To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 1-8 Discussion Questions
Responses must be completed by 8 a.m. on the assigned date. INCLUDE YOUR NAME (first name only; last name initial if someone "shares" your named in class) ON ALL POSTS.
I must approve all messages, so do not panic if your response does not appear. I will approve messages twice each day (morning and afternoons).
Assignment Read: Write a response to the questions/statements listed below. Responses need to be detailed and written in complete sentences. Check for grammatical errors!
You need to respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by the following week's post.
If you post inappropriate responses, you will receive a zero for this assignment.
Keep this a "Warm and Fuzzy" Friendly Classroom!
Mrs. Spriggs :)
Chapters 1-8 Statements/Questions:
1. How do Jem, Scout, and Dill feel about Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? How have their feelings changed by the end of chapter 8?
2. Atticus tells Scout, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb in his skin and walk around in it." What are some of the things that Scout begins to realize at this point? (Think of Walter, Boo, etc.)
3. Scout says that Dill could tell "the biggest lies." Why might Dill have told such lies?
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 9-11 Discussion Questions
Responses must be completed by 8 a.m. on the assigned date. INCLUDE YOUR NAME (first name only; last name initial if someone "shares" your named in class) ON ALL POSTS.
I must approve all messages, so do not panic if your response does not appear. I will approve messages twice each day (morning and afternoons).
Assignment Read: Write a response to the questions/statements listed below. Responses need to be detailed and written in complete sentences. Check for grammatical errors!
You need to respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by the following week's post.
If you post inappropriate responses, you will receive a zero for this assignment.
Keep this a "Warm and Fuzzy" Friendly Classroom!
Mrs. Spriggs :)
Chapters 9-11 Discussion Topics
1. Scout made Uncle Jack swear not to tell Atticus the "real reason" behind why she punched Francis. Later that night Uncle Jack talks with Atticus but never reveals the truth of what happened. Do you think he should have told Atticus the truth even if it meant breaking his promise to Scout? Why or why not?
2. Miss Maudie tells Jem and Scout that Atticus was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time but that he put down his gun when he realized that God gave him an unfair advantage over most living things. She also says, "People in their rights minds never take pride in their talents." Do you agree with Atticus' decision not to hunt? Why or why not? Do you agree with Miss Maudie that individuals should not take pride in their talents or successes?
3. Atticus tells Scout that they will not win the trial. When Scout asks why he is still going to defend Tom Robinson he responds, "simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." At the end of Part I after Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus tells Jem, "I wanted you to see something about her- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Do you agree or disagree with Atticus' decision to defend Tom Robinson? Do you agree with his definition of courage? Can you think of any other examples in history where people fought for or defended something even though they may not have "won"?
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 12-15 Discussion Questions
Responses must be completed by 8 a.m. on the assigned date. INCLUDE YOUR NAME (first name only; last name initial if someone "shares" your named in class) ON ALL POSTS.
You need to respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by the following week's post.
Chapters 12-15 Statements/Questions:
1. Why do you believe Jem is acting so differently?
2. Aunt Alexandra continually tells Atticus that he needs to do a better job raising Scout and Jem. Do you agree with her? Do you think Atticus is doing a good, average, or poor job as a single dad? Do you agree with any of Aunt Alexandra's recommendations? (Scout needs to act more like a lady, the children should spend less time with Calpurnia, Scout and Jem need to know more about their heritage and act like Finches, etc.)
3. Why does Dill tell so many tall tales and fibs about his family life?
4. How does Scout "change the mood" that night when the gang arrives at the jail? What does the gang want? Atticus and Jem cannot get the gang to leave, but Scout does. Why do you think she was able to motivate them to leave even though she wasn't trying to?
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 16-19 Discussion Questions
Responses must be completed by 8 a.m. on the assigned date. INCLUDE YOUR NAME (first name only; last name initial if someone "shares" your named in class) ON ALL POSTS.
You need to respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by the following week's post.
Chapters 16-19 Statements/Questions:
1. A request is made that all women and children should be removed from the courtroom due to the nature of the trial. Do you think Scout, Jem, and Dill should have stayed in the courtroom, or do you think they were too young for the events discussed? If you think they were okay to stay, why might it be important for them to observe the trial?
2. Mayella's background and home life is portrayed as extremely grim. Do you think that her background excuses her lies? Why or why not? Do you think someone's background or upbringing is ever a valid excuse for his or her actions?
3. When Tom Robinson says that he felt sorry for Mayella, the crowd immediately expresses their disapproval. Why was this considered wrong or a mistake?
4. Dill must leave the courtroom at the end of the trial because he cannot control crying. Why is Dill so upset? How would you feel if you were present at this trial?
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 20-25 Discussion Questions
Responses must be completed by 8 a.m. on the assigned date. INCLUDE YOUR NAME (first name only; last name initial if someone "shares" your named in class) ON ALL POSTS.
You need to respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by the following week's post.
Chapters 20-25 Statements/Questions:
1. When Dill is crying, Mr. Dolphus Raymond says, "Things haven't caught up with that one's (Dill's) instinct yet. Let him get a little older and he won't get sick and cry. Maybe things won't strike him as being- not quite right, say, but he won't cry, not when he gets a few years on him." What does Mr. Raymond mean by this? Do you think that we become more numb to the inequalities, tragedies, and hardships of the world as we grow older?
2. Atticus says, "But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentleman, is a court." Do you agree with Atticus? Why or why not? Was it true for Atticus' time? Is it true for today?
3. After the trial Jem says, "Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside." Why would Boo want to stay inside the house? Can you think of anytime where you have been extremely frustrated, disappointed, or disgusted with society (think of stories you have seen in the news that disturbed you)?
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 26-End Discussion Questions
Responses must be completed by 8 a.m. on the assigned date. INCLUDE YOUR NAME (first name only; last name initial if someone "shares" your named in class) ON ALL POSTS.
You need to respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by the following week's post.
Chapters 26-End Statements/Questions:
1. Why do you think Jem yelled at Scout at the end of chapter 26 and told her he never wanted to hear about the courthouse ever again?
2. Do you agree with Mr. Tate's decision to say that Bob Ewell "fell on his knife"? Do you think Boo Radley should have received the praise for saving the children's lives? Why or why not?
3. Why do you think Harper Lee titled her book To Kill a Mockingbird?
4. Scout says, "Atticus he was real nice..." and Atticus says, "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." What did Atticus mean by this statement?