To Kill a Mockingbird
discussion
Is it appropriate to read for 6-7th graders
Sarah wrote: "I think so, because the book is fairly easy to read and Scout is a very good character to follow for that age group. The book is a good 6th-7th grade level example of fitting into the larger social..."Sarah, I really like and respect your comments and insight about this book. Thanks for the simplicity of your answer and writing skill.
Christina wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird is my all time favorite book. I first read it when I was in elementary and I completely identified with Scout. I was at an age where I was really starting to question the in..."Totally agree with your comments. Loved Scout, identified with her deeply and wanted my Dad to BE Atticus! It wasn't until later that I realized he was very much "Atticus Finch."
Mrs wrote: "To Linda Atticus tells the children never to hurt songbirds because they only contribute to the beauty of life and mean no harm .many chapters later clever ltttle Scout compares Boo to a lovely s..."Mrs--loved every word...thanks. Man, bet you are and were a Great teacher! You are not by any chance Mrs. Grimes-are you??? Ha. I loved and love the great teacher she was and if still on this earth no doubt still is...great teachers don't just retire, they just enlarge their classrooms. I have read this book yearly since a child and never picked up on all the bird references. Thanks for that.
Dawn wrote: "Well as a teacher , I can truly say most schools will not allow it to be taught until 7th or 8th grade. This is when I taught the book which was well loved by most students but some were upset and ..."Great remarks, wish my grandkids had you for all their classes. I fear for the love of words and reading.
Mary wrote: "Amy, no offense but are you aware of what is going on in many, dare I say most middle schools today? Just this evening my grandaughter was telling me how a girl in her class was pushed in big garb..."I am sorry for your experience - It sounds like a new school for your granddaughter might be in order. If I thought that my advice to a young person looking for a book on GoodReads was going to spark such angst, I would never have posted. I thought this was a forum for giving advice or stating OPINIONS on books. I stated mine. Please do not use my status as a teacher to badmouth teachers as being "clueless to the trials of today's kids" as that would be unfair. We all have different educational experiences. I am sorry that you are having a difficult time where you are - not everyone is though. As a teacher, I feel that part of my job is to assume kids are innocent - I in no way want to be the one to expose them to something without guidance. That is the reason for my advice. The book is better read with guidance.
First, my bias is that this is my favorite book of all time. Second, there are plenty of Holocaust-themed books that upper elementary and middle schoolers are reading. My kids read Number the Stars in 4th or 5th grade. Third, and maybe this is because I live in an area with significant diversity, the issues of race, prejudice, and disability are well understood by most school kids of the 4th-8th grade ages. I would wholeheartedly support having kids read this book. However, I agree with Anne (and others) that you must have the context for the book to have its impact.
Mary wrote: "Was wondering if you had read the book again and if you had the same experience the second time around? "I'm waiting to see if my daughter ends up doing it as well, in which case, I'll be on hand as unofficial teacher's assistant with probably very necessary backup.
Mary also said: "I was totally blown away to hear most everyone from Africa, India and mixed or black Caribbean Islands called "Darkies" to their face or when speaking about them by the British and in Scotland!"
We don't do that any more Mary, just in case you come back! ; ) I'm going to cheat on this thread and plug a book about our own history: Small Island. In a way, I would rather my daughter read that instead (or first, and when she's older) because I can understand it as something my grand-parents were part of - and she would be able to understand how it evolved into a society she's part of. I'm guessing that's why lots of you want your children to read To Kill A Mockingbird?
Amy wrote: "Mary wrote: "Amy, no offense but are you aware of what is going on in many, dare I say most middle schools today? Just this evening my grandaughter was telling me how a girl in her class was pushe...""Your comment about children ABLE to read this book but basically not being able to process it emotionally seems strange coming from a teacher. Able to read something is not just sight reading but rather IS understanding what you read...PERIOD. Your statement frightens me, actually because you are a teacher."
I am wondering if you even read this part of my post? I reread what I wrote and saw nowhere where I was bad mouthing ALL teachers...where did you read that? Also, I have praised a few teachers and their comments on this very thread. Wonder if you noted that before your comment to me.
And I have to add that I find it very odd that a High school teacher would think they should ASSUME their students are Innocent! Wow. In Nursing we were taught to assess the educational level of patients BEFORE TEACHING them!
I was lucky (and frugal enough in other areas) to send my kids to private schools and even there they were not assumed innocent past maybe 3rd grade! My son is not able so he is stuck in Public School system which I have found lacking most all along...That is not a criticism of all teachers either but I do think the system is poor,(perhaps not the teachers but top heavy on administrators-the teacher do remain the face of schools though-whether fair or not) and am always suspicious when Teacher's Unions go into a frenzy at the thought of school vouchers.
