What do you think? Should schools continue to use To Kill a Mockingbird to teach
lessons about conflict and tolerance? Are its lessons universal and able to stand
the test of time?
Use the RAFT strategy to develop an argument defending or challenging the use of
the novel To Kill a Mockingbird in your high school curriculum.
Role: Student
Audience: Parent, teacher, censor, administrator, school board member
Format: Letter, speech, or email
Topic: Whether or not the novel To Kill a Mockingbird should be part of the high
school curriculum
As you write your argument, be sure to do the following:
Start with a claim defending or challenging the use of To Kill a Mockingbird in our
high school curriculum.
Include three examples to support your claim, using specific conflict examples from
the novel as well as the real-world to substantiate your point.
(Using 5 paragraphs)

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the classics of American literature. Never out of print, the novel has sold over 40 million copies since it was first published in 1960. It has been a staple of high school syllabuses, including in Australia, for several decades, and is often deemed the archetypal race and coming-of-age novel. For many of us, it is a formative read of our youth.