The above quote is one of my personal favourites from a classic book that we are reading in grade 11 ELA. No matter how many times I read it, I always discover one more thing that I love about it. The themes in this novel, TKAM, as it is commonly abbreviated to in the world of English teachers, are ever-present in our society. Racism, prejudice, acceptance, innocence, just to name a few, are topics that students 'get' because they face many of these things in their lives.
I am really impressed with how the grade 11s are picking up on important details and understanding the characters. If your son or daughter feels like we are whipping through the readings at mach speeds, it is just because there are two parts to the book and while the first one is worthwhile, the second is the one that requires the most focus in the classroom.
As we work through the second half, you might want to ask your son or daughter to explain what is happening in the novel to you. It really is an amazing story, and even if you vaguely remember Scout, Jem and Dill from highschool, the novel really does allow for some dinner time conversation. Or, 'driving you to practice here is something to eat don't forget to do your laundry' conversation. You're busy.
Among other smaller activities that will be done in conjunction with the novel, the students will be writing their first essay of the year. It will be a literary essay, which means they will be exploring the meaning and construction of TKAM, and will be based only on one primary source, the novel itself. I will post the due date after it is assigned.
If your child needs some assistance with his or her readings or general understanding of the novel, here are some websites that I recommend:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/
http://www.novelguide.com/tokillamockingbird/index.html
If you have any questions, please contact me!
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