To Kill a Mockingbird and Extra Credit for Honors English I

You can find literally hundreds of websites dedicated to To Kill a Mockingbird. I have picked out my favorites and put them in the literature resources on the right side of the page. For your extra credit this six weeks, surf around and find some interesting information that will be useful for students studying To Kill a Mockingbird. When you make your comment, remember that you’re helping other students to find useful material, and they can’t do this if you don’t put the web address in there! You won’t get any credit without the link to the site!

As you look remember that .edu sites are generally the most reliable. This isn’t just an exercise for extra credit or just for finding out information about TKAM; it’s also about evaluating the reliability of information on the internet. Consider the credentials of the person or organization that posted the information.

Now, of course, everyone already knows about Novel Guide, Cliffs notes, Shmoop Guides, eNotes, Pink Monkey Notes, and the standard novel sites. I’m not talking about those kinds of sites. They’re off limits. Really look around for something that might not be obvious to just anyone looking for help. Anything that is related to the history or the themes is useful. It doesn’t just have to be directly about TKAM.

OK. I found it. Now What?

Write a review of the site. What makes this a valuable site? What will someone find there. Is this a good place to find photographs of the era? Does it have biographical information about Harper Lee? Is it the best site ever for videos related to TKAM?

The End Result

In the end, I will compile a list of all of the best resources on a post here on Logophiles Unleashed for students through the ages to visit and find what they need to know to study To Kill a Mockingbird. I will credit you as the student who recommends the site and put a short version of your recommendation. You will be immortalized! If you don’t want your name posted, of course, I will just list the site with your recommendation. You’re always in control of that!

There has to be a catch

There is. These sites are first come, first served. Once someone has posted and reviewed a site, it’s no longer eligible. You can get points for going to other people’s sites and commenting on how useful you found them, but the big bucks are for finding your own resource. I will be gong through the comments once a day. Remember that comments don’t post until I’ve read them. So you’re saying, “What if I post mine the same day as someone else and don’t know it?” Well, the comments are time-stamped. I will reply, and let you know that you weren’t first and give you a few points for giving it a shot. Then you can go out and try again. The more work you had to do to find your resource, the less likely it is that someone else already found it.

Me First!

As always, I’m going to go first by reviewing a site that I didn’t already refer you to in the Literature Links. This way, you can get an idea of how to write your comment and get an idea of what I’m looking for.

Facing History and Ourselves has an article on Stereotyping that is excellent and poses some great questions. It is a site created for educational purposes that is reliable and well-researched, listing its bibliography for the information it uses. It was difficult to find academic information on stereotyping; I like this site because it gives several examples to help students understand what stereotyping is and what it isn’t. It lays out a somewhat difficult concept in easy-to-understand terms.

The limitation of the site is that it does not incorporate visuals, which are important to many students. It does, however, point visitors to further resources. The Facing History and Ourselves website in general is a good site whose mission statement is “to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.” Fighting racism is a theme of the book, making this an excellent resource for demonstrating how To Kill a Mockingbird is still relevant in today’s culture. I encourage students to browse the site.

 

OK… Now, it’s your turn. What are the best sites out there to help students of TKAM that they might not find without you?