To Kill a Mockingbird: Newspaper Assignment

In groups of 3-4 people, create a newspaper based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Brainstorm a name for your newspaper:

Sample Names: Maycomb Tribune Maycomb Chronicle Maycomb Messenger Maycomb Times Maycomb Gazette

Please report on the following stories: One Headline story Secondary Stories Secondary Stories (cont’d)

Choose one of the - The angry lynch mob -Interview with Heck following: - Gossip Column (might Tate about Tom include myths about Robinson (or another - Tom Robinson’s Trial Boo Radley) character: Helen and death Robinson) - Weather (Warm October or freak - 2 Letters to the Editor - Bob Ewell’s cause of snowstorm) commenting on the death? Mystery events of the case or - Miss Maudie’s house the fire - Sports (Methodists - Miss Caroline Attacked played the Baptists in at School football)

- Annual Halloween - Advertisements Pageant – PORK! - Atticus Takes Down Tim Johnson the MAD DOG

- Or any other valuable scene you could write about from the story

Answer the following questions in your newspaper article: 1. Who was involved?

1 2. Why did it happen? 3. Whom did it happen to? 4. Where did it happen? 5. When did it happen? 6. How did it happen?

Your article should be 3 paragraphs in length with direct quotes of dialogue from the novel (obviously regarding that particular scene you choose).

Stick to three paragraphs minimum and keep it in the true an actual newspaper. Use the “inverted pyramid” style.

The Inverted Pyramid

Here’s a tip from the newsroom: the inverted pyramid style of writing. It will help you to get your message across faster. It was developed by journalists for reasons that are completely irrelevant today… or are they?

The inverted pyramid principle says you should put your most important point at the top of the article, followed by your next most important point, and so on, in diminishing order of importance.

Step 1: Choose your group members

Step 2: Assign articles (at least 3 articles per student)

Step 3: Write rough drafts of articles and peer edit

Step 4: Design format of newspaper

Step 5: Final copy of newspaper on poster paper with at least 3 images

2 Step 1: Group members Please Initial Authors of Article assignments (at least 3 each) ______1. Choose one of the following: ______Tom Robinson’s Trial and death ______Bob Ewell’s cause of death? Mystery ______

______2. The angry lynch mob ______

3. Gossip Column (might include myths about Boo Radley) ______

4. Weather (Warm October or freak snowstorm) ______

5. Miss Maudie’s house fire ______

6. Miss Caroline Attacked at School ______

7. Annual Halloween Pageant – PORK! ______

8. Atticus Takes Down Tim Johnson the MAD DOG ______

9. Interview with Heck Tate about Tom Robinson (or another character: Helen Robinson) ______

10. Letters to the Editor commenting on the events of the case or the ______

11. Sports (Methodists played the Baptists in football)

12. Advertisements