Why teach To Kill a Mockingbird?
“Why teach To Kill a Mockingbird?” might be the wrong question – this is one of the most widely taught books around. A better question is: why you should teach To Kill a Mockingbird using this guide?
This novel is a canonical story about discrimination and segregation in the Jim Crow American South – but that is an American story. Failure to learn about Canada’s history in this time leaves students ill-equipped to have discussions about our history on our own terms, learn the lessons distinct to our history, and to take pride in those who fought for equal rights in Canada.
This guide pairs the relatively straightforward story of To Kill a Mockingbird with suggestions for Socratic discussion and collaborative learning to deal with significant, ambiguous, or challenging passages, short answer exercise sheets, and in-class discussion about the text. But it takes these resources and pairs them with resources detailing Canada’s history of segregation and civil rights movement, information about significant African-Canadians, and challenges to social change. Students are encouraged to draw parallels and find differences between the American story – which they’re likely to know better – and our Canadian past.
To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide
Exercise Sheets
The history of prejudice and racism
Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada – The Canadian Encyclopedia
Black History Canada: Timeline
Segregation in Canada
Canada’s forgotten history of segregation (Toronto Star Touch)
Racial segregation in interactive social science and history web
The end of segregation in Canada
Black towns and neighbourhoods in the U.S. and Canada
The Elgin Settlement – Buxton, Ontario
Black Bottom Neighborhood _ Detroit Historical Society
Settlements in Canada _ Underground Railroad _ PBS
CBC Rewind: Africville: A Community Destroyed (with one hour audio episode and text)
Africville – The Canadian Encyclopedia
The civil rights movement in Canada
Civil rights leaders in Canada:
National Film Board film (free online): Journey to Justice (47:03)
Stanley Grizzle
Stanley Grizzle, black WWII veteran, devoted life to fighting racism (CBC News)
A Man of Many Firsts – Stanley Grizzle
The Memory Project – Stanley Grizzle
Ray Lewis
August 1932_ Ray Lewis becomes first Canadian black athlete to win Olympic medal
Shadow Running_ Ray Lewis, Canadian Railway Porter and Olympic Athlete _ Quill and Quire
Fred Christie
Racial discrimination – the Fred Christie case
This Canadian Stood Up to Racism Before Rosa Parks – Rachel Décoste
Viola Desmond
Viola Desmond – The Canadian Encyclopedia
Text: Heritage Minute – Viola Desmond (Historica Canada)
Video: Viola Desmond – Heritage Minute
The Globe and Mail_ Segregation in Nova Scotia (Viola Desmond)
Hugh Burnett
Hugh Burnett: Shaping Civil Rights in Canada (CBC: The Current)