"To Kill A Mockingbird" Dramatization

The dramatization of the trial of Tom Robinson from "To Kill a Mockingbird" was one of the most exciting and engaging highlights of the unit. We used the screenplay version of the book to read from, which we had used before to act out other parts of the novel. Those who wished to be a character were put into a drawing the day before, so we were ready to roll on trial day. The students took over the floor, with the exception of a few explanatory interjections or probing questions on my part.

The classes became completely absorbed in the scene unfolding before them, and almost every student was actively engaged in acting and/or reading and discussion for the next 30 minutes it took for the scene to unfold. The students seemed very eager to see what happened, and were actively making predictions and inferences before I even asked at some points. They were also stopping the action to ask questions rather than always waiting for me to ask something. I was extremely proud of this because it was obvious that they had been picking up on the reading strategies that I had been teaching them and using those strategies to become more active readers.

The props and costumes themselves seemed to spark a lot of discussion. For example, they wondered why I did not bring in a tie for Tom Robinson, the negro defendant, to wear. They determined it was because he was a poor farmer and could not afford to dress like that. All of the visuals involved with the acting prompted us to explore elements of context such as this that might have otherwise been looked over.

I was very impressed by the responsibility and productivity shown by the students when I handed the wheel over to them. Ideally, the goal should always be for the students to be in charge of their own learning, so I was very encouraged that I was able to get them to this point.