Students will:
Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning, mood, and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place or an emotion; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; provide a summary or thorough analysis of the text, including the appropriate components.
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Determine a theme of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details.
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific language choices shape meaning, mood, or tone of the text.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Use context clues and text structures to determine the meaning of new vocabulary.
Demonstrate comprehension of print and electronic text by responding to questions (e.g., literal, inferential, evaluative and synthesizing).
Monitor own comprehension by adjusting speed to fit the purpose, or by skimming, scanning, reading on, looking back, note taking or summarizing what has been read so far in text.
Identify and explain an author's use of direct and indirect characterization, and ways in which characters reveal traits about themselves, including dialect, dramatic monologues and soliloquies.
Explain how literary techniques, including foreshadowing and flashback, are used to shape the plot of a literary text.
Analyze the author's use of point of view, mood and tone.
Explain how authors use symbols to create broader meanings.

As a National Board Certified Teacher, To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel I have taught for several years.  My experience as a Holocaust trained educator lends itself to the approach I take to be honest, historically accurate, but sensitive to the controversial topics in the novel.  A conversation will be held about the "N-word", how and why is was used and why it is denigrating and derogatory.  Students will be directed that the only time it is appropriate to actually say the word is when they are reading a quote from the novel, otherwise it should be referred to as the "N-word". 
Additionally the accusation of rape against Tom Robinson by Mayella will be similarly handled.  The class will discuss why Mayella felt compelled to lie, and why the ramifications of her lie cost Tom his life.  Race, poverty and the Jim Crow South are central to understanding the novel. 

Homework Offered
Students will need to read 60 to 80 pages per week and the time the reading takes will vary depending upon the individual reader.  Students will be provided a reading guide where they can record meaningful quotes and notes to share in class.  
Assignments in class may be completed in small groups, but the cumulative project assignment will be independent and should take students less than 1 hour per week to complete by the end of the course. 
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Informal assessment will take place through the class sessions with discussion, group activities and handouts.  
All students will be encouraged to complete and present a project at the conclusion of our 8 weeks. 
Students who need a letter grade should contact the teacher in advance and grades will be provided based upon class participation, activities, and the final project. 
Grades Offered

Facinghistory.org, PBS Learning, Teaching Tolerance from the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Library of Congress, ReadWriteThink.org