A Guide for Using To Kill a Mockingbird in the Classroom (Literature Unit (Teacher Created Materials))

Vocabulary lists for each of the novel sections and a few vocabulary activity ideas are also included (examples: part of speech chart for vocabulary words, word puzzles, etc). I found this section extremely beneficial because it saves so much time to already have a list of difficult words generated for the students.

Each section has study questions for each of the 6 sections (it is actually listed as the Quiz section). Although some of the questions are a bit general (example, List three important events from this section), overall the questions fit quite well within the scope of the novel and can be used as a tool for checking comprehension.

There are several other neat ideas that can be used directly or adapted by the teacher into another activity. For instance, there is a section on Urban Myths and Myths, which ties into the character of Boo Radley. There are questions for conducting an interview of "The Great Depression" that could be used as a take-home assignment for a student. There are ideas for Southern Cooking (if that's your thing) and a section on understanding similes and metaphors (which are quite frequent in the book). Also, there is a characterization chart for four of the main characters (Scout, Jem, Atticus, Dill) as well as a section that discusses the ideas of theme and examples of racial hatred and discrimination.

Overall, although only 48 pages in length, I felt this was an excellent buy. It is very organized and quite helpful for a teacher needing extra resource material for a novel.


A little "thin" but worth the money   April 2, 2001
 21 out of 22 found this review helpful

We purchased this guide and the Cliff Notes to aid us in our monthly book club meeting for March. (See our review of To Kill a Mockingbird -- both the film and the novel.) As a teacher, I greatly appreciated the section devoted to vocabulary building -- so much easier than compiling the list of words myself. And we all found the sections on the author, the Great Depression, urban myths, and figures of speech great jumping-off points for discussion and further research. It may seem that you get more for your money from the Cliff Notes, but my experience was that we turned to this slim volume more frequently and that it generated better reader response.