NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
Dear North Gaston Parents & Students,
North Gaston High School is happy to provide a Summer Reading List for our Honors
and Advanced Placement English students again this year. This program is meant to
instill a love of reading among our students and help North Gaston become a true literary community. Through asking students to read over the summer, we hope to keep
their minds engaged, and provide a chance for all students to come into these upper
level classes with a similar background knowledge.
The Honors level reading requirement is quite open and is meant to serve as a springboard for the independent reading students will do throughout their semester in English.
The AP program requires an even greater level of independent reading. Our 9th and
10th grade Pre-AP students are preparing for the level of rigor they will be exposed to
in their 11th and 12th grade college level AP classes of Language and Literature.
None of these courses requires students to purchase books - merely to have computer
access. Most of these books are available online for free if students choose to take the
digital route. When students return in the fall, their Summer Reading projects will be
due regardless of which semester they are taking English. We sincerely hope that those
students not taking English in the fall will continue to read throughout the semsester!
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Lynn Faller
English Department Chair
North Gaston High School
[email protected]
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 9 AP Prep.............. Click here
English 10 AP Prep.............Click here
English 11 AP....................Click here
English 12 AP....................Click here
English 9 Honors................Click here
English 10 Honors..............Click here
English 11 Honors..............Click here
English 12 Honors..............Click here
Approach Paper Format (10-12 Honors)...............Click here
English Department Email Addresses:
Mr. Anders - [email protected]
Mrs. Faller - [email protected]
Mr. Gray - [email protected]
Mrs. Scoggins - [email protected]
Ms. Driggers - [email protected]
Mrs. Garner - [email protected]
Ms. Moore - [email protected]
Mrs. Sinclair - [email protected]
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 9 AP Prep
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; all work must be typed)
Mrs. Garner: [email protected]
Readings:
1. Novel (choose ONE (1) of the following):
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
Writing Assignments:
1. Complete an MWDS for your chosen novel.
Your MWDS will be shared with Mrs. Garner by Friday, August 28, 2015 and submitted to turnitin.com at the
beginning of the semester, so make sure you keep the digital files. Plagiarizing will result in a zero.
To start your MWDSs, click the links above, and go to File > Make a Copy; then rename it with Last Name_
Novel Title. Please note that you must be signed into your Gaston County GMail account in order to open the document.
We complete several MWDSs throughout the semester because you will need a portfolio of readings in AP
English 12. This assignment is worth one (1) test grade. Additional assessment may be required in class.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 10 AP Prep
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
Mrs. Scoggins - [email protected]
Join Remind101 here to receive text message updates.
Readings:
Reading is required. Choose one from the list below.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (hard copy, or access it here)
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (hard copy, or access it here)
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (hard copy, or access it here)
Assignment:
1. Read your chosen text.
2. Complete the Major Works Data Sheet for your novel.
Reasoning: By the time you reach English 12 AP and prepare for that exam, you will be expected to have a
large list of books read. Completing the MWDS is a great tool to help synthesize a novel’s information; you will be able
to keep it and use it to help you prepare for that exam when time comes.
To start your MWDSs, click the links above, and go to File > Make a Copy; then rename it with Last
Name_Novel Title. Please note that you must be signed into your Gaston County GMail account in order to open the document.
Check out this site if you need help with the lit terms: http://literary-devices.com/
Reminders:
All of your example sentences from the novel and explanation sentences must be in complete sentences!
Must be typed and in MLA format.
The MWDS is worth one (1) test grade.
The teacher will also give a test, assign an essay, or give some other form of assessment at the
beginning of the class in order to ensure that the text was read and understood, which will be worth one (1) test
grade.
FYI: It is VERY important that the MWDS be completed in your OWN WORDS and with your
OWN ideas. It will be submitted to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. If even a small piece
was copied, you will be given a zero for the assignment.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 11 AP
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
Mrs. Faller - [email protected]
Join Remind101 to receive text message updates. Just text @apelang3 to 81010.
You can reach me at [email protected] with any questions.
