Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 6
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ELA

Unit 6

8th Grade

Lesson 6 of 35

Objective


Identify changes made by the director of the film To Kill a Mockingbird by comparing a scene from the text with the film version, and explain how the director uses specific film techniques to develop mood.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  — chapter 6

  • Movie: To Kill a Mockingbird  — 00:24:20–00:33:13

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

In what ways is the scene where Jem retrieves his pants similar and different in the film (30:50–32:16) than in the text (pages 62–64) ? Provide at least two similarities and two differences.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


  • How does the director establish mood in the first five minutes of this scene? How does this compare with the mood established by author Harper Lee in the text (pages 58–60)? Provide specific evidence from both the film and the text to support your answer, and be sure to reference our film terms.

  • Compare the discussion of what happened with Mr. Radley in the film (32:20–32:55) and the discussion in the text (top of page 61). What choices has the director made in the film and how does this change the impact of the scene?

  • What alterations does the director of the film make to the original text in order to speed up pacing? Provide at least two different examples.

  • Discussion: On page 63, Scout reflects, “It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company.” How would you characterize the relationship between Scout and Jem in this scene? In what ways has it changed since the beginning of the text?

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • Studying a film adaptation of a novel shows how a director converts a book’s words into visual media. The director supervises all the major aspects of a film, so his or her choices affect how audiences experience a text. Directors choose what to include, exclude, or emphasize in a film or stage production. Attentive viewers can analyze how these decisions impact their perception of the story by asking, “What was the impact of including, altering, or omitting this information on the story’s overall meaning?”
  • You may wish to provide students with a glossary of these words, which will be helpful in discussing the decisions that directors/filmmakers make in order to tell a story and creating an emotional impact on the author:
    • Diegetic Sound: Sounds that originate from the world of the film (doors opening, dogs barking, etc.).
    • Non-diegetic: Sounds that are added, like music or voiceover.
    • Color/Lighting: Is the scene light or dark? Are the colors bright or muted?
    • Camera angles: Close up: frames a person’s face; wide angle: shows significantly more of the scene.
    • Camera Movement: Zooming in, zooming out, panning up/down/left/right.
    • Actors’ Choices: Facial expressions, movement, tone of voice, pauses.
    • Pacing: How quickly does the movie progress? Are scenes brief or long?

Notes

  • Today’s reading includes the N-word.

Homework

  • Read To Kill a Mockingbird, chapters 7 and 8.

Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
  • RL.8.7 — Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
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