Estimated Time: 45 minutes

Questions to Ponder

1. What does Atticus mean when he says, "there are other ways to make people into ghosts?"
2. How do you know that the new teacher has no understanding about her students' lives?
3. Do you think the Cunninghams act the way they do from pride or stubbornness or some other reason?
4. Were you surprised about the teacher's attitude about Scout learning at home? Why? How does this differ from school today? How does this differ from your own educational experience?
5. How are Jem and Scout different from other kids in Maycomb?
6. What does Atticus mean when he says, "climb in to their skin"?
7. Why do the kids make a game of Playing Boo Radley?
8. Review your list of everything you know about Boo Radley. After analyzing the list, what do you think about his mental state?
9. At the end of Chapter 7, why was Jem crying?
10. Discuss tolerance and intolerance in Maycomb.

Freewriting

After pondering and discussing these questions with your teacher, choose one to complete a freewrite. If you are unfamiliar with freewriting, here are a few tips:

• Keep your pencil moving. Don't stop. Just brain dump onto your paper.
• Have a set amount of time. Set a timer and write for the full amount of time.
• Ignore all grammar and spelling. Don't let editing slow down the process. These are not important in this instance.
• Pen and paper aren't the only ways to freewrite. Feel free to type on the computer. Not only does this accomplish the task, but it builds typing skills.
• Share your freewrite with us in the comments below.