Sarah Geist

TE 870

6/16/2023

Curriculum Change Proposal

Existing Curriculum

My school’s ninth grade ELA curriculum is centered around four marking periods, with

one unit being taught each quarter. While the first three units focus mainly on literary analysis

skills of different genres like poetry, short stories, and drama, the final unit is a nine-week study

of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

The 2023-2024 school year will be my first year teaching ninth grade in this district, so I

have not yet used the curriculum. I have, however, spoken with the retiring teacher who I am

replacing about the content, pacing, and goals of the unit, as well as things he suggests I change.

The study of To Kill a Mockingbird begins with a review of important literary elements

that students will find in the text, including point of view, setting, dialect, allusion, symbolism,

foil, and theme. Students also learn about a few of the topics that are discussed in the story, such

as stereotype, integrity, and hypocrisy. Students then dive into reading the novel. They cover

about one chapter each day (shorter chapters are sometimes grouped together), reading the book

together in class and then answering three discussion questions for each chapter. Throughout the

study of the novel, students work in a variety of structures, including individually, in small

groups, and with the entire class. Students take four short quizzes on the topics they read and

discussed, as well as a final exam on the novel. They also write four literary analysis paragraphs

in response to a provided passage and question, then choose two of those paragraphs to revise

and submit for grading.

Strengths

The current unit design for the study of To Kill a Mockingbird has several strengths. The

pacing and structure of the unit establishes a clear routine so that students know what to expect

every day they attend class. The repeated practice of reading comprehension, discussion, and

analysis allows students to strengthen their skills.

Additionally, there has been a lot of consideration put into the development and writing

of the discussion questions for each chapter. Each question set includes questions from different

levels of Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy, which allows students to access different levels of

thought complexity (Wiles, 2009, pg. 29). For example, one of the questions for chapter five of

To Kill a Mockingbird asks students to explain why Dill lies about his father (Teall, 2020), which

requires students to comprehend an event in the text. Another question in the same set instructs

students to “Consider the conversation about ‘foot-washing Baptists’ and Miss Maudie’s

flowers” and analyze the point Harper Lee makes in the scene (Teall, 2020). The last question for

chapter 5 directs students to evaluate whether they think Atticus should be admired for behaving

similarly both in and outside of his home (Teall, 2020). The discussion question set engages

students in three different levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, with increasing complexity in each

question. Most of the other chapter guides involve similar levels of careful scaffolding and rigor

for students. The well-written discussion questions are arguably the strongest part of the To Kill

a Mockingbird curriculum.

Weaknesses

The choice of text for the unit, however, could be improved. Firstly, the retiring ninth

grade teacher that I am replacing has informed me that the length of the focal novel is a burden

for students and teachers alike. To Kill a Mockingbird is 384 pages long and comprises 31
chapters. The demographics and homework culture of my district means that only about half of

all students are likely to complete any assigned reading homework, which means that most of the

novel needs to be read in class. Getting through the entire book and providing time for quizzes,

the final exam, and writing assignments takes up the whole nine-week marking period, leaving

little to no time for any reteaching or other important ELA topics. While students are provided

opportunities for varying levels of response and analysis, they do not get to engage in authentic

questioning or learning. This can make the study of To Kill a Mockingbird feel very restricting

and limited.

In addition to the issue of time, another weakness of the unit is the argument that To Kill

a Mockingbird has many problematic aspects that make it a poor choice to assign in schools.

Many who applaud the novel do so because it offers teachers and students the opportunity to

discuss racism and injustice in society. However, others have accused the novel of perpetuating a

white savior narrative, “where the wise, kind white character (Atticus Finch) comes in with his

heart of gold to save the poor unfortunate African American/Black character (Tom Robinson)

from a horrible fate, while showing his white children (Scout and her brother, Jem) what a good

(white) person he is, as told by a white author” (Macias, 2022, pg. 24). While To Kill a

Mockingbird does include topics of racism and inequality, I would argue that a novel written by

an author of color would present a more authentic, powerful representation of these issues.

Macias (2022) contends that there now exists a plethora of better novels to choose from,

explaining that “these contemporary texts have African American/Black authors tell the stories of

their cultures, from their perspective—not from the perspective of a white person who has never

been racialized or experienced the ongoing effects of white supremacy first hand” (pg. 24). In
reading To Kill a Mockingbird, my primarily white students are not learning anything new, as

they are already familiar with the white perspective on race and racism.

