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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Anticipation Guide

To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide cover

    This To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide (PDF handout) prepares students to engage with Harper Lee’s masterpiece.  Activate prior knowledge, preview important theme subjects, create interest, and set a purpose for reading. Click the file link to print or download.

    The most important topics are on the first page. If you have time constraints, use the first page only.  If students will be discussing in groups, you can bring the class back together to discuss the first statements even if some did not finish.

    PRINT / DOWNLOAD: To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide PDF

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    To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide (handout statements)

    The PDF file above is ready-to-print. If you prefer to cut and paste from this page, the statements are listed below. 

    1) “I would rather live in a big city than a small town.”

    2) “School is the most important influence on a young person.”

    3) “When someone thinks or acts in a way that I do not understand, I try hard to see things from their point of view.”

    4) “Children often understand situations more clearly than adults.”

    5) “When I read a book or watch a movie, I am on the lookout for details that might have a larger meaning or message (symbols).”

    6) “The strong and powerful have the right to harm the weak and powerless. That is simply how the world works.”

    7) “Prejudice (such as racism or sexism) is learned, not inherited.”

    8) “People should mind their own business and not interfere in the problems of others.”

    9) “Most people act according to their stated values. Hypocrisy (claiming to be one way but acting differently) is very rare.”

    10) “One day, racism and prejudice will be a thing of the past.”

    To KIll a Mockingbird Introduction Activity Model Answers

    ANTICIPATION GUIDE RESPONSES

    1. Agree. I’d rather live in a big city—there’s more to do than count how many times the stoplight in town blinks yellow. But I admit small towns can feel safer and cozier, like when the whole town came to watch me crash my bike into a mailbox. Instant fame.
    2. Disagree. School teaches important stuff (like how mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell—still no idea what to do with that knowledge). But family, friends, and experiences shape you just as much. My coach yelling “RUN LIKE YOU STOLE SOMETHING” in practice is honestly more motivating than any pep talk in homeroom.
    3. Qualify. I try to, because it’s important. Like, I didn’t get why my friend listens to sad music while happy, but then I realized it’s like eating chips when you’re not hungry—you just want to. Still, ketchup on ice cream? No empathy can stretch that far.
    4. Agree. Kids notice stuff adults ignore. My little sister asked why adults “pretend to like boring parties.” No adult I know has answered that honestly.
    5. Agree. Sometimes a broken fence is just a broken fence, but other times it screams “society is crumbling!” I once wrote a whole essay about how SpongeBob’s pineapple represents the American Dream. My teacher didn’t even dock points.
    6. Disagree. That’s basically the villain starter pack. Just because someone can doesn’t mean they should. If life worked like that, my older cousin would’ve kept stealing my fries at family barbecues—but I learned how to run faster. Balance restored.
    7. Agree. Nobody’s born racist or sexist. Babies don’t care about anything except food and shiny keys. People pick up prejudice from what they hear, see, and are taught. I’ve seen kids repeat stuff they didn’t even understand, just because they heard it at home.
    8. Qualify. Sometimes yes—like if my neighbor wears socks with sandals, that’s their cross to bear. But if someone’s being bullied or treated unfairly, it’s wrong to stay quiet.
    9. Disagree. Hypocrisy is everywhere. Adults say “don’t procrastinate,” then pay bills at 11:59 p.m. My friend swore they’d never get TikTok, then sent me ten TikToks in one night. We all do it sometimes.
    10. Qualify. I wish I could say yes, but history proves humans are slow learners. Prejudice might never completely disappear, but it can shrink if enough people choose kindness and empathy. I see it in small moments—like when two people who were raised to hate each other end up friends. That’s progress.

    To Kill a Mockingbird Introduction Activity lesson

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    Thanks for checking out To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide!

    The conventional format for anticipation guides asks students to agree or disagree with a set of statements.  The TeachNovels To Kill a Mockingbird anticipation guide below follows this model. If you have found this post helpful, check out more To Kill a Mockingbird posts from TeachNovels.

    This worksheet is the first part of a comprehensive To Kill a Mockingbird unit.  If you like what you see, check out all the To Kill a Mockingbird resources from TeachNovels. Teaching units include pre-reading activities, comprehension checks, engaging lessons, extension tasks and projects, exam banks, and more.