and/or teacher (when you return to school)?
To Kill A Mockingbird Questions
1.
Why do you think Harper Lee chose as her novel's epigraph this quote from
Charles Lamb: "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once"?
2.
Why does the adult Scout begin her narrative with Jem's broken arm and a brief
family history?
3.
How does Boo Radley 's past history of violence foreshadow his method of
protecting Jem and Scout? Does this aggression make him more, or less, of a
sympathetic character?
4.
How does the town of Maycomb function as a character with its own personality,
rather than merely as a backdrop for the novel's events?
5.
Atticus teaches Scout that compromise is not bending the law, but "an agreement
reached by mutual consent." Does Scout apply or reject this definition of
compromise? What are examples of her obedience to and defiance of this
principle?
6.
The novel takes place during the Great Depression. How do class divisions and
family quarrels highlight racial tensions in Maycomb?
7.
Atticus believes that to understand life from someone else's perspective, we must
"walk in his or her shoes." From what other perspectives does Scout see her
fellow townspeople?
8.
How does Atticus quietly protest Jim Crow laws even before Tom Robinson's
trial?
9.
What does Jem learn when Atticus forces him to read to Mrs. Dubose as a
punishment? Why does the lawyer regard this woman as the "bravest person" he
ever knew?
10.
Since their mother is dead, several women-Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Aunt
Alexandra- function as mother figures to Scout and Jem. Discuss the ways these
three women influence Scout's growing understanding of what it means to be a
Southern "lady."
11.
Why does Atticus Finch risk his reputation, his friendships, and his career to take
Tom Robinson's case? Do you think he risks too much by putting his children in
harm's way?
12.
What elements of this novel did you find funny, memorable, or inspiring? Are
there any characters whose beliefs or actions impressed or surprised you? Did any
events lead you to revisit childhood memories or see them in a new light?
13.
Adult readers may focus so much on the novel's politics that they may neglect the
coming-of-age story. What does Scout learn, and how does she change in the
course of her narrative?