Education Standards
Character List
Grading Rubric
Historical Accuracy Worksheet
Pre-writing Worksheet
To Kill a Mockingbird Monologue Assignment
Overview
After reading the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, this culminating projects has students flex their creative muscles while showing understanding of perspectives and voice.
English 1
For our next major assignment, you will be assuming the identity of one character from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. A monologue is a composition in which one single character speaks alone toward an audience. You will write a monologue for your character—somewhat like a missing scene, but the only person speaking will be your character. The goal is to show the audience what your character was really thinking inside when certain events from the novel happened.
You get to choose what your character says and the underlying circumstances for the monologue (when, where, and why your character says what s/he does). You even get to make up a backstory that sheds new light on your character—just so long as the new facts you add do not contradict the facts presented in the novel.
Let your mind explore your character’s deepest secrets, desires, and fears. Get under his/her skin and crawl around in it.
Assignment Criteria:
Your monologue must be 2 full pages, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font.
Your monologue must be told in the first person point of view, as if you are that character. (For example, if your character is Aunt Alexandra, do not write, “Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to dress more like a girl.” Instead, write something like, “I just don’t understand why a pretty young thing like Jean Louise would run around dressed like a boy in overalls. Doesn’t she want to be a lady? I’ll have to talk some sense into Atticus about the way he raises those children.”)
Your monologue must reflect your character’s life story, as told in the novel and as supplemented by you, including but not limited to the following: diction, voice, clothing, lifestyle, age, career or other community role, socioeconomic background, etc. While you may add new information to create a rounder character, you may not contradict anything in the novel.
You will be responsible for outfitting your character during your performance.
You will find multiple attachments below to provide to your students to help guide them through the assignment.