6.02 To Kill a Mockingbird

The Virtual Times

Feature

Part A

Read To Kill a Mockingbird paying special attention to the issues that the novel raises, the characters, and the point of view from which the story is told.

Take the test for 6.02A - To Kill a Mockingbird Exam in the Assessments area to demonstrate your understanding of the novel.

Part B

Investigate the research paper process.

Listen to the Research Paper Process or read the text version.

Possible Research Topics:
- How and why do an author’s experiences influence and inspire their work? Research the life of Harper Lee and how it influenced and inspired To Kill a Mockingbird. What similarities exist between Lee’s life and childhood, and that of Scout in the novel? Start by reading a biography of Harper Lee.
- What is the relationship between history and the literature that explores it? Consider specifically the trials of the Scottsboro Boys. What are the similarities between that trial and the one of Tom Robinson in the novel? Begin by reading about the Scotsboro Boys Trials.
- Is To Kill a Mockingbird a timeless classic? Explore the issue of race in the novel. How is the issue of race significant to the time in which Lee was writing and the time period of the novel? Explore the Civil Rights Movement specifically; start by reading Growing Up White in the South in the 1930s, and The Voices of Civil Rights. Is To Kill a Mockingbird and the issues that it explores relevant today? Why or why not?

Look at a visual representation of the Research Paper Process or read the text version.

Watch the presentation below to learn how to gather and use evidence in your research paper. (You may pause the presentation in order to take notes.) Then, complete the self-check on Gathering and Using Evidence.
- Watch Gathering and Using Evidence or read the text version.
- Check your understanding of Gathering and Using Evidence.
Watch the short presentation below to learn the characteristics of an effective and excellent thesis statement. (You may pause the presentation in order to take notes.) Then, complete the self-check on Developing Your Thesis Statement.
- Watch Developing Your Thesis Statement or read the text version.
- Check your understanding of Developing Your Thesis Statement.

Complete the 6.02B Online Research Quiz in the Assessments area.

Part C

After you have gathered your research notes, you will organize your notes into an outline. Eventually, your outline will be developed into essay format. Look at your outline as the skeleton of your essay. The presentation below will walk you through the steps required in order for you to create an effective formal outline.

Watch the Formal Outline Presentation or read the text version.
Submit your formal outline on the topic you chose as 6.02c Research Paper Outline in the Assessments area.

Now that you’ve created the skeleton for your essay, it’s time to move on to learning how to show the reader where you found your facts that you will include in your essay. The Modern Language Association (MLA) has created a set of guidelines called MLA Style to help you with this process. There are two ways you will show the reader where you found your facts; this is also known as documenting your sources:

Internal documentation, also known as parenthetical citations or signaling phrases

within your text (parenthetical citations or signaling phrases)

after your text (Works Cited page)

External documentation, placed at the end of your essay on your Works Cited page

Remember your Works Cited page should include two or more sources, which means your essay will have at least two signaling phrases (internal documentation) and at least two sources on your Works Cited page (external documentation). Important: If the source is not used as a signaling phrase within your essay, do not include it on your Works Cited page.

The MLA Style presentation below will help you get a better understanding of how to use internal and external documentation in your essay.

Watch the MLA Style Presentation or read the text version.