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Throughout the book, students would be completing various activities that would require them to use their inferencing skills. The students would be required to think beyond the text and reach their own conclusions based on information from the book.

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The wooden chest is a significant part of the story. Students would create a chest out of construction paper and glue. They will draw objects or write words that are important to them on the outside, and put items or pictures of items that make them feel safe or comfortable on the inside of the chest. They will have the opportunity to share with the class.

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Write a Letter to Caitlin: Students would write about a time that they experienced loss and use this connection to express their empathy for Caitlin’s situation.

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-As a class, we would discuss school violence and past school shootings. We will focus on the Virginia Tech shooting, because that is the school shooting that the book is based off of.

-We will discuss what the Autism Spectrum, and the current diagnosis for Aspergers. We will discuss the difficulties and behaviors an individual on the spectrum might have, and how you could help that student.

-We will discuss bullying, as well as being a friend to everyone even if they are different from you.

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Students will use point of view to complete the following writing activity.
The students will either take the point of view of Caitlin's Dad, Michael, Josh, or Mrs. Brooks. The students will write about what they would if they were that character. They could discuss things they would have done differently during the story or continue the story and talk about what they would do in the future.

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"Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine - created at http://animoto.com

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National Book Award Winner, 2010

Shortlisted for the Redbridge Children’s Book Award (UK), 2012

Longlisted for the UKLA Award (UK Literary Association), 2012

Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award, 2012

International Reading Association Award, 2011

International Literacy Association Award, 2011

Crystal Kite Award, 2011

Golden Kite Honor Book, 2011

American Library Association’s Children’s Notable Book, 2011

American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2011

Bank Street Best Children’s Books (Outstanding Merit), 2011

Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens, 2011

Southern Independent Booksellers Award, 2011

New York Public Library’s Children’s Books 2010:  100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Junior Library Guild Selection, 2010

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Kathryn Erskine was not always an author, she was actually a lawyer before she figured out that she wanted to be an author! She was born in the Netherlands but also lived in Europe, Africa, Canada, and the United States. She had two new releases in 2017.

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Fairfax Network - Fairfax County Public Schools

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Kathryn Erskine: “Interview Your Characters”

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Meet the Author gives students direct access to authors who share their personal stories and encourage students to "keep reading, keep writing, keep dreaming." During the live webcasts, guest authors offer writing tips.

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You can use Mockingbird in your middle school classrooms for teaching about feelings, family structure, loss, inferencing, and being a good friend.

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- I highly recommend this book for either your own reading or using it in the classroom from fifth through ninth grade. The book tugs on every emotion you can imagine and makes you not want to put the book down.
- It teaches to step  back and think about other people's stories and to "walk in their shoes" so you can try to understand their story. It also teaches children to accept others for who they are. This text also provides an opportunity to teach about bullying and preventing bullying.

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Mockingbird is about a ten year old girl named Caitlin who has Asperger