Language Arts 9 assignment
Due Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Mrs. Marston

Choose one. Writing assignments must be handwritten and may be illustrated.
Novel - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

H - 1. WRITE: Harper Lee introduces a great deal of symbolism in Chapters 8 and 9. When Scout sees the snow, a very unusual phenomenon in Alabama, she screams, “‘The world’s endin’, Atticus! Please do something—!’” Atticus is reassuring, but, importantly, from this point on in the story, Scout’s world as she knows it does end.
Describe in writing: the world as she has known it up until this point.

2. WRITE: Through dialogue in Chapter 9, Harper Lee communicates that Atticus doesn’t have a chance to win Tom Robinson’s case, bringing the theme of justice to the forefront. Atticus tells Scout that he has to fight a battle he can’t win. Write why you believe he “has to” do this.

3. WRITE: At the beginning of Chapter 10 the children are complaining that their father is feeble, fifty and can not do anything. Write about the things he “can’t” do; then write about the things he does that changes the children’s perception of him.

H - 4. WRITE: How does Atticus respond to Scout’s question “what exactly is a nigger-lover”?

5. WRITE: Atticus tries to explain to Scout that his defending Tom Robinson is a matter of conscience. He says “before I can live with other folks, I’ve got to live with myself.”
Write about a time when you have made a decision because “it was the right thing to do” even though others did not agree with you.

6. WRITE: Scout says Atticus is brave to talk with Mrs. Dubose. Atticus says Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew. Describe how each of these characters demonstrate being brave.

H - 7. WRITE: In To Kill A Mockingbird, many characters representi 6 levels of why we do things based on Kohlberg’s Hierarchy of Moral Development. Atticus is a Level 6. Write about the things he does or says that supports this idea. Choose one character for each of the following levels and give examples of actions the characters take that support your thinking. Level I: I don’t want to get in trouble.
Level II: I want a reward.
Level III: I want to please someone.
Level IV: I know the rules and I follow the rules.
Level V: I am considerate of other people.
Level VI: I have my own code of behavior and I follow it (like Atticus) WRITE about what you can do to be a Level 6 thinker?
Writing tips:
Make the paragraph the unit of composition Use the active voice.
Put the statements in positive form. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
Omit needless words. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
Express coordinate ideas in similar form. Keep related words together.
In summaries, keep to one tense. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.