To Kill a Mockingbird

Mrs. Doughan
Grade 11
3 periods

December, 2017
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Reader Response Guidelines: What is YOUR reaction to the

text?
Paragraph 1:

Meaning What are the main themes of the story?

-summarize the plot (2-3 sentences max)
-explain the deeper meanings and ideas YOU believe the author is trying to communicate about
people, life, and society in general (at least one deeper meaning/theme)
-use evidence from the text by providing concrete examples (at least one)
i.e. Lee explains I never understood her preoccupation with heredity (p. 173).

Connection Text connections, personal connections, and global connections.

-discuss a scene or situation that provides a good example of the texts theme
-discuss how a character or situation is similar to something personal in your life and remember
to be specific
-discuss how the theme is present in our global society (provide specific examples, at least one)

Paragraph 2:

Form Identify 2 literary devices.

-describe what part of the novel you are writing about (introduction, rising action, climax, etc)
-does the authors use of literary devices help you to understand the theme/message of the text?
(Foreshadowing, setting, flashback, etc) or if picture or film use the appropriate techniques.
-give an example of the device you wish to write about and explain how it relates back to the
theme (at least one)

Opinion How do you feel about the book?

-Does the text do a god job at explaining the theme?
-Always use examples from the text to support your opinion (at least one)
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PART 1: LITERARY RESPONSE TO A NOVEL DRAFT

Task:
Write an outline prior to your response. An outline should be done in point form and
consist of important points, ideas or examples you may choose to use. You may choose to write a
complete draft as well with complete paragraphs. You must refer to the precedent page, Reader
Response Guidelines in order to guide your text structure.

PART 2: WRITE A LITERARY RESPONSE

Time Allotted: 3 periods, December, 2017
Length: 500 700 words
A literary response is a single-draft piece of writing that reflects a readers
comprehension and analysis about a given novel or text. A response is NOT simply a summary
of your knowledge.
Based off the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, write a response and prove
your understanding of the novel followed by your interpretations and offer your own unique
perspective. You may refer to your novel during the exam.

Refer to the rubric Scoring a Response to a Literary Text at the end of the
booklet before commencing your response and during the writing process. The rubric indicates
how your work will be scored.
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