Six-Word Memoirs and To Kill a Mockingbird

Last week, students completed artistic representations of their individual Six Word Memoirs. They are hanging in the classroom and are truly fabulous! It is amazing how much emotion and information six words can convey.

We also started our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM).  Here is the introductory Prezi (like a Power Point only more fun) for students who were absent: http://goo.gl/Yvb4ke

Because the novel is set in the South in the 1930s, we will be examining the historical time period, including the use of racist language and the laws surrounding the Jim Crow era South during the Great Depression. The novel brings up many difficult topics, including racism, rape, lynching, and innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit. These are obviously intense subjects, and while I believe it is important for students to understand these aspects of history and how they relate to the novel, I will be sensitive and purposeful about how they are dealt with in class. I will also expect the students to be appropriate and mature, especially in regards to the use of racist language.

In order for students to better understand the history behind these elements of the novel, we will be discussing both the infamous Scottsboro Boys trial and the Emmett Till murder and subsequent trial -- both of which Harper Lee used as a basis for the events in the novel and the trial of Tom Robinson.  If you or your student is uncomfortable with viewing the 2003 PBS documentary The Murder of Emmett Till, please let me know and I will find an alternative placement for him/her during the video. For more information, please follow this link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/

EXTRA-CREDIT OPTION for either 2nd or 3rd quarter:
Right now the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (http://www.ojm.org/) is hosting a museum quality exhibit from the Anne Frank Center in New York. The exhibit runs from January 15th to April 14, 2015.  Most Sundays at 1pm, the museum hosts a public tour followed by a talk at 2:30 from a member of the museum's Holocaust Speakers Forum. Be sure to check the website, as I noticed that this Sunday, January 25th, there is not a guided tour available. As part of the exhibit, there is an excellent short film entitled, The Short Life of Anne Frank. In order to receive extra-credit, students need to type a half-page to a page describing what they learned, include the date and time they attended, and have a parent or guardian sign the paper.  

I considered a possible field trip. but after attending the Open House for Educators, I decided that due to the small space and the large amount of text, it would be better experienced in small family or friend groups.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: lhermes@pps.net.