Anne wrote: "Mary wrote: "Was wondering if you had read the book again and if you had the same experience the second time around? "I'm waiting to see if my daughter ends up doing it as well, in which case, I'..."
Anne, I had assumed that things had changed in reference to what people were labeled or called! I also think if I lived in GB that I would want my kids exposed to their own history first as well and be proud after reading it. You have such a powerful history that sometimes I have thought that USA tries to follow that and it has served us well for the most part.
I have returned to your Island and I love pretty much all things British...hopefully I will visit your country again.
Also I am going to look for the book you mentioned but must confess to a bit of anxiety--Small Island just can't be a Small Book! :}
Nothing "inappropriate" about it. Honeslty. But I wouldn't recommend it to a 6th or 7th grader because they might need to be a little older/more mature to appreciate it. I read it in 9th grade, and i know I would NOT have been mature enough to read it in 7th grade. I would have been like "this book is boring and stupid. why is it famous?" But if the person is mature or a better reader than i was at 7th grade lol, then i say sure. go ahead! :)
This book has layers to it that a fifth or sixth grader have low chances of understanding. it is alright to read this book at that age, as long as one reads the book again years later.
I just finished reading this for the first time. Oh. My. I am in love. I might just have a new favorite book.
My older son read this a few months ago in 9th grade honors English.
I am a teacher and have taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade reading and lit. I would recommend it for advanced readers in 6th and 7th grade because Scholastic lists the reading grade level at 8.1. Edit: 8th and 9th grade should definitely read this.
No, my seventh grade class read it. My teacher did talk about the cussing in the book and told us what words we couldn't use. You have to give it to mature kids (we are a gifted class) and you have to make it clear that you can't say the N word but remind everyone that it, WAS a part of the culture and time.
I think children today are starving because of a lack of real literature. Let them read it.
Shelley
http://dustbowlstory.wordpress.com
Shelley wrote: "I think children today are starving because of a lack of real literature. Let them read it.
Shelley
http://dustbowlstory.wordpress.com"
I concur.
I am a very voracious reader and I read this book in the middle of my fourth grade year of school. Some of the content I had to get explained to me, but I think it actually helped me to understand those topics. it did not scar me in any way.
I read it when I was in 9th Grade back in the 80's. My daughter got it for my birthday last summer for my collection and I read it again. I forgot how much I liked it and I think it is appropriate for most any age.
I think it is appropriate for a seventh or eighth grader to read it. Yes, I do. They are getting all sorts of messages from the world that are much much worse. Like "hate people who are different ". ALso, once racism is really put deep inside of a person it is hard to carve it out. What scar is worse than Hatred ?
Yes it is! I remember I read it for litt when I was in school.
Yes, I read it in seventh or eight grade. It had a profound positive influence on me. I also just loved it.
In a word - yes. End of.
yeah, I read it in 6th grade when I was like 11 or 12.
Like some people have mentioned, it would depend on the maturity and (possibly) upbringing of that child. I read this novel in grade 11; it wasn't a shocking read, knowing already what sort of culture the book was about, but to understand a greater depth of the book it helped having other older classmates and teachers to discuss the novel with. At a 6th/7th level, I wouldn't have been able to understand that. There are books that I re-read now that I read in grade 6/7 and I am understanding them a whole lot better.
To some individuals they may be fine, to some it may be a struggle, but for a book that holds so much significance, I would hold it back until 14 years or older. Just so that they don't forget the ideas so easily, and they most likely would have the maturity to read a book of that length and understand its meaning.
Also to add, the first 1-3 Chapters of this book are really dry and hard to get in to. To the average student this would be a bore. 6/7 graders would not have the patience to chug through those kinds of chapters. Again, it would probably depend on the individual.
I totally think it's appropriate for 6th graders, it's a very light read and also is a deep book that will make you think about many things. I totally recommend you to read it, no matter how old are you.
Patry wrote: "I totally think it's appropriate for 6th graders, it's a very light read and also is a deep book that will make you think about many things. I totally recommend you to read it, no matter how old ar..."I know 16 year olds who would not agree that it is a 'light read'. Some of them even like reading; it's just that with how much that happens in the book, I wouldn't exactly call it a light read. To someone who is a great reader, however, it could be a breeze. (Just not to everyone).
I suppose it depends on what we mean by "suitable". Does it have adult language, sex, violence? Not really.
Would it be too "difficult" for some younger readers to understand? Possibly/ possibly not - depending on the maturity and reading ability of the reader.
Would they enjoy it? That's the question I find most difficult. For me it's one of the best books ever written - one of the few books that makes me want to reach for a sixth or seventh star. 5/5 doesn't come close to expressing how wonderful this book is.
But I've seen people read it and be unmoved. I'm not rushing to recommend it to my 13 year old son, even though he is an advanced reader for his age. My biggest fear is that if he reads this book too soon, his reaction could be "meh" and that would be such a shame.
