Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (7 page)

Simple and readily available software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote can be used for a project such as this, making it an attractive assignment option even for the most technophobic instructor.

2. Literary Themes Explored through Multimedia

The study of the thematic elements of
To Kill a Mockingbird
also offers a plethora of creative opportunities for students to explore the novel's universal appeal and significance. In addition to the aforementioned historical perspectives, the issues of coming of age (or
To Kill a Mockingbird
as bildungsroman), justice, social castes, religious hypocrisy, heroism, childhood fears, and parent/child relationships have all been reported as key themes of the novel, worthy of additional research, discussion, and interpretation in the ELA classroom. One possible way of exploring these themes using technology in a proactive manner is through the use of published and/or original poetry or songs juxtaposed with visual elements to create videos. Here's how such an assignment might work:

Students either write an original poem or song, or choose and interpret an existing selection that addresses a key theme of
To Kill a Mockingbird
. The
aforementioned Jolley article provides a generous number of options if the instructor wishes to stick with already published works; among the selections she cites as thematically connected to the novel are Theodore Roethke's “My Papa's Waltz,” Paul Lawrence Dunbar's “Sympathy,” Jewel's “Hands,” and Dudley Randall's “Ballad of Birmingham.” Students who wish to select a song for this assignment and need help to jump-start their creativity could find some inspiration from the content of Christian Z. Goering's and Lauren Virshup's lesson plan posted on the www.littunes.com website, where the authors present specific ideas for songs that tie in with the themes of
Mockingbird.
Among the songs mentioned are “When Will I Get to Be Called a Man,” a blues song by Big Bill Broonzy; “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” by Joe South; and “People Are People” by A Perfect Circle.

Students are then assigned to write a brief paragraph explaining why they chose the poem or song they selected, providing information on the poet's/artist-songwriter's background, and articulating their response to the poem, that is, the message and mood it conveys to them.

Students then view the acclaimed 1962 film version of
To Kill a Mockingbird
.
While viewing, they look closely at each scene, choosing appropriate still images from the film that best complement the poem or song they have chosen; these will be assembled in a video montage. In executing this assignment, students utilize their creative, editorial, visual, and critical-thinking skills to decide on proper placement, pace, and mood within the poem or song.

For a lesson early in the unit studying the background information of the novel, students could alternatively use imagery from the African American civil rights movement, 1930s Alabama, or even modern-day civil rights struggles.

Students then design and create the final product utilizing simple slideshow software such as Microsoft Movie Maker, iMovie, or even PowerPoint synced to an audio track.

Students then produce a second short essay in which they reflect upon their multimedia work, stating whether or not they thought the video was effective and what they would do to improve it.

After students have determined and articulated what was successful and what needed improvement in each individual multimedia production, a final revised product can be created and presented in class along with a brief synopsis of their two paragraphs before and after their media presentation. Other students in the class then have the opportunity to appraise, compare, and evaluate the effectiveness of the work of their peers through constructive classroom discussion and examination.

3. Character Study through Twitter,
Blogs, and Avatars

An effective way for students to engage with and delve into the heads of the characters of any book is through assuming the roles of characters in the novel. This can be done through technology using online social networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook. For educators and districts skittish about using these commercial websites, the more
academically based blogging site www.wordpress.com is a viable alternative. To take this idea to the next level, students can be assigned to create digital portfolios or avatars of the characters through websites like www.secondlife.com. What makes social network–based assignments work so well is the fact that when creating their character “profile,” students must be aware of intimate character details and make some intelligent critical decisions about their character in terms of their interests and outlook. Questions such as What would Scout do? How would Jem react? and How would Dill feel? should be informing student input in assignments like this. When creating the online discussion, students need to develop full knowledge of their respective characters so that he or she can be accurately brought to life via technology. Through this process, students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the characters, examine important plot developments, question character motivation, and formulate original character dialogue.

Such an activity presents other advantages as well. Because students are comfortable and familiar with such interfaces, they are likely to “buy in” quickly to such assignments and unlikely to show resistance. In addition, such activities have the potential to transcend the classroom walls. With coordination and collaboration among teachers, students could be communicating about
To Kill a Mockingbird
with other students who might be anywhere—across the school corridor, across town, or perhaps across an ocean. Several innovative approaches to interactive assignments of this nature can be implemented. One potential class activity is to have the students divide into groups of three, with each student assuming the role of Scout, Jem, or Dill on the night before Tom Robinson is sentenced, and have the students craft dialogue for these characters at this particular point in time. If scheduling permits, another possibility is to have the students, again in assigned “character,” create chapter-by-chapter blogs in which they expand on what is revealed in the text to show how they believe certain plot events have affected characters. In a classroom where
To Kill a Mockingbird
is being tandem-taught with Loretta Ellsworth's
In Search of Mockingbird
, students could be paired to assume the roles of Scout in
To Kill a Mockingbird
and Erin, the heroine of the Ellsworth book. “Scouts” and “Erins” could frame their conversations around one or more of their common bonds: their feelings about being raised by a single parent of the opposite sex; relationships with siblings; the events in their lives that are causing conflict; their budding relationships with young men; the reactions and responses to the older women they have encountered; and/or the societal pressures they are feeling as they grow up. Discussion of contextual literary symbolism could also be incorporated within this chat, as Scouts could discuss the material props that play a key role in the story (such as the items left by Boo Radley in the tree), and Erins could contribute reflections on her late mother's diary and dog-eared copy of a cherished book.