Furthermore, the white understanding of racism in the Jim Crow South frequently

sanitizes history and fails to properly depict just how brutal and pervasive segregation was. Ako-

Adjei (2017) argues that To Kill a Mockingbird “reimagines Southern history, American history,

as something far more benign than its reality” (pg. 185). The novel paints racism as an act of a

few poorly educated individuals (like Bob Ewell) rather than a systemic issue in which everyone

is complicit, thus harmfully representing both racism and poverty. Harper Lee’s portrayal of

racism allows readers to avoid participating in or recognizing structural inequality, which

contributes to a problematically color-blind viewpoint.

Some scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird go beyond downplaying the history of injustice

and actually lean in to stereotypes about people of color. One such scene involves members of

Calpurnia’s church objecting to the presence of Scout and Jem at their Sunday service,

experiencing discomfort by the knowledge that they would not be allowed to enter a church for

white people. Ako-Adjei (2017) explains feeling “struck by how the terror that black people must

have felt at having white people in black spaces during Jim Crow is inverted by Lee, so that

instead of witnessing black terror, we see white terror at “advancing” black bodies” (pg. 188). To

Kill a Mockingbird not only fails to accurately portray racism and inequality, but also actively

participates in harmful representations of black people as dangerous.

Overall, To Kill a Mockingbird is an outdated book choice with the potential to introduce

or confirm damaging ideas that my largely white students may have about race and racism.

Coupled with its length and how it fits into the timeline of the rest of the ninth grade ELA
curriculum in my school, it has become clear to both I and the outgoing teacher that it is time for

the unit to be replaced with something more contemporary.

The Problem

The goal of the new unit should be to maintain the strengths of the To Kill a Mockingbird

unit while ameliorating the weaknesses of the novel itself. The addition to the curriculum should

include ample opportunities for student discussion and include questions from a variety of levels

of Bloom’s taxonomy. The novel or novels selected for study should either be of a more

manageable length or be engaging enough that most students would be willing do to some of the

reading at home. The focal text(s) should also include authentic and realistic portrayals of racism

and/or other social justice issues and preferably be written by an author of color.

Proposed Replacement

I propose that the To Kill a Mockingbird unit in my school’s ninth grade ELA curriculum

should be replaced with a literature circles unit that allows students to choose from a selection of

different novels that feature Michigan as a central setting or topic. At the beginning of the unit,

students will be presented with an introduction to 5-6 different book options, all of which take

place in the state of Michigan. Some of the choices will include Firekeeper’s Daughter by

Angeline Boulley, X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner

by Bich Minh Nguyen, and What the Eyes Don’t See by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha. All of these

texts are written by authors of color and discuss a range of events and issues that are important to

Michigan history and culture, such as the experience of indigenous peoples, Malcolm X’s

childhood in Lansing, immigrants attempting to find a place in Michigan cities, and the Flint

water crisis. Additionally, all four of these novels have been a part of Michigan Humanities’
Great Michigan Read program, which selects a new featured book every other year with the goal

of facilitating “statewide discussion around a Michigan themed book” (Michigan Humanities).

Students will choose the book they would most like to read based on the summary,

difficulty, and length of the text. Giving them several options will help students be matched up

with a book that best suits their interest level and reading ability. It will also help solve the

problem of limited time, as students who would be willing to do some reading at home could be

encouraged to choose the longer texts, while students without the desire or time to complete

reading at home could be given the option of a shorter text.

After choosing the books they would like to read and being put into groups, students will

participate in twice weekly literature circles. Roles in each group will include the discussion

director, the word wizard, the summarizer, the connector, and the literary luminary (Venegas,

2018). Students will rotate roles after every literature circle meeting so they can practice multiple

ways of approaching a text. In order to ensure that students respond to questions from varying

levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, the discussion director for each meeting will be provided a list of

potential questions to choose from. They will also be asked to write 2-3 of their own questions.

For each literature circle, students will be given a reflection sheet to complete to allow them to

further contemplate the issues in their novel and consider their participation in the group

discussion.

On days that students do not participate in literature circles, they will engage in several

other tasks. Some days students will be given time to complete their reading and prepare for the

next meeting. Other days students will conduct research about the real-life issues that have

inspired the novels they are reading. In the current ninth grade ELA curriculum, students do not

practice any research skills, which means that they do not hit several of the Common Core State
Standards that focus on research. Their final assessment for the unit will involve a presentation

that connects the issues and events in their chosen novel with its historical and cultural context.