Readings:
1. Novel
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (any version; hard copy or available online for free)
AND
2. Short readings about, or demonstrating, rhetoric:
The 16 readings can all be found here—none are longer than three pages. Reading them this summer will help
you to understand the art of rhetoric—how we persuade others through language to think or act the way we
want them to.
~ ‘How to Teach a Child to Argue’
~ John F. Kennedy inaugural address
~ ‘We’ll Go Forward from This Moment’
~ ‘We Change Our Language Like We Change Our Clothes’ (levels of language)
~ ‘The Case for Short Words’ (writing clearly)
~ ‘Girl Moved to Tears by Cliffs Notes’ (irony and satire)
~ Three visual texts
~ ‘Off the Wall’ (narration)
~ ‘The Gramercy Gym’ (description)
~ ‘The Great American Desert’ (example)
~ ‘A Few Words for Motherhood’ (process analysis)
~ ‘Sitters and Squatters’ (comparison and contrast)
~ ‘Here Is New York’ (classification and division)
~ ‘Inside the Interrogation Room’ (analogy)
~ ‘The Meaning of Home’ (definition)
~ ‘Why We Crave Horror Movies’ (cause and effect)
* Printed copies of the readings are available upon request in room 211.
3. Columnist Readings
Choose a columnist to follow throughout the summer. This should be an author who covers current, world or
national events. Read his/her writings throughout the summer. There is a list here. You are NOT required to
choose one of these authors. If you’re not sure if your selected author is appropriate, email me.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 11 AP (continued)
Writing Assignments:
1. Complete an MWDS for The Scarlet Letter
Your MWDS will be shared with Mrs. Faller by Friday, August , 2015 and submitted to turnitin.com at the
beginning of the semester, so make sure you keep the digital files. Plagiarizing will result in a zero.
To start your MWDSs, click the links above, and go to File > Make a Copy; then rename it with Last Name_
Novel Title. Please note that you must be signed into your Gaston County GMail account in order to open the document.
We complete several MWDSs throughout the semester because you will need a portfolio of readings in AP
English 12. This assignment is worth one (1) test grade. Additional assessment may be required in class.
2. You will write a Rhetorical Précis for two (2) of the rhetorical pieces and share these via Google Docs with
Mrs. Faller by Friday, August , 2015. Hard copies will NOT be accepted. We will discuss and write about
these readings at the beginning of the semester. This assignment is worth one (1) quiz grade. Additional assessment may be required in class.
3. Choose three (3) articles from your columnist to print and annotate. You are annotating for style. What
makes this author who he/she is? How do you know when you’re reading a piece by this author? That’s his/
her style! Hard copies of your annotated articles and your essay shared via Google Docs are due to Mrs. Faller
by Friday, August , 2015. This assignment is worth one (1) quiz grade. Additional assessment may be required in
class.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 12 AP
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
Mrs. Faller: [email protected]
Join Mrs. Faller’s Remind101 class to receive text message updates. Simply text @apelit2 to 81010 to
get started.
The purpose of this assignment is to help prepare you for the English 12AP Exam. The open-ended essay
question asks you to apply your vast knowledge of literature.
Readings:
1. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (if you haven’t read it). We will frequently refer
to this throughout the semester.
2. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
It is available online for free if you don’t want to purchase or borrow a copy.
No Fear Shakespeare is helpful.
3. Choose one novel from the list below to read and complete an additional MWDS. Many of these titles are
available online for free.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (if not completed last year)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (if not completed last year)
Writing Assignments:
Complete an MWDS for Hamlet AND and MWDS for your your chosen novel.
Your MWDSs will be shared with Mrs. Faller by Friday, August 2015 and submitted to turnitin.com at the
beginning of the semester, so make sure you keep the digital files.
To start your MWDSs, click the links above, and go to File --> Make a Copy; then rename it with Last Name_
Novel Title. Please note that you must be signed into your Gaston County GMail account in order to open the
document.
Plagiarizing will result in a zero.
These assignments are worth one (1) test grade each. Additional assessment may be required in class.
