"Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird" by Toni Cade Bambara Quiz and Close Reading Bundle

For many high school readers, realistic and young adult fiction are genres that maximize relatability and engagement with literature. “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” by Toni Cade Bambara is a short story focusing on a Black family whose ways of life are being infringed upon by opportunistic, politically motivated filmmakers. With this bundle of high school resources covering “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird,” English Language Arts teachers will be able to evaluate general reading comprehension and support the continued development of close reading analysis skills. Included are the following: an editable, plot-based quiz; a worksheet composed of rigorous close reading analysis questions; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. With these materials, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Explore how complex characters think, behave, and interact with others
• Infer character motivations
• Articulate the function of a specific character (Cathy)
• Make logical inferences about the author’s intent
• Apply knowledge of various literary devices including metaphor, idiom, and onomatopoeia
• Isolate an example of figurative language from among several options
• Choose an opinion with which Granny would most likely agree based on an anecdote she shares with her family
• Determine which character or characters are represented in the character of Goldilocks
• Identify several ways in which the filmmakers dehumanize Granny and members of her family
• Draw parallels between the American folk hero John Henry and the character of Granddaddy Cain
• Support claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
• Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision