Language
Arts (1)

Unit Introduction

I. Introductory Activities

2. MLA & APA Activities

3. Preliminary Research Steps

4. Working Bibliography

5. Intro to Primary Sources

6. DI Final Project

7. Appendix

Introductory Activity 1

Brain Storming with Cluster Organizer and Classroom Discussion

Mixed classroom activity

1 hour

Note to teacher:  Students should have completed reading the novel before this introductory activity.  Discussions and other evaluations given on the reading assignment may be used as a means of assessing interests and skill levels for differentiation.

Objective: Identify as many political, philosophical, economic, or social issues in the novel as possible using student suggestions and create a word web or cluster on the board.

Prompt questions for discussion:

Ask students to think about the historical setting of the novel. 
In that time setting, what were the issues that Scout became aware of?
What “grown-up” ideas did Scout have to think about?

Create a cluster on the board using student suggestions. 

Issues might include:
Prejudice, racism, social class discrimination, servants, working classes, slavery, job equality, single parent families, education, holding students back, teacher bias, unemployment, the Depression, the stock market, civil liberties, civil rights, trials, the court process, corporeal punishment, job searching, welfare programs, economic stability, social disorders, mental disorders, being a child, growing up, coming of age, literacy, stereotypes, gender identify, making a book into a movie, motion picture history, music in movies, music of the time, dance, etc. 

Source:
Clustering. In Score: Language Arts.  Retrieved June 6, 2007, from
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/tcluster.htm

Introductory Activity 2

Idea Generator 
(Can be used by an individual student when brainstorming with the class is not possible.)

1 hour

Objective:  Identify as many political, philosophical, economic, or social issues in the novel as possible.  Conference with your teacher if you cannot come up with enough ideas on your own for each question. 

Things Scout was concerned with at school . . .

Things Scout was concerned with at home …

Scout was concerned about these things in the trial . . .

Scout was concerned about these things in her neighborhood or town . . .

Introductory Activity 3

Free Writing
Prewriting Activity

1 hour

Choose one topic from the Idea Generator or Word Web.  Write down everything you know about this topic.  After the free writing, write down at least five questions your have about this topic.