1. Chapter 1 Characteristics of Good Writing 9-10 Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 1 Activity 3A Analyzing a Paragraph (p. 11) Read the following paragraph. Complete the exercises that follow. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. In chapter 10, Scout’s father says that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Later, Scout’s neighbor explains that mockingbirds “don’t do one thing but... sing their hearts out for us.” Throughout the rest of the book, many innocent characters are introduced including Tom Robinson who is falsely accused of raping a white woman and Boo Radley, a mysterious man who never leaves his decrepit house. The killing of Tom Robinson is compared to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds.” Scout herself comes to understand that hurting Boo Radley is like shooting a mockingbird. By the end of the book, killing a mockingbird is clearly linked to destroying innocence.

2. Chapter 1 Characteristics of Good Writing 9-10 Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 2 Activity 3A Analyzing a Paragraph (p. 11) Read the following paragraph. Complete the exercises that follow. 1.Underline three examples of textual evidence.

3. Chapter 1 Characteristics of Good Writing 9-10 Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 3 Activity 3A Analyzing a Paragraph (p. 11) Read the following paragraph. Complete the exercises that follow. 1.Underline three examples of textual evidence. In chapter 10, Scout’s father says that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Later, Scout’s neighbor explains that mockingbirds “don’t do one thing but... sing their hearts out for us.” Throughout the rest of the book, many innocent characters are introduced including Tom Robinson who is falsely accused of raping a white woman and Boo Radley, a mysterious man who never leaves his decrepit house. The killing of Tom Robinson is compared to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds.”

4. Chapter 1 Characteristics of Good Writing 9-10 Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 4 Activity 3A Analyzing a Paragraph Read the following paragraph. Complete the exercises that follow. 2. Is there adequate textual evidence to support the main idea? Why or why not?

5. Chapter 1 Characteristics of Good Writing 9-10 Writing Companion © Perfection Learning ® Reproduction permitted for classroom use only. 5 Activity 3A Analyzing a Paragraph Read the following paragraph. Complete the exercises that follow. 2. Is there adequate textual evidence to support the main idea? Why or why not? Yes. The paragraph contains two quotations from the book and several other examples of evidence to support the main idea that the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence.