Домашнє читання книги американської письменниці Harper Lee “ To Kill a Mockingbird” . Підсумковий урок. (11 клас)

 

Speaking about “To Kill a Mocking Bird” I can’t but really feel emotions: It’s like a triumph with my students they touch a really- really serious prose-  pages of classical literature. It’s not an easy book to read, but if you managed to do it, it means something. Your students have overcome the obstacles and challenges of the English language. And now my “birdies” have got wings to meet the challenges of life.

Liudmyla Berlova

Тема уроку: Домашнє читання книги американської письменниці

 Harper Lee  “ To Kill a Mockingbird” . Підсумковий урок.  (11 клас)

Мета уроку: тренувати учнів в монологічному мовленні на основі  прочитаного тексту  та переглянутого фільму, вчити синтетичному читанню, вмінню вибрати з тексту необхідну інформацію, удосконалювати вміння логічного викладення своєї думки, робити висновки за допомогою інтерактивних завдань; розвивати увагу, логічне мислення, світогляд учнів за рахунок інформації, здобутої за допомогою читання; виховувати свідоме ставлення до подолання стереотипів в житті суспільних груп, толерантність до думок однокласників, вчити веденню дискусії.

     З метою реалізації розвиваючої мети уроку я пропоную використовувати такі види самостійної роботи: самостійне опрацювання уривку оригінального тексту з виконанням попереднього завдання до нього, проведення аналізу подій впродовж всього твору, дослідження розвитку характерів дійових осіб і  визначення сутності назви роману під час мозкової атаки.

ФРАГМЕНТ УРОКУ

1.Small groups discussion. You have quotations from different newspapers. Your task is to choose any praise for the book, and give your opinion why this book was considered to be a masterpiece, “a novel of strong contemporary national significance”.    

          ( See Appendix 1)

APPENDIX 1.

Extracts from newspaper articles:

  1. The New York Times: “ Marvellous… Miss Lee’s original characters are people to cherish in this winning first novel”.
  2. Harper’s Magazine: “ A novel of great sweetness, humour, compassion, and of mystery carefully sustained”.
  3. The Boston Herald: “ Has pace and power… overflowing with life”.
  4. The New Yorker: “ Skilled, unpretentious and totally ingenious… tough. Melodramatic, acute, funny”.
  5. The San Francisco Examiner: “ Miss Lee wonderfully builds the tranquil atmosphere of her Southern town, and as adroitly causes  it to erupt a shocking lava of emotions”.
  6. The Chicago Tribune: “ Of rare excellence… a novel of strong contemporary national significance”.
  7. The Saturday Review Syndicate: “ Stands alone as the best first novel of the year… rare, refreshing”.
  8. The Minneapolis Tribune: “ The reader will find an immense satisfaction… and a desire, on finishing it, to start again on page one”.

2.Individual and pair work.

 a) Students are given mini-tests to refresh the main events of the book.

 b) The students exchange their tests with the partner for control.                       (See Appendix 2)

APPENDIX 2

 “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” —  A Reading Test:

___1. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was written by

  1.  Mark Twain
  2. Harper Lee
  3. William Faulkner
  4. Eudora Welty
  5. Colonel Sander

___2. Scout and Jem lived in

  1. Macon
  2. Maxwell
  3. Maycomb
  4. Mississippi
  5. Mainstreem

___3. Dill came every summer to stay with…

  1. his grand parents
  2. his cousin Fred
  3. his aunt
  4. his stepmother
  5. the Vlassic family

___4. William Cunningham was…

  1. mean
  2. tall
  3. poor
  4. crippled
  5. a good friend of the Fronz

___5. Jem lost his pants…

  1. crawling through a barbed wire fence
  2. playing strip poker with Dill
  3. sliding off the roof
  4. fighting off a mad dog
  5. getting a tattoo

___6. Scout went to the Halloween pageant dressed as…

  1. a pork rind
  2. a chicken leg
  3. a pumpkin
  4. a ham
  5. the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man

    7. The sheriff of the county was…

  1. Link Dees
  2. Heck Tate
  3. Joe Avey
  4. Dolphus Raymond
  5. Pat Garret

___8. Atticus was….

  1. about 40
  2. about 50
  3. about 75
  4. about 60
  5. 30 something

___9. Atticus represents the voice of ….

  1. America
  2. Reason
  3. Judgment
  4. Contemplation
  5. Dick Clark

___10. Whom do Jem and Scout find hiding under the bed?

  1. Boo Radley
  2. Zeebo
  3. William Cunningham
  4. Dill
  5. the mattress inspector

___11. Who is the loneliest person in the world?

  1. Boo
  2. Mayella
  3. Dill
  4. Tom
  5. The Maytag repairman

___12. Dolphus Raymond is…

  1. an alcoholic
  2. the father of mixed children
  3. the brother of Atticus
  4. a bum
  5. a dolphin trainer

___13. Dill says he wants to become…

  1. a lawyer
  2. a doctor
  3. a clown
  4. a cynic
  5. a pickle jar stuffer

___14. Tom’s left arm is…

  1. crippled
  2. missing
  3. broken
  4. double-jointed

3. The whole class works. Trying to answer the question what the book is about we build a chart of the major themes of the book.

4. Students are divided into groups of three. Each group is given an extract from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

 Scan the text, analyze it, what problem is revealed in it, keep track of the development and solution of this problem. Discuss the task in groups, let a member of the group express the major points of discussion and solution of the problem.

Text 1. Task: Scout tries to avoid attending school by all kinds of tricks.

Text 2. Task: Note the children’s evaluation of Atticus and how it changes.

Text 3. Task: Note the positive influence the children, especially Scout, had on the adults in the novel.                (See Appendix 3)

  5. Students carry out an investigation on the development of the characters. ( The task  before starting reading the book was: as the students read, they look for the character’s strengths and weaknesses, his/her relationship with other  characters, his/her importance for the story, any major changes that occur in his/her life and attitude, and his/her general appearance).

a)The class makes a list of all the characters in the book.

A LIST OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Atticus Finch              Dill Harris                      Boo Radley

Jean Louise Finch       Miss Maudie                  Tom Robinson

Jem Finch                    Miss Dubose                   Bob Ewell

Calpurnia                     The Townspeople            Mayella Ewells

Reverend Sykes

b) Matching: match the following quotations with the people who said them or the person they describe.           ( See Appendix 4)

APPENDIX 4 : MATCHING: Match the following quotations with the people who said them or the person they describe.

  1. Calpurnia                        G. Jeremy Finch               M. Heck Tate
  2. Tom Robinson                H. Arthur Radley              N. Jean Louise Finch
  3. Miss Maudi                     I. Walter Cunningham      O. Aunt Alexandra
  4. Miss Caroline Fisher       J. Mrs DuBose                  P. Jack Finch
  5. Atticus                             K. Chuck Little                 Q. Mayella Ewell
  6. Bob Ewell                        L. Charles Harris

___1. “ She was horrible. Her face was the colour of a dirty pillowcase, and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet, which inched like a glacier down the deep grooves enclosing her chin”.

___2. “ She became what she was, a thick-bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labour”

___3. “..he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained”.

___4. “ He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt, his hair was  snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff; he was a year my senior, but I towered over him”.

___5. “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it and I knowed she didn’t have no nickels to spare”.

___6. “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”.

___7. “ She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her 5:00 bath she would appear on the porch and rain over the street in magisterial beauty”.

___8. “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin’ ”.

___9. “ There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they are not our kind of folks”.

___10. “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

___11. “ I’ve got it all figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world”

 c) Each student chooses ( or gets a task from the teacher) a character and makes  in a written form a portrait in the development, how the hero changes and what event causes  his or her change.

d) Students’ presentations:  “A gallery of psychological portraits of characters.

6. Video “To Kill a Mockingbird” ( Starring Gregory Peck)  The scene at courthouse and Atticus’ final speech.    (See Appendix 5)

a) A task before watching a film: keep good notes on the Robinson trial. Be ready to discuss Atticus’ personality, his difficult concept of justice, his features of character, his professionalism and readiness to stand on his own principles, even if they go against the ideals and laws of the town.

Note these things:

-how the school children treat Scout;

-how the townspeople (White and Black) treat Atticus and family;

-the truths discovered by Atticus during the trial;

-compare the way Atticus and Gilmer treat Tom;

-new truths children realize during the trial.

b) Interactive discussion “A microphone”, each student expresses his or her opinion on the questions.

c) Compare the written and the film versions of the events and comment  on how the film version is similar to or different from  what we  have imagined.

7. Brainstorming: what are the source, meaning and symbolism of the novel’s title, “ To Kill a Mockingbird”? Comment on the statement “There are several Mockingbirds in the novel”—who are they?

8. Homework: imagine you lived in Maycomb at the time the book describes. Integrate yourself into that life. Choose any day and write a composition on the topic: “ One day from the life in Maycomb (Alabama)”.

9. Summarizing.

APPENDIX 1.

Extracts from newspaper articles:

The New York Times: “ Marvellous… Miss Lee’s original characters are people to cherish in this winning first novel”.

