My hsap book club members have been participating in some very insightful conversations about our current book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. For instance, this week, we took part in a “gallery walk,” looking at photos of people and places from the South during the same era. Students watched a video depicting life under Jim Crow, and read essays about code-switching and life during the Great Depression.
Afterwards, students paired up to make character icebergs! We know that most of an iceberg lies below the surface, hidden to most people. We took a closer look at characters like Boo Radley, Scout, and Calpernia to analyze which traits can be seen from the surface and which ones are kept below the surface, but appear throughout the novel. We also used the iceberg metaphor to help better understand why some characters behave the way they do.
Lastly, students are finishing the novel this week! For those students who may be struggling to keep up with the readings, they can use free audiobook resources like the one here. Students can hear actress Sissy Spacek read individual chapters, or even the entire book!
Finish strong! This one is a page-turner, especially throughout the trial! And remember to picture Scout, going ahead of the group, watching it all and relaying the information back to us, in true first-person narrator style!
