To Kill a Mockingbird Web Search
Created by Deborah J. Griffin For AJMS 8th Grade E.L.A. Introduction: Your class is preparing to read the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In order to fully understand the symbolism and themes present in the story, you need to have some background information on the events upon which the story is based. Task: You are to follow each of the hyperlinks to find the information listed in the questions that follow each section. You are allowed to work with a partner, but both of you must fully answer each question to receive credit for this assignment.
I. Historical Context for the Novel Jim Crow Laws
A. “What Was Jim Crow?” http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/what.htm
1. What was Jim Crowe? ______2. What were the years of Jim Crowe? ______3. What did many Christian ministers teach about the difference between Whites and Blacks? ______
4. What was meant by the term “the legitimization of anti-black racism”? ______5. Describe the basic belief that led to people accepting the Jim Crowe laws.______6. Why couldn’t a Black male shake hands with a White woman? ______7. What were the Jim Crowe signs and where were they placed? ______8. List 3 of the rules from the Jim Crowe Guide by Stetson Kennedy. 1.______2.______3.______
9. Between the years 1882 and 1968, what was the number of “known” lynchings? ______Of that number, how many were Black men or women? ______
B. Personal Narratives http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people.html
Choose one of the narratives listed on the web-page. Read through your chosen narrative then summarize the information in a well-written paragraph. Make sure you provide the name and age of the person you choose.
______
C. The Scottsboro Boys “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crowe: The Scottsboro Case (1931)” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_scotts.html
1. What crimes were the “Scottsboro Boys” accused of having committed? ______2. In what year did the case begin? ______3. Briefly describe what led to the arrest of the “Scottsboro Boys”. ______3. What was the verdict of the all-white jury? ______4. How did people in the north respond to the verdict? ______5. Why did the US Supreme Court overturn the guilty verdict in 1935? ______6. This case originated in 1931, in what year was the final pardon given? ______
D.The Great Depression 1. “A Photo Essay on the Great Depression” http://www.english.illinois.edu/Maps/depression/photoessay.htm
1. What was Black Tuesday? ______2. Examine the pictures of the people on this site. Describe the mood (feelings/emotions) of the images. ______
2. “The Depression in the United States--An Overview” http://www.english.illinois.edu/Maps/depression/overview.htm
1. Who was the President of the United States when the Great Depression first began? ______2. Who said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” ? ______3. By 1933. how many people were unemployed in the United States? ______4. What was “Brother, can you spare a dime”? ______
II. Author & Book Information Harper Lee
1.“Harper Lee” http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1126
1. Who was Nelle Harper Lee?______
2. Fill in the blanks: “ Lee's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel explores the dimensions of______, _____, _____, and ______through the eyes of a young girl as she awakens to the complexities of human nature and its capacity for both ____and ______.”
3. In a 1965 interview, Harper Lee described her childhood. Describe how she and her siblings spent their afternoons. ______
“To Kill a Mockingbird” http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1140
1. To Kill a Mockingbird parallels two court cases, one from 1931 and one from 1933. What were those two cases? ______
2. Fill in the blanks:
“The novel is set in the fictional town of______, Alabama, between the summer of ______and Halloween night of ______, during a time of ______when many blacks and whites shared a common______.”
3. Read the following statement and answer the question that follows:
“Ironically, a novel written by a woman from Monroeville in Alabama's Black Belt has become the primary literary instrument worldwide for teaching values of racial justice, tolerance for people different from ourselves, and the need for moral courage in the face of community prejudice and ostracism.”
What does the author mean when he says that it is ironic that a novel written by a woman from “Alabama’s Black Belt” would have such an impact on the world?
You have now completed the Web Search!!!
Now you need to go to the website below. It contains resources to help you understand the important themes, ideas, and plot of the novel.
Survival Guide
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/