Using Informational Text to Teach To Kill a Mockingbird

We are pleased to announce the publication in March 2014 of Using Informational Text to Teach To Kill a Mockingbird. This volume is the first in a series we are writing for Rowman and Littlefield designed to allow teachers to integrate informational text into the classroom in a way that enhances, rather than takes away from, the study of literature.

Each volume in the series contains a variety of high-quality informational pieces tied to a frequently-taught anchor literary text. The informational texts are historically specific in their relation to the primary text, provide background to help students contextualize the work, or relate topically or thematically to the literary anchor text. 

Each informational text is presented as part of a comprehensive unit. The informational text is prepared in a student-friendly format, annotated with reading strategies and questions, and teachers can copy the articles for student use in the classroom (we have secured permissions). Units also include extensive vocabulary exercises to meet the increased emphasis on vocabulary acquisition in the Common Core, open-ended and multiple choice questions to prepare students for high-stakes testing, discussion and writing prompts, graphic organizers, scoring rubrics, group projects, and multimedia links. These readings and activities will not just provide background information for the anchor literary text, they will help your students put these texts into rich, rewarding dialogue that will enhance their critical thinking skills as well as their understanding of the literary text.

Meeting the demands of the Common Core State Standards requires time and effort. Our series is designed to help. The resources we have assembled and the activities we have prepared will make it easy to adjust and adapt to the Common Core while reinvigorating your teaching and your students’ engagement with To Kill a Mockingbird and with each of our anchor literary texts.

Stay tuned to our blog and follow us on Twitter as we share information from our first volume.  Always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions.