#1: Make sure you understand the prompt. I've
marked it up so that you can understand it. If you click on this image, you can zoom in on it.
#2: Answer these questions, in exact order:
a. Which theme did you choose? Coming of Age, The Golden Rule, or Courage?
b. How does this theme help readers better understand To Kill a Mockingbird?
c. How does the passage I chose exemplify the theme I chose?
d. Did I choose conflict, character, or setting to prove my ideas about theme?
e. How did conflict, character, or setting develop Lee's theme?
NOTE: All these questions, in combination, will help to build you toward a thesis statement around which to write your essay. Remember: a thesis
#3: Now, check your thesis statement to be sure that you answered 2b's question.
#4: Next, make sure that you have a few statements that could answer 2e. OR: Check the topic sentences of your body paragraphs to check whether they could be used to answer 2e.
#5: Lastly, make sure that you have examples from your passage (see the prompt - #1 - and question 2c) that back up / prove your topic sentence's idea(s).