4. Finch and Fandom

Yet another way for students to engage with
To Kill a Mockingbird
within the context of a participatory technological culture would be through the creation of online “fan fiction.” On websites such as www.fanfiction.com, anyone can assume the role of author and create prequels, expanded chapters or sequels of existing literature. An effective assignment for teaching
To Kill a Mockingbird
using this modality is to ask students to write a chapter 32, provide an outline for a projected part 3 of the novel, or perhaps fast-forward the action ten or twenty years later and describe the principal characters as they would be then. Although hundreds of entries for
To Kill a Mockingbird
are already posted on this fan fiction website, the opportunities for students to create, collaborate, and publish in a broader community remain ample. The website www.google.com/talk (Google Talk) may also be utilized for such an assignment.

5. The Robinson Trial as “Developing Story”
on Cable News

To Kill a Mockingbird
can also be taught via interdisciplinary connections between literature and TV or radio broadcast journalism. Through the use of video equipment or simpler digital audio recorders and free audio editing software like Audacity (www.audacity.sourceforge.net), students are assigned to write and present newscasts on the proceedings of the trial. Students assigned the role of anchors in the “news studio” could ask questions of those students assuming the role of field reporter, as they emulate the correspondents who stand outside courtrooms on such networks as Tru TV (formerly Court TV). The correspondents respond to the anchorpersons' inquiries regarding the demeanor of witnesses, the mood of the crowd, reactions to testimony, speculation on which side is making the stronger case, and so on. An alternative assignment is for students to create video “mini-‘mock'umentaries” on the city of Maycomb, Alabama, interviewing characters from the novel for inclusion in the radio or TV reports.

6. Comic Relief

Other unconventional, yet effective plot and character studies lessons include the use of ComicLife software (www.comiclife.com), where students create comic book-style story boards, complete with scenes from the book and captions. Students must identify key elements to the story line, select appropriate images and text synthesizing the essence of a scene or chapter, and create and assemble an expressive and effective analysis of the plot.

7. Backbeat Bio

Students with an interest in music (and there are no shortage of those in any high school) may jump at the chance to create an original song that serves as a personal biography of any given character. Using music creation and editing software like GarageBand (www.apple.com), students write, record, mix, and create a song that clearly demonstrates the character's personality, traits, and role in the novel.

8. Complete Lesson Plan

The best part of these twenty-first-century tools and online resources is the collaborative nature of the technology and the fact that these educational resources will only continue to grow in the coming years as all of us continue to contribute and develop new ideas. Already, a number of organizations have multimedia lesson plans ready and waiting on a myriad of topics directly related to teaching
To Kill a Mockingbird
and necessary historical background information. On websites from PBS, NCTE, and others, educators can find lessons on everything from protest songs, to banned books, to breaking barriers—from specific plans for the novel that incorporate poetry and blues music, to lessons on Jim Crow laws and the civil rights movement. A quick look at some of these resources and the embedded links already included can give any educator an idea of the possibilities these powerful new tools offer. A few good sites to start with include www.readwritethink.org/lessons and www.pbs.org/teachers.

Conclusion

While some educators may remain skeptical about the quality of content delivery and the degree of learning effected by shifting away from traditional pedagogical methods, it is nonetheless possible to integrate multimedia technology into the teaching of a novel yet maintain the need for students to acquire authentic knowledge and skills relative to the work as they complete these tasks in these new modalities. In the aforementioned approaches, students may indeed be granted more leeway regarding the planning, organization, and execution of the suggested assignments, yet the need for instructors to assess such important rubric components as preparation, clarity, accuracy, completeness, insight, and ability to work collaboratively is still present and essential. In addition, these assignments, while providing showcases for demonstrating knowledge of the timeless issues addressed in
To Kill a Mockingbird
, also afford students the opportunity to acquire and sharpen their skill sets relative to the timely field of media literacy.

Works Cited

Campion, Laurie. “Lee's
To Kill a Mockingbird
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61.4 (2003): 234.

Caverly, D. C. “Technology and the ‘Knowledge Age.'” In
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Choldenko, Gennifer.
Al Capone Does My Shirts
. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2004.

Chura, Patrick. “Prolepsis and Anachronism: Emmet Till and the Historicity of
To Kill a Mockingbird
.”
Southern Literary Journal
32.2 (2000): 1–26.

Crowe, Chris. “Atticus, David, and Raymond: Role Models for YA Males.”
English Journal
88.6 (1999): 119–121.

Dare, Tim. “Virtue Ethics: Lawyers and Harper Lee's
To Kill a Mockingbird
.”
Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies
19.1–2 (2007): 81–100.

DiCamillo, Kate.
Because of Winn-Dixie
. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2000.

Ellsworth, Loretta.
In Search of Mockingbird
. New York: Henry Holt, 2007.

Fine, Laura. “Structuring the Narrator's Rebellion in
To Kill a Mockingbird
.” In
On Harper Lee: Essays and Reflections
. Ed. Alice Hall Petry. Knoxville: U Tennessee P, 2007. (61–77)