Benefits of Literature Circles

In addition to maintaining the quality and frequency of discussion that are present in the

current To Kill a Mockingbird unit, literature circles have many other benefits to students. One of

the most relevant to my district’s continuous improvement plan is the connection to and practice

of socioemotional learning. According to Venegas (2019), both “intrapersonal and interpersonal

skills can be fostered within literature circles” (Venegas, 2019, pg. 156). The intrapersonal skills

that are supported by literature circles include self-management and self-confidence, while

interpersonal skills include empathy, social awareness, and social metacognition (Venegas,

2019). Furthermore, both literature circles as a concept and the specific roles students will

inhabit can support students’ socioemotional growth. Venegas (2019) explains, “continued

participation in literature circles, rather than a specific role, influenced her socioemotional

learning. Even so, using roles in literature circles may indirectly foster socioemotional learning

by requiring students to approach the text from varied perspectives” (pg. 155-156). By

participating in literature circles, my ninth-grade students can continue to develop their

socioemotional skills in addition to their reading and critical thinking skills.

Literature circles not only support socioemotional learning, but also help increase the

confidence and self-efficacy of struggling readers. According to Venegas (2018), “Literature

circles—an engaging, student-centered instructional strategy utilizing authentic literature—can

foster reading enjoyment, comprehension, and achievement” (pg. 422). Because students have

the opportunities to work with their peers in a variety of roles, they can receive support while

strengthening their reading ability and interest. Venegas (2018) explains “Participation in
literature circles could potentially provide cases with the opportunity to garner mastery

experiences with reading as well as solicit feedback from their literature circle members, both of

which could likewise inform self-efficacy” (pg. 231). This is important because increasing self-

efficacy in students can increase their willingness to engage authentically and critically with

texts, which in turn supports their reading development. Literature circles are appropriate and

effective for the ninth grade ELA curriculum at my school because they maintain the discussion

and questioning strengths of the current To Kill a Mockingbird unit while introducing elements of

choice, variety, and peer support to help students show growth in their socioemotional skills and

reading self-efficacy.

Benefits of Reading about Local Issues and Histories

This proposed unit will also help students learn more about local history and the state

they live in, which increases engagement and civic interest. The National Endowment for the

Humanities encourages teachers to pose the following questions when educating students about

the places they live: “Who lives in your state or territory?”; “What artistic and cultural

contributions have individuals and groups made to your state or territory and the United States?”;

and “How are local history and culture related to what you are studying?” (NEH). These

questions will be guiding questions for the final presentation students will complete at the end of

the unit. Focusing on local history encourages students to relate to and become excited about

their learning. According the Pearson and Plevyak (2020), “Teaching local history, which focuses

on the cities, neighbourhoods and communities from which students hail and the historical

experiences of people in those communities, is therefore a form of culturally relevant pedagogy”

(pg. 137). They elaborate, “Local history may encourage the formation of relationships, but its

greatest potential is in spurring a person’s interest in their roots by giving them an opportunity to
learn more about their families’ and communities’ history” (Pearson & Plevyak, 2020, pg. 139).

The topic and essential questions of the literature circles unit will encourage students to care

more about Michigan issues and to actively participate in civic knowledge and engagement.

Conclusion

I propose that the To Kill a Mockingbird unit in the ninth grade ELA curriculum at my

school be replaced with a literature circles study of Michigan-focused texts. This unit maintains

the strengths of the current unit while introducing more student choice and interest, authentic and

relevant portrayals of local social justice issues, and practice with socioemotional learning and

civic engagement.
 References

Ako-Adjei, N. B. (2017). Why It’s Time Schools Stopped Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird.

Transition, 22(1), 182-200.

Macias, H. (2022). Why I Tell Preservice Teachers to Stop Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird: The

Significance of Representation and Affirmation in Diverse Texts. California English,

28(2), 23-27.

Michigan Humanities. (n.d.). Great Michigan Read.

https://www.michiganhumanities.org/great-michigan-read

National Endowment for the Humanities. (n.d.). Teacher’s Guide: Investigating Local History.

Edsitement!. https://edsitement.neh.gov/teachers-guides/investigating-local-history

Pearson, A. & Plevyak, L. (2020). The effects of local history inquiry on community pride and

civic engagement. Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 15(2), 135-153.

Teall, E. (2020). TKAM Chapter 5 Questions. Vicksburg Community Schools.

Venegas, E. M. (2018). Strengthening Reader Self Efficacies of Reluctant and Struggling

Readers Through Literature Circles. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 34(5), 419-435).

Venegas, E. M. (2019). “We Listened to Each Other”: Socioemotional Growth in Literature

Circles. The Reading Teacher, 73(2), 149-159.

Wiles, J. (2009). Leading Curriculum Development. Corwin Press.