Harper Lee: The Silent Salute for You

Though I knew this day would come, my heart still stopped when one of my students ran into my classroom this morning and told me the news that Harper Lee had passed.

I have a hard time articulating how deeply her words meant to me when I first read To Kill a Mockingbird as a junior in high school. There was something about her narrative style that I hadn't read before and I was addicted. It was the only book we read as part of a curriculum that I wanted to buy for myself. I did, and I continued to re-read it every year until I was hired to teach sophomore English and could re-read it several times each year. It still remains a favorite after all these years.

While I am saddened that I will never have the opportunity to meet or see my literary hero, I am glad that Nelle Harper Lee died peacefully in her sleep and lived a full, happy, quiet life.

Her legacy of tolerance will live on as her words continue to inspire generation after generation. The silent salute to you, Harper Lee.

R.I.P. Nelle Harper Lee

April 28, 1926 - February 19, 2016

Go Set a Watchman By Harper Lee Close Reading Activities

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee will be published in just a couple of hours. While it's not exactly a new book, it is new writing for fans who have been clamoring for something--anything--from their beloved author. And I am one of those fans.

To Kill a Mockingbird is still (and will probably always be) my all-time favorite novel. So to get another look at my favorite characters from a different perspective (an older Scout), I was ecstatic. Then I read the first chapter and realized why she spent two years rewriting and revising the work.

It is important to understand that while the publishing of Go Set a Watchman (GSaW) is “new,” this novel is not new. It is Harper Lee’s first draft of her only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (TKaM), submitted to her publisher in 1957 and asked by her editor to rewrite the story, using a child’s perspective. It took Lee two years to revise and rewrite it. In 1960, TKaM was published as the final version. Therefore, GSaW is not going to be as polished; it was her initial offering, and one that needed much revision. Readers should expect some of the characters will be different, and perhaps not as likable.

The beauty, though, of having her first draft to analyze, is that readers will be able to see where the characters and events originated. Readers will see how her writing improves with revision. And, hopefully, readers will be enlightened by the publishing process: how hard work, perseverance, and meticulous revisions are requirements in creating a classic novel. In today’s world of instant gratification, it’s important to look at the process and stages of a work that took years to develop and write.

Which is why I created a resource for my students to compare the two works. I am going to have them read closely the first chapter of GSaW and re-read the first chapter of TKaM and analyze how the author improved the story in various areas.

If you are looking for teaching resources for using GSaW in the classroom, you can find my materials in my teacherspayteachers store. All of the activities are aligned to the Common Core State Standards for reading, language, and writing.

I'd also love to hear what you think of Go Set a Watchman. Comment below with your thoughts/feeling. Thanks for visiting!

To Kill a Mockingjay (When Two Worlds Collide)

My students recently finished reading Harper Lee's classic (and my all-time favorite) novel To Kill a Mockingbird. We happened to finish the novel the day "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" movie was released. Perhaps it was in the spirit of excitement to see Suzanne Collins' novel Catching Fire played out on screen that I created this typo on my students' To Kill a Mockingbird short answer test.

Free Activity Download

http://thepottergames.com

I guess it was only a matter of time before my love for The Hunger Games collided with my love for To Kill a Mockingbird. But mashing up literary works can actually be quite fun...when it's done on purpose, of course. One of the greatest experiences I've had since reading The Hunger Games trilogy was being one of the writers and editors of The Potter Games, a fun choose-your-adventure mash-up of the Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games trilogy. Students, fans, and bibliophiles can still visit the site today and play the original game or try any of the newer spin-offs. It's a great exercise for your students because it involves reading and critical thinking skills to actually become a victor of the Games.

I have a FREE download to accompany the website. It includes directions for your students to create their own literary mash-ups. Try this activity out when you have a few minutes left in class or want a fun pre-holiday interactive and technology-driven activity your students will love.

Common Core Skill: Literary Allusions
Of course, literary allusions are nothing new. In addition to creating their own mash-ups, students can try to identify examples of literary allusions in any piece of fiction or nonfiction. Identifying and explaining allusions is a Common Core skill your students should be practicing while reading (in grades 8-12).

For instance, To Kill a Mockingbird is chock full of literary allusions. The first chapter makes reference to the novel The Gray Ghost by Seckatary Hawkins and the Tom Swift books by Victor Appleton. Some allusions are used to enhance and clarify the time period, while others play a greater role. Stoner's Boy in The Gray Ghost becomes an important thematic link between the characters and the two main plots of the novel.

If you are looking for a resource to use while teaching To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hunger Games, or other novels, you can find materials in my TeachersPayTeachers online store.

The Boo Lady Spreads Harper Lee's Message

Long before I started blogging and well before I discovered TpT, I had a little store on eBay where I sold my hand-beaded book-themed bookmark "thongs" (because they fit in the crack of your book, of course). It was there that I had the good fortune to cross paths with Marsha Gaspari, otherwise known as the Boo Lady.

I was already familiar with the Boo Lady before she happened upon my store, though. She used to have a website called the BooHole and it encouraged adults and children to carry on the generosity of Boo Radley and Miss Maudie by creating our own "Boo" holes to pass along gifts to people passing by. She had pictures of her various knotholes and posted those of others. My students and I came across her website one year when they were researching examples of To Kill a Mockingbird in pop culture.


So when she bid on one of my bookmarks, I was star-struck. Since then, we've "followed" one another online and she always lets me know the latest happenings in the Mockingbird world. Just the other day in class I was telling my sophomores about the Boo Lady, hoping to inspire that same generosity. And, lo and behold, I received a package today containing stunning prints from the "To Kill a Mockingbird" movie. The prints are perfect classroom decor, showing the after-the-trial scene of Miss Maudie with Jem, Scout, and Dill. The other one of Boo Radley (Robert Duvall in his first big-screen acting role) will stay up the rest of the year, but will be hidden from next year's sophs until we reach that part in the novel. My students saw first-hand how one person's generosity truly touches so many others. THANK YOU, BOOLADY!




Now, it's my turn to pay it forward. You can download my To Kill a Mockingbird word cloud prints free this week!

And don't forget to check out Marsha's Etsy shop: 

The Boolady 

It is filled with one-of-a-kind To Kill a Mockingbird-inspired jewelry, gorgeous prints, and so many lovely trinkets any English teacher, librarian, book-lover, or human being in general would absolutely love! They would make perfect holiday gifts for those hard-to-buy-for relatives, as well. ;)

To read more from the Boo Lady, peruse her blog: http://boolady.blogspot.com/

Follow the happenings of two owls on Marsha's other blog: The Adventures of Ned and Nellie

Happy Birthday, Harper Lee!

Happy Birthday, Harper Lee! 

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, turns 87 today. Will you do anything special in class to mark the occasion this week? (Or perhaps you did last week, along with William Shakespeare on the 23rd?)

Here's a free journal prompt from my A Year of Journal Prompts to mark the occasion:

The text:

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, turned 87 on April 28, 2013. 

  The Pulitzer-winning To Kill a Mockingbird is the only novel Lee has written, though some speculate that she has written additional unpublished works. She also helped her friend Truman Capote research and write his nonfiction book, In Cold Blood.

  As a private person, perhaps Lee does not wish to be placed, once again, into the limelight by publishing a new novel. 

  Would you like to be famous even if it meant losing your privacy? How would your life change if you were sought by reporters and fans every day? Would you still wish to have fame? Why or why not?