In this lesson, students gain a sense of the living history that surrounds the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Through studying primary source materials from American Memory and other online resources, students grasp how historical events and human forces have influenced literary texts. Although not complete enough to serve as a literary study, this unit provides a variety of rich historical materials that can be used to supplement a novel study of To Kill a Mockingbird. This unit guides students on a journey through the Depression Era in the 1930s. Activities familiarize the students with Southern experiences through the study of the novel and African American experiences through the examination of primary sources. (author/ncl)

In this lesson, students access the Library of Congress’s extensive American Memory collection. Through viewing and responding to a wealth of photographs and primary documents, history comes alive and students develop a historical perspective for reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Voice, theme, oral history, plot, and non-fictional writing are all encompassed while focusing on issues of racial prejudice and diversity. Teams of teachers working in career technical settings can enrich this lesson for students by making interdisciplinary connections. For instance, Arts and Communications students could analyze photographs found in the collection and also devise creative ways to publish and share the culminating projects which include oral histories and newsletters. (sec)