So is it "suitable" for 6th or 7th graders? I would say that it certainly isn't unsuitable. My only hesitation is whether they would be ready for it.
It would really depend on the young person.I think the first time I read this book was in grade four or five and I did enjoy it and get something out of it. The book stayed with me a while, but that is my nature not the book. I have read the book a few times since. I still get something from it and it still stays with me...
I think the teacher has to look into on who he's teaching the book to. I don't think that the early middle school ages would be mature enough to handle all the racism. I had a bunch of kids like that when I reread the book for school. It was brutal.
Bella wrote: "I think the teacher has to look into on who he's teaching the book to. I don't think that the early middle school ages would be mature enough to handle all the racism. I had a bunch of kids like th..."There are already a lot of racist students at that age. That topic should be introduced even earlier.
Mary wrote: "There are already a lot of racist students at that age. That topic should be introduced even earlier..."I was thinking of asking Bella what kind of difficulties she was talking about. Up till now, people seem to have been mostly supporting the book for specific children, rather than for classes. I don't think we should leap to conclusions about what might go on if it's read by a 6-7th grade class. There are kids who've been taught to be racist already, others who may find racism quite traumatic and some who may never have imagined such a thing could exist - in any of those cases it could be debated whether the specific historical context of the Mocking Bird society is the best introduction.
There's also the situation of black and mixed race students. I think Mocking Bird is very much a book for and about white people. It largely extols white resistance to racism and the problems posed to white resistors by other white people. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be read by reasonably mature students of any race but if I had a mixed race child (or a black child, which admittedly could only happen by adoption), I wouldn't be falling over myself to have them read it and I'd be concerned about how they'd deal with reading it in a multi-racial class.
Apart from anything else, it only takes one child who's not actually racist but is slow on empathy development, ignorant of historical facts, and mostly focused on getting a rise out of the teacher to say some pretty hurtful things. That's the sort of thing they do in real life. In my daughter's 6th grade class, when they had to pick their heroes, two kids chose Adolf Hitler. They have no idea what they're talking about and no capacity to imagine what he did. They don't care who's in their class. Their little world consists solely of the entertainment value of getting adults to look shocked because of something they said. The class also contains three Jewish kids...
Anne wrote: "Mary wrote: "There are already a lot of racist students at that age. That topic should be introduced even earlier..."I was thinking of asking Bella what kind of difficulties she was talking about..."
And a good teacher should be able to deal with smart aleck children and having different races as well as mixed race students should only add to the dialog by introducing different perspectives. We walk on egg shells about the subject of race as it is. Without meaningful dialog, misconceptions continue to plague our society. A little honest discussion about race is long overdue.
Why should 6-7th grade readers have any trouble with this? If it turns out your 6th grader lacks the skills to handle this, this would be an excellent time for you to discover your kid has not been given the foundation in literacy she should have by this age. If it's being assigned as school reading, teacher should provide any needed support in areas of language, history and social issues. If your kid wants to read it on their own, parents can do the same. If you have concerns about your kid's sensitivity or maturity level if she reads it herself, read it to her. Don't underestimate your kids.
Anne wrote: "... In my daughter's 6th grade class, when they had to pick their heroes, two kids chose Adolf Hitler. They have no idea what they're talking about and no capacity to imagine what he did. ..."It was beyond surprising for me when we discussed the Holocaust in eighth-grade English, to learn how little my classmates knew in relation to it. It was strange to think that every one of them could discuss so much of history, but most had no comprehension of the extent of the Holocaust, or the fact that it existed at all. As a Jewish student, naturally, I had known about it for as long as I could remember (I recall reading literature of that era as young as third grade, and comprehending it alone, so I assume I must have been exposed to it at a young age). But, it is not just because of religion that I know of it - I also could explain other genocides (such as Rwanda) with near-equal detail. It just surprised me by how ignorant my classmates were of the concept of genocide.
In contrast, however, when we later read TKAM as a class (I had already read it twice by that time, once during school break because I needed reading material and a second time for a project where we could read any book and write about it), the shock factor was nonexistent, and most people, once they got past the first few chapters (which are fairly slow) really enjoyed the book.
A couple of years later, for a standardized test, a number of people in my grade chose to write about this book.
Shannon wrote: "I just finished reading it with my sophomore students. They really enjoyed it, as a whole. I read it last year with my 8th grade students. I had to explain a lot more about the parts and pieces ..."This came out when I was a freshman in College, and we reviewed it on the college newspaper I was on. It didn't rate very well then, and the only reason it was reviewed was that it had won the Pulitzer Prize. I read it again about three years ago while in my 70's, and while I had lived in the south, and knew southern history fairly well having studied it two years in different high schools in different states in the south, it again didn't impress me as that good of book. I was also a freshman in high school in the south when the schools were integrated, and that was an interesting time, that should be written up in books. Yes it did indicate the social and economic problems, it did show the recluse families some times shown, but it just wasn't an impressive must read book in my opinion. However I do have an Easton Press leather bound hard back that cost me $60.00 in my library, so it must not be that bad.
