In
December 2018, Community Action School's eighth graders finished an in-depth
novel study of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Prior to reading, students spent time
researching the time period or setting in which the story takes place - in
Alabama during the Jim Crow Era. It was important for students to learn about
the cultural, economic, political status of the 1930s as well as the
discrimination and segregation that took place in order to deepen their
understanding of the plot. As students read the novel, their focus was to
analyze the development of main characters over the course of the story and
track Lee's use of symbolism throughout the narrative. This focus helped them
write well-crafted literary analysis essays as their end-of-unit tasks. Like
all strong readers, students were tough critics of characters' behaviors and
the author's choices, but overall the class loved the novel and engaged in many discussions
about the book both inside and outside of the classroom.
On January 2nd, 2019 a
group of students had the opportunity to attend Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird on stage at
Shubert Theater. It was a great way to start 2019! Students had a fantastic
time watching the matinee performance and an even better time discussing the
similarities and differences between the novel and performance the following
days in class. Overall, students had an incredible learning experience both
diving deep into Lee’s novel and experiencing the story coming to life on
stage. We look forward to our next learning adventure!
