To Kill a MockingbirdSymbol / Celebrity Analysis

Agenda1. Find groups of three or four people2. Hand out a number to each group3. Mini-discussion using the activities—make sure to get section 4 signed

off at some point throughout the hour4. Celebrity, symbol, character analysis—turn in for credit5. If time, present to the class.

Learning Target:– Clarify any misconceptions from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird– Compare and contrast a character from the novel with a famous person today.– Using characteristics of both people, identify and explain a symbol that would

represent the characteristics of both people.

Mini-Discussion Instructions 1. In your groups, share the questions you answered for section

three (chapters 8-9) and section four (chapters 10-11).• Add any additional information you learn from your group

members to your notes.• Clarify any misconceptions from these questions—look at any

questions from this section that are unanswered and make sure that you can answer them (you don’t have to actually write them but you should have the knowledge from this section).

2. Choose one activity from section three and one activity from section four that you are most proud of and share them with your group.

3. Choose the best activity from your group to share with the class.

Brainstorming Symbol Instructions

Celebrity (1)

• As a group, brainstorm a list of five celebrities. Choose one celebrity that your group knows the most about.

• Brainstorm as many qualities or characteristics of your celebrity you can think of.

Character (2)

• In the order of the number assigned to your group, choose the character that you want to compare to.

• Brainstorm as many qualities or characteristics of your character you can think of.

**Both of these brainstorming pieces should be written on a piece of notebook paper to be turned in. Only one paper per group is

necessary.

Character Options

1. Atticus Finch2. Dill3. Jem Finch4. Scout Finch5. Miss Caroline

Fischer6. Mrs. Dubose7. Miss Maudie

8. Boo Radley9. Burris Ewell10. Walter

Cunningham11. Aunt Alexandra12. Uncle Jack13. Francis Hancock

Symbol (3)1. Using your chosen character and celebrity, create a symbol that

best represents characteristics of both your character and your celebrity.• A symbol is NOT an illustration of the character; nor is it an

illustration of a scene from the book. Consider using a variety of colors, shapes, and objects to represent your character.

2. Once you have your symbol planned, take a large piece of white paper and a few markers, and make a final draft/poster. • Be sure to include the character’s name and celebrity’s name on

your poster. • Include your names on the back of the poster along with a written

explanation (at least three reasons) explaining how both the celebrity and the character are represented in the symbol.

Sample SymbolTaylor Swift• Five albums• Lives in NY• No one liked her in HS (Rory

Gilmore)• Best friends with Lorde• Carefree—doesn’t care what others

think about her• Loves bakin• Likes her cat• Outwardly calls out people who

have wronged her• Little brother• Goes above and beyond for her fans• Awkward dancer

Atticus Finch

• Respected• A person to whom others

turn in times of doubt and trouble

• guide and voice of conscience

• Fights for racial equality• Carefree• Goes above and beyond• Calls people out

Samples• The gavel represents how Atticus and

Taylor want to bring justice to the world. Atticus helps Tom Robinson and Taylor calls out the people who wronged her.

• They have a voice of reason and are grounded. Atticus goes against the beliefs of his town and Taylor “beats to her own drum” in music—for example by not putting her music on Spotify.

• They go above and beyond for the people they work with. Atticus faces public scorn and defamation of his name while Taylor brings her fans Christmas surprises.

Samples• Boo is like a bat because he is afraid

to come out in daytime because he's not sure what people will think of him. So he comes out only at night.

• The three different colors of leaves symbolize Boo's life. The red is for childhood and being rebellious. The brown is for his grounded life, when he was stuck inside. The green is for his future, for when/if he decides to come out.

• The leaves also symbolize the children's changing perception of Boo.

Samples• Mrs. Dubose was "hooked" on

morphine, and she was strong--just like in our symbol. She was strong because she quit her morphine before she died.

• She was very sick, so the strong arm is also yellow.

• The black person in the background represents Jesse. Jesse helped Mrs. Dubose, but she was not respected because Mrs. Dubose was racist, so in the symbol she's in the background.

Grading Scale

• A list of character and celebrity traits are turned in (five traits / characteristics for each).

• The symbol is a symbol: (not a picture of the character or a scene from the book). It is cohesive and connected.

• An explanation of the symbol is written on the back of the symbol (three reasons how the symbol represents the celebrity/character).

• The symbol represents many aspects of the character/celebrity (3) and the aspects are deeper/more specific than “both boys” or “both love people.”

Symbol and Explanation• Gavel because they both want to bring justice to those who deserve it.

Atticus wants to bring justice to Tom Robinson because he believes that Tom did not commit the crime and by helping Tom he is expressing his desire for racial equality between blacks and whites. Taylor Swift wants to bring justice to the people who wronged her. She does so by outwardly calling people out in her songs—sometimes directly by name.

• Both Atticus Finch and Taylor Swift are a voice of reason and have a good head on their shoulders. They have a good moral conscience even if it goes against what other people think.

• They both go above and beyond for the people they work with: Atticus is facing public scorn and “defaming” his family in order to help Tom Robinson. Taylor Swift made a video and visited some of her devout fans at Christmas time with a surprise and gifts. Both of these people go above and beyond the call of duty in their profession for the people they work with.