To Kill a Mockingbird Literature Circle Activities

With this literature circle resource for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, high school English teachers may facilitate active participation in small-group discussions of complex literature. Included are the following: a handout outlining each role; a documentation log for each role; and a standards-based rubric for efficiently evaluating student work. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging in these literature circle activities, students will do the following:

• Articulate key details from the story
• Generate open-ended questions related to the novel in order to carry out meaningful discussions with peers
• Respond thoughtfully to open-ended questions and others’ contributions to the discussion
• Document ways in which the novel is consistent with aspects of American and/or world history
• Locate specific passages and/or quotations that relate to major themes and concepts—especially those relating to economic struggles, coming of age, and the pursuit of justice and fairness
• Artistically convey important information from the assigned reading
• Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision