To Kill A Mockingbird Day 5

Bell Ringer #5: 4.21 & 4.22 In Chapter 11 of Mockingbird, after Jem has learned that Miss Dubose has died, he becomes hysterical after opening a box that she has sent containing a “white, waxy, perfect camellia.” Consider the camellia and Jem’s response to it. What are some possible meanings of the camellia?

Word Work #5 The following words can be found on page 119 of To Kill a Mockingbird: contemptuously, indignantly, contentious, haughty. Write the sentence from the text that uses the word. Use context clues to define the word. Check the dictionary for accuracy.

Agenda Bell Ringer Word Work Homework Review Skill Review: Character Motivation & Theme Skill Application: Three Layers of Meaning

Chapter 11 Review On the way to the business district in Maycomb is the house of Mrs. Dubose, a cantankerous old lady who always shouts at Jem and Scout as they pass by. Atticus warns Jem to be a gentleman to her, because she is old and sick, but one day she tells the children that Atticus is not any better than the “niggers and trash he works for,” and Jem loses his temper. Jem takes a baton from Scout and destroys all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes. As punishment, Jem must go to her house every day for a month and read to her. Scout accompanies him and they endure Mrs. Dubose’s abuse and peculiar fits, which occur at the end of every reading session. Each session is longer than the one before. Mrs. Dubose dies a little more than a month after Jem’s punishment ends. Atticus reveals to Jem that she was addicted to morphine and that the reading was part of her successful effort to combat this addiction. Atticus gives Jem a box that Mrs. Dubose had given her maid for Jem; in it lies a single white ‘camellia.

Significant Quote from Chapter 10 Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. “Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Flashback: How might Atticus’s killing of the rabid dog foreshadow Atticus’s upcoming battle in court? Explain the significance of the novel’s title. Identify one character that serves as a symbol for the mockingbird. Justify your answer by incorporating the quote in your response. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”—Miss Maudie

Skill Focus:

Characterization and Character Motivation Review with your neighbor the following concepts: Direct Characterization Indirect Characterization Character Motivation

Reading Chapter 12 Find an example of direct characterization. Quote the text and explain its significance. Find an example of indirect characterization. Quote the text and explain its significance. Choose one character from chapter 11 and explain his/her motivation for their actions.

Chapter 12 Questions 1. Now that Jem is 12, there is a gap of maturity between him and Scout. List two examples that illustrate this gap: a. b. 2. Why does Calpurnia start calling Jem “Mister” once he turns twelve? 3. Explain why the following happens: “When they saw Jem and me with Calpurnia, the men stepped back and took off their hats; the women crossed their arms at their waists, weekday gestures of respectful attention.” 4. What could a reason be for Lula’s antagonism toward Jem and Scout? 5. What are two differences between church with Calpurnia and Scout’s usual experiences with church? 6. Why does Calpurnia speak differently in different groups? 7. Do you believe this makes her hypocritical? Explain. 8. Who is waiting on the porch when they return from church?

Skill Application

Layers of Meaning Close reading involves more than reading the words on the page. You should be reading on the line (the actual words), between the lines, and beyond the lines. Our activity today will require that you do just that with your homework from last night: Chapter 11. In Chapter 11 we learned about Mrs. Dubose. We also saw Atticus approach the abstract idea of “courage.” Today we will be focusing on that word courage and assigning meaning beyond the word by exploring courageous acts performed by the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Step 1 Your small group should have: A large piece of white paper Markers Copies of the novel Step 1: Somewhere on you paper, write To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Draw three concentric circles on the paper. (One inside the other)

Step 2: Concrete Meaning (Level One) In the inner circle concentrate on the concrete level of meaning. Write the word “courage” in the inner circle. Copy a passage in which the word appears –you should copy enough of it to make sense. Document the source of the passage in parenthesis after the quotation. Give multiple dictionary definitions of the word (denotation). Explain why this word is important to the meaning of the work. (CONTEXT)

Step 3: Abstract Meaning (Level 2) In the middle circle, concentrate on the abstract level of meaning. Referring to the text, draw four images form the assigned section of the work (chapter 11) Write an explanation of the link between the illustrations and the word you selected for the first circle.

Step 4: Super-abstract meaning (level 3) In the outer circle, concentrate on the “super- abstract” level –level three reading. Going beyond the text, write two thematic statements drawn form the significant word AND your illustrations, tying them to the whole work.

Exit Slip 1. In your own words, describe what courage means to you? For each of the characters below, describe how he/she might view courage or why courage is important to have? 2. Boo Radley 3. Atticus Finch 4. Scout 5. Jem

Read Chapters 13-14 & Complete your Dialect Homework Sheet Homework Assignment Read Chapters 13-14 & Complete your Dialect Homework Sheet You might start the reading with the class if time permits.