Recommended:
It will be helpful for you to acquire a copy of SparkCharts: Literary Terms. You may purchase and print, or buy
a hard copy of the chart.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 9 Honors
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
Mrs. Garner - [email protected]
All English 9 Honors students have been assigned the following summer reading for next year’s English class. All students will also complete an Approach Paper (<--click for directions) and share with Mrs. Garner by Friday, August 28
regardless of which semester the class will be taken. No hard copies will be accepted. Directions are available at the end
of this document or by clicking the above link. Check out www.amazon.com for descriptions of these books:
NCYABA 2013-2014
The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by: Catherine Reef
Code Name Verity by: Elizabeth Wein
The Diviners by: Libba Bray
Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Every Day by David Levithan
The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Wrap-up List by Steven Arntson
NCYABA 2014-2015
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzal & Christina Lamb
Invisibility by Andrea Creamer & David Levithan
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
NCYABA 2015-2016
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Finisher by David Baldacci
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
We Were Liars by E Lockhart
When We Wake by Karen Healey
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 10 Honors
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
Mrs. Scoggins: [email protected]
Join Remind101 here to receive text message updates.
All English 10 Honors students have been assigned the following summer reading for next year’s English class. All
students will also complete an Approach Paper (<--click for directions) and share with their English teacher regardless of
which semester the class will be taken. No hard copies will be accepted. Directions are available at the end of this document or by clicking the above link.
Choose from the World Literature list OR any one title from the 2012-2015 North Carolina Young Adult Book
Award (NCYABA) lists.
Check out www.amazon.com for descriptions of these books:
World Literature
The list below consists of authors from various parts of the world. Many of these books are set in places other
than the United States. Please make sure to check the NoGa Learning Commons and the public libraries for
the availability of these books. Check out the Gaston County Library’s online database, and you could have a
book transferred to a location near you!
A Passage to India by: E. M. Forster
A Thousand Splendid Suns by: Khaled Hosseini
Cry, the Beloved Country by: Alan Paton
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by: Salman Rushdie
Hush by: Donna Jo Napoli
Like Water for Chocolate by: Laura Esquivel
Lord of the Flies by: William Golding
The Kite Runner by: Khaled Hosseini
The Poisonwood Bible by: Barbara Kingsolver
NCYABA 2013-2014
The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by: Catherine Reef
Code Name Verity by: Elizabeth Wein
The Diviners by: Libba Bray
Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Every Day by David Levithan
The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Wrap-up List by Steven Arntson
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 10 Honors (continued)
NCYABA 2014-2015
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzal & Christina Lamb
Invisibility by Andrea Creamer & David Levithan
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
NCYABA 2015-2016
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Finisher by David Baldacci
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
We Were Liars by E Lockhart
When We Wake by Karen Healey
English Department Email Addresses:
Mr. Anders - [email protected]
Mrs. Faller - [email protected]
Mr. Gray - [email protected]
Mrs. Scoggins - [email protected]
Ms. Driggers - [email protected]
Mrs. Garner - [email protected]
Ms. Moore - [email protected]
Mrs. Sinclair - [email protected]
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 11 Honors
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
All English 10 Honors students have been assigned the following summer reading for next year’s English class. All
students will also complete an Approach Paper (<--click for directions) and share with their English teacher regardless of
which semester the class will be taken. No hard copies will be accepted. Directions are available at the end of this document or by clicking the above link.
Choose from the Classics list OR any one title from the 2012-2015 North Carolina Young Adult Book Award
(NCYABA) lists.
Check out www.amazon.com for descriptions of these books:
Classics
The list below consists of American authors. Many of these titles are considered public domain and can be downloaded
free to your electronic device (iPad, Nook, Kindle, smartphone, etc.). Check out the Gaston County Library’s online
database, and you could have a book transferred to a location near you!
