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Copywork
About This Passage
This is the sentence that gives the whole book its name. Atticus tells Jem something he almost never says — that one thing is a real sin. It is the only rule he gives the children about their air-rifles, and Lee places it here so the reader will remember it for the rest of the story.
Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the chapter's two big stories in order: first, the lesson Atticus gives about the air-rifles, and second, the day the old dog Tim Johnson came up the street and Atticus had to stop him.
Discussion Questions
- Atticus tells Jem it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. What in the story shows that mockingbirds do not hurt anyone?
- Scout thinks her father cannot do anything special. How can you tell that Scout feels this way at the start of the chapter?
+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
to fire a gun or other weapon at a target
Item 2
to make a living thing stop being alive
Item 3
to wish for something to happen or to have something
+ 7 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide
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