I taught "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee for our parish school as Literature competition in the Los Angeles Academic Decathlon for Middle Schoolers a few years back. There were some adult themes, such as mob mentality, prejudice, physical abuse, and hints of incest; however, the kids were top students, and more mature than most. The first half of the book is the innocence of childhood, which children can relate to; however, the second half contains more of the prejudice and the facts of the trial, where the children begin to learn that the world is a bigger, scarier place, and that justice is not served to all.
All in all, Scout's thoughts and adult narration made this very readable for younger students. Some things may have to be explained, but then again, explanation is only needed if questions are raised.
We had a great experience, and I got to teach the book again to another group! It is one of my favorite books of the 20th century.
it is absolutely apt to read the book between 5th and 7th grade. While they me parts of the book which may not be easy to understand at that age, but still any one would enjoy it. In fact one would land up in reading this book again and again.
Definitely. I read it in 5th grade and it's one of my favorite books still.
Yes it's most def appropriate, maybe even necessary! It's one of my all time favs. I love everything about it and it has stuck with me in life.
I would imagine that 6th graders could handle the book but would not fully understand it's impact and may not completely appreciate it until they re-visit it much later on. It's important for kids that age to read a book like this in my opinion, they'll absorb most of it I'm sure.
yes, i think that it is appropriate.This was one of my all time favorite books in school even though i read it in 10th grade. The movie was pretty good too. Very good read....
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of THE great American novels of all time, but DO NOT bring it into a middle school classroom until you, as a teacher, are ready to have a full-on discussion about race. I read all these comments that said that there were very few instances of inappropriate language and no real sex or violence in the book. I guess they're not counting the 48 times the N-word is written. I am a 25-year veteran English teacher and LOVE this book so much that I think NO student should read it until they are truly ready for it...and then with the thoughtful and knowledgeable context that an experienced teacher or parent can provide. Remember that kids rarely revisit literary texts, if they believe they have already 'read' them. What a shame to waste this one on children who may have the word attack skills to read the story, but not the intellectual tools to truly understand its powerful message.
I read this book with my class when I was in the 4th grade. I will forever be grateful to that teacher. The book changed my life. That may sound overly dramatic to say, but it is true. It firmly cemented my love of books and of reading (and has remained one of my very favorite novels). It also helped me to develop empathy for others and made me want to better understand the context of this particular story.
It is! Even Scout is narrating it when she's 8 (sorry if the fact is wrong I can't remember it). The reader just needs to understand. :)
Kids who do not revisit literary texts are probably going to read the sparknotes version anyway. As others have pointed out, the narrator is 8 years old. The text is not that hard and children need to be exposed to the effects of racism early on in my opinion.
I think it's a wonderful novel for youngsters even if they won't necessarily get a handle on every aspect or theme.No better time to enrich their lives with the ethical values that this book shares with its readers.
I agree. I def think 6 th grade is appropriate. It may be necessary even at a younger age because like someone stated, by that time ideas of racism are already set in some cases. Early exposure is key.
i read it in 9th grade and there is a reason why I read it in 9th. Its a serious topics - prejudice, discrimination, rape. Yes discrimination most of us learned about in 5th grade but you only understand how bad discrimination was back then when your older in my opinion. You learn as a adolescent and understand more as an adult. Its still hard for me to comprehend what mayella did, because I can't image it ever happening.
Casey wrote: "You learn as a adolescent and understand more as an adult. Its still hard for me to comprehend what mayella did, because I can't image it ever happening"And with that, the plot is based upon a real court case. So as hard as it may be to imagine today, it HAS happened, and that's something important for anyone who blindly trusts the justice system to learn, preferably before they can vote.
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Anne, I can understand your confusion about the book. Some of the dialect in the book (not to mention confusing customs and double standards) was probably exactly what you said...Foreign for you. It was not for me as my mother was raised in Northern Louisiana which is deep south as well. But I just had to comment that in my late teens when I lived in London and traveled a lot around GB that I was totally blown away to hear most everyone from Africa, India and mixed or black Caribbean Islands called "Darkies" to their face or when speaking about them by the British and in Scotland! Now THAT I found "bizarre interracial relations!"
As I got to be friends with people there I realized that most meant nothing derogatory by it but must admit it disturbed me anyway.
Was wondering if you had read the book again and if you had the same experience the second time around? Hope that you have-if nothing else it is a well written and entertaining novel.