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark Twain
Our Town by: Thornton Wilder
A Raisin in the Sun by: Lorraine Hansberry
Ethan Frome by: Edith Wharton
Ellen Foster by: Kaye Gibbons
A Streetcar Named Desire by: Tennessee Williams
Moby Dick by: Herman Melville
A Separate Peace by: John Knowles
Black Boy by: Richard Wright
The Catcher in the Rye by: J.D. Salinger
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by: Maya Angelou
My Antonia by: Willa Cather
Flowers for Algernon by: Daniel Keyes
Johnny Tremain by: Esther Forbes
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by: Joseph Conrad
All Quiet on the Western Front by: Erich Maria Remarque
NCYABA 2013-2014
The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by: Catherine Reef
Code Name Verity by: Elizabeth Wein
The Diviners by: Libba Bray
Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Every Day by David Levithan
The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Wrap-up List by Steven Arntson
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 11 Honors (continued)
NCYABA 2014-2015
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzal & Christina Lamb
Invisibility by Andrea Creamer & David Levithan
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
NCYABA 2015-2016
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Finisher by David Baldacci
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
We Were Liars by E Lockhart
When We Wake by Karen Healey
English Department Email Addresses:
Mr. Anders - [email protected]
Mrs. Faller - [email protected]
Mr. Gray - [email protected]
Mrs. Scoggins - [email protected]
Ms. Driggers - [email protected]
Mrs. Garner - [email protected]
Ms. Moore - [email protected]
Mrs. Sinclair - [email protected]
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 12 Honors
Due: the first week of school (by Friday, August 28, 2015)
(regardless of semester; must submit via Google Docs)
All English 10 Honors students have been assigned the following summer reading for next year’s English class. All
students will also complete an Approach Paper (<--click for directions) and share with their English teacher regardless of
which semester the class will be taken. No hard copies will be accepted. Directions are available at the end of this document or by clicking the above link.
Choose from the Classics list OR any one title from the 2012-2015 North Carolina Young Adult Book Award
(NCYABA) lists.
Check out www.amazon.com for descriptions of these books:
Classics
The list below consists of British authors. Most of these titles are considered public domain and can be downloaded free
to your electronic device (iPad, Nook, Kindle, smartphone, etc.). Check out the Gaston County Library’s online database, and you could have a book transferred to a location near you!
Pride & Prejudice by: Jane Austen
Sense & Sensibility by: Jane Austen
Jane Eyre by: Jane Austen
Rebecca by: Daphne DuMaurier
Lord of the Flies by: William Golding
Tess of the D’Ubervilles by: Thomas Hardy
Gulliver’s Travels by: Jonathan Swift
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by: Robert Louis Stevenson
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by: William Shakespeare
Othello by: William Shakespeare
Hamlet by: William Shakespeare
Wuthering Heights by: Emily Bronte
War of the Worlds by: H.G. Wells
The Time Machine by: H.G. Wells
The Invisible Man by: H.G. Wells
NCYABA 2013-2014
The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by: Catherine Reef
Code Name Verity by: Elizabeth Wein
The Diviners by: Libba Bray
Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Every Day by David Levithan
The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Wrap-up List by Steven Arntson
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English 12 Honors (continued)
NCYABA 2014-2015
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzal & Christina Lamb
Invisibility by Andrea Creamer & David Levithan
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
NCYABA 2015-2016
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Finisher by David Baldacci
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
We Were Liars by E Lockhart
When We Wake by Karen Healey
English Department Email Addresses:
Mr. Anders - [email protected]
Mrs. Faller - [email protected]
Mr. Gray - [email protected]
Mrs. Scoggins - [email protected]
Ms. Driggers - [email protected]
Mrs. Garner - [email protected]
Ms. Moore - [email protected]
Mrs. Sinclair - [email protected]
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
English Honors – Summer Reading
Approach Paper Directions
Summer Reading Assignment: Write an Approach Paper in Google Docs & share with your English
teacher by Friday, August 28, 2015. NO HARD COPIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. You will be required to upload
your document to turnitin.com at the beginning of the semester.
Please type your approach paper using one inch margins, 11 or 12 point fonts (Cambria, Times New Roman, Arial),
and should fit on one page (8 ½ x 11”). Look at sample paper for assistance (can drop to 10 pt. font and .8 margins as
needed-but no lower).