 Harper’s Magazine: “ A novel of great sweetness, humour, compassion, and of mystery carefully sustained”.

 The Boston Herald: “ Has pace and power… overflowing with life”.

 The New Yorker: “ Skilled, unpretentious and totally ingenious… tough. Melodramatic, acute, funny”.

 The San Francisco Examiner: “ Miss Lee wonderfully builds the tranquil atmosphere of her Southern town, and as adroitly causes  it to erupt a shocking lava of emotions”.

 The Chicago Tribune: “ Of rare excellence… a novel of strong contemporary national significance”.

 The Saturday Review Syndicate: “ Stands alone as the best first novel of the year… rare, refreshing”.

 The Minneapolis Tribune: “ The reader will find an immense satisfaction… and a desire, on finishing it, to start again on page one”.

APPENDIX 2

 “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” —  A Reading Test:

___1. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was written by

              a. Mark Twain                        d. Eudora Welty

              b. Harper Lee                          e. Colonel Sanders

              c. William Faulkner

___2. Scout and Jem lived in

  1. Macon                               d. Mississippi
  2. Maxwell                            e. Mainstreem
  3. Maycomb

___3. Dill came every summer to stay with

  1. his grand parents                d. his stepmother
  2. his cousin Fred                   e. the Vlassic family
  3. his aunt

___4. William Cunningham was

  1. mean                                    d. crippled
  2. tall                                        e. a good friend of the Fronz
  3. poor

___5. Jem lost his pants

  1. crawling through a barbed wire fence
  2. playing strip poker with Dill
  3. sliding off the roof
  4. fighting off a mad dog
  5. getting a tattoo

___6. Scout went to the Halloween pageant dressed as

  1. a pork rind                                 d. a ham
  2. a chicken leg                              e. the Stay-Puff Marshmallow
  3. a pumpkin                                      man

___7. The sheriff of the county was

  1. Link Dees                                  d. Dolphus Raymond
  2. Heck Tate                                  e. Pat Garret
  3. Joe Avey

___8. Atticus was about

  1. about 40                                   d. about 60
  2. about 50                                   e. 30 something
  3. about 75

___9. Atticus represents the voice of

  1. America                                    d. contemplation
  2. Reason                                      e. Dick Clark
  3. Judgment

___10. Whom do Jem and Scout find hiding under the bed?

  1. Boo Radley                               d. Dill
  2. Zeebo                                        e. the mattress inspector
  3. William Cunningham

___11. Who is the loneliest person in the world?

  1. Boo                                             d. Tom
  2. Mayella                                       e. The Maytag repairman
  3. Dill

___12. Dolphus Raymond is

  1. an alcoholic                                d. a bum
  2. the father of mixed children       e. a dolphin trainer
  3. the brother of Atticus

___13. Dill says he wants to become

  1. a lawyer                                     d. a cynic
  2. a doctor                                      e. a pickle jar stuffer
  3. a clown

___14. Tom’s left arm is

  1. crippled                              c. broken
  2. missing                               d. double-jointed

APPENDIX 4 : MATCHING: Match the following quotations with the people who said them or the person they describe.

  1. Calpurnia                        G. Jeremy Finch               M. Heck Tate
  2. Tom Robinson                H. Arthur Radley              N. Jean Louise Finch
  3. Miss Maudi                     I. Walter Cunningham      O. Aunt Alexandra
  4. Miss Caroline Fisher       J. Mrs DuBose                  P. Jack Finch
  5. Atticus                             K. Chuck Little                 Q. Mayella Ewell
  6. Bob Ewell                        L. Charles Harris

___1. “ She was horrible. Her face was the colour of a dirty pillowcase, and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet, which inched like a glacier down the deep grooves enclosing her chin”.

___2. “ She became what she was, a thick-bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labour”

___3. “..he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained”.

___4. “ He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt, his hair was  snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff; he was a year my senior, but I towered over him”.

___5. “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it and I knowed she didn’t have no nickels to spare”.

___6. “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”.

___7. “ She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her 5:00 bath she would appear on the porch and rain over the street in magisterial beauty”.

___8. “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin’”.

___9. “ There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they are not our kind of folks”.

___10. “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

___11. “ I’ve got it all figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world”

 Speaking about “To Kill a Mocking Bird” I can’t but really feel emotions: It’s like a triumph with my students they touch a really- really serious prose-  pages of classical literature. It’s not an easy book to read, but if you managed to do it, it means something. Your students have overcome the obstacles and challenges of the English language. And now my “birdies” have got wings to meet the challenges of life.