Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird

For educators who teach To Kill a Mockingbird, this self-paced online course explores Facing History’s collection of classroom-ready activities, documentary-style videos, primary source readings, and more. Beloved by many readers and educators as a story of moral courage, To Kill a Mockingbird has also been criticized for its limited portrayal of Black characters, dated treatment of racism, and promotion of a “white savior” narrative. This complex novel can be the entry point for meaningful learning, but it demands a careful and intentional approach in the classroom.

During this self-paced online course, we’ll explore how responsibly teaching of Mockingbird involves setting Harper Lee’s fictional story in its historical context, centering Black voices that are missing from the text, and examining the story and its messages with a critical lens. 

In this self-guided course, you will:

• Learn how to use Facing History’s scope and sequence framework to teach To Kill a Mockingbird
• Consider how to introduce students to the concept of moral growth and development and to help them apply those principles to both the characters in the novel and their own lives.
• Experience resources you can model in your own classroom that apply the themes of moral growth and decision making to both the characters in the novel and students' own lives
• Consider how to teach To Kill a Mockingbird responsibly 

Course Structure

• Welcome Module
• Module 1: The Individual and Society
• Module 2: Maycomb’s Moral Universe
• Module 3: Impact of Perspective
• Module 4: Exploring Justice
• Module 5: Memory and Legacy

Course At-a-Glance Details

Who should take this self-paced course? This course is designed for 8th through 12th grade English language arts teachers and curriculum specialists.

Time Commitment: We estimate that it will take about three hours to complete each of the five content modules. The modules are designed to be self-guided, and you can work at your own pace through the offering. 

Cost: Free. The registration and event fees for this self-paced course have been waived, thanks to generous funding from Facing History & Ourselves donors and partner organizations. 

Accessibility: Facing History is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational environment for educators of all abilities. If you have an accessibility need, please contact us at support [at] facinghistory.org (support[at]facinghistory[dot]org).

Course Access: After registering, you will receive an email with self-enrollment instructions to access the course on the Facing History Canvas site. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive the email with self-enrollment instructions within 15 minutes after registering. Once you log in, you will have access to the course for three months. 

Having trouble logging in? Contact us at support [at] facinghistory.org (support[at]facinghistory[dot]org).