In her classic novel about growing up in the midst of racial injustice, To Kill a Mockingbird, author, Harper Lee, invites us to step into someone else’s shoes – to really get to know them. 8th graders at St. John’s have been reading this novel together in ELA for many years.
Although I did not create this form of literary analysis, I invite 8th grade students to step into the Maycomb, Alabama neighborhood that Harper Lee created. To get to know someone better, it is often helpful to learn about their neighborhood. When Mr. Rogers invited several of us (those of us who are older now) to be his neighbor, he first took us on a trolley ride into his make-believe neighborhood. In the same way, in order for my students to understand the hopes, dreams and prejudices of the characters in Harper Lee’s novel, I invite them to draw a map of the Maycomb neighborhood where Scout and Jem grew up.
My students now invite you to walk through the neighborhood.
By: Mrs. VB, 8th grade
