Customer Reviews

Literature Guide: To Kill a Mockingbird

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a high-school English teacher who not only loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" but also loves teaching it. Kristen Bowers' book is a great, comprehensive resource for the basics of the novel: it provides vocabulary words for every chapter (or group of chapters), as well as chapter summaries, essay topics, character analysis, and so on. In this way, it is a good investment.

However, the education system in our country is rapidly changing--the days of worksheets, vocabulary quizzes, and lectures are numbered, mainly because they no longer work. Students today are tech savvy, enjoy projects over lecture, and learn differently than their parents and peers, all of which make teaching "Mockingbird" even more enjoyable of an experience. (I've also noticed that, in allowing my students to be creative, my own skills as a teacher have been strengthened, and lesson-planning is now one of my favorite activities--an adventure, if you will, in personal creativity.) Unfortunately, Bowers' book offers nothing in terms of projects, activities, technological inclusion and digital storytelling, or making the book more applicable to real-life skills and situations. Her assessments are all test-based and drawn largely from standards, which do little to inspire learning in today's students and are often more of a burden to teachers than a tool.

I believe that students should enjoy reading, should be shown the value of a work of literature they might have otherwise overlooked, and should be able to see strong connections between a text and their lives. Sadly, Bowers' focus on classroom procedures of the past make it almost certain that your students will find little value in what is being taught. So, if you're a teacher who likes worksheets and tests, than you'll find great reward in Bowers' book. If you enjoy using a great work of literature to open up a new world to your students, however, this book is not for you.

I'm a relatively new teacher tackling TKAM for the first time this year. This collection of materials is superb. It's got the basics -- vocabulary and comprehension exercises -- but it also has things like a guide to idioms and allusions and activities that deal with legal lingo and process. The scope of materials offered makes it a wonderful tool to use with my honors class. Pricey, but well-done, and worth it.

This is a wonderful resource for the classroom. It really cut down on the amount of work I had to do to put together a unit.

I am very happy with my purchases. I got both Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird and cannot believe all of the information, activities and ideas! Everything I need to teach my ninth graders the content standards, and the novels. I wish I had found these a few years ago--they would have been a lifesaver for me as a new teacher. These Literature Guides were recommended to me--and now it is my turn to do the same! Great product! VERY highly recommended.

I just received my order and I am absolutely floored with the amount of materials available. Clearly focused on my needs as a high school teacher, and clearly DOES meet the content standards. I have recommended this line of guides to several teacher friends. Yeah! I can have a LIFE!

I ordered another lit guide (Of Mice and Men) and was very pleased, so I ordered TKAM for my 9th graders also. From vocabulary, to quizzes, to a unit test, to their phenomenal "Standards Focus" activities, I can relax and TEACH! What a concept! This company truly delivers on what they claim. Highly recommended.

I have used several ideas from this guide, but found that it lacks the challenging questions which reflect symbolism and political nature of the novel more suited for my upper level middle school students. However, it is worth the money since I was able to use some of the information and ideas in it.

This product is really helpful. Many of the activities are easy to incorporate into my current lessons and help me meet benchmarks more often!