An approach paper consists of several sections:
I. Proper heading with your name, date, class, and novel title. Proper format followed. (10 points)
II. Summary Paragraph: a three or four sentence paragraph that explains the ENTIRE novel using as much description
and detail as you can manage. Every sentence must start out in a different way. This helps make your writing more
interesting to read. This is often the most difficult section of the approach paper to write. It will take some time to condense the happenings of the novel into these few sentences which all start in a different way. (20 points)
III. Character Descriptions: Choose four main characters in your novel. By each of the characters’ names, list four or
five words which describe the character distinctly. This is a good time to think about vivid vocabulary words; check
the dictionary or thesaurus for ideas. If you use a particular word to describe one character, you may not use that same
word to describe another character. (15 points)
IV. Discussion/Essay Questions: Write three questions that a teacher might ask you about the novel either in class or for
an essay. These questions should be thought-provoking and almost always take more than one line to type because they
ask readers to combine more than one idea. Just writing these types of questions helps you to anticipate what questions
might be asked of you in class discussion or on a test and encourages you to think more insightfully about the book.
(Don’t ask yes/no type questions.) (25 points)
V. Key Passage: Choose the most important passage in the novel (in your opinion). Type it up word-for-word in the approach paper (remember quotation marks). Make sure to identify the speaker(s) and page number. (5 points)
VI. Key Passage Explanation: In a fully-developed paragraph, explain why your chosen passage is important to understanding the novel. In your explanation, make sure you use quotes (actual words or phrases) from the key passage
to strengthen your explanation. Often, this selected passage will offer clues to the novel’s themes. Explain any themes
connected to the key passage. (25 points)
This assignment is due to your English teacher by the end of the first week of school. No exceptions. You will share this paper
via Google Docs with your English teacher. Do NOT copy/paste any section of this paper. That is plagiarism which is a form of
cheating and will result in a zero. You will be required to upload your document to turnitin.com at the beginning of the semester.
NO HARD COPIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. See next page for a sample approach paper.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16
Student’s Name
English Teacher’s Name
English 12 Honors
August 29 , 2014
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the story of three years in the childhood of Scout and her older brother Jem. As
an adult narrator, Scout recalls a series of loosely connected episodes which occur in Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930’s, a
time of racial segregation and extreme prejudice. Weaving two strands of narrative, Lee presents Boo Radley, the mysterious and reclusive neighbor whom the children find both intriguing and frightening, with the trial of Tom Robinson, a
hardworking, innocent black man who is being defended by Scout and Jem’s just and courageous father, Atticus Finch.
The two strands of narrative tie together in the end when Boo Radley emerges from his seclusion to save Scout and Jem
from a cowardly attack on them by Bob Ewell, who vowed vengeance on Atticus after the trial.
E
L
Scout Finch: strong-willed, intelligent, tomboyish, loyal, quick-tempered
Jem Finch: thoughtful, steadfast, imaginative, maturing
Atticus Finch: just, courageous, insightful, determined
P
M
Boo Radley: reclusive, lonely, simple, protective
To Kill a Mockingbird deals with the issue of racial equality, but Harper Lee also includes the strong story line of Boo
Radley. How does the Tom Robinson trial combine with the Boo Radley story thread to make a novel that speaks powerfully of more than just racial equality?
What do Jem and Scout finally understand about their father: what he stands for in their own lives and in the lives of
many of the townspeople?
Discuss the three different views of Tom Robinson’s trial and its outcome as seen by Atticus, Jem and Scout, and the
townspeople.
A
S
From Chapter 3, page 30:
Atticus: “First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks.
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and
walk around in it.”
Atticus’ entire philosophy of life seems to be summed up in his words to Scout. To be an objective and just community
member, one must be able to “climb into” another person’s “skin” and “walk around in it” or be able to see issues from
another person’s perspective. Atticus offers these words to Scout after her first day of formal schooling in the first grade
when she is upset that the teacher doesn’t understand her efforts to explain Walter Cunningham’s financial situation.
These words from Atticus begin her first lessons in life. Through the course of the novel, Atticus will show the children
his compassion for people different from their family, his attempts to “climb into someone’s skin and walk around din it”
when he defends and innocent black man, Tom Robinson, against a town’s wishes, and when he instructs the children to
be respectful and compassionate toward Boo Radley, a neighborhood recluse. One of the main themes of the novel is the
understanding and accepting of people different from oneself.
NoGa Summer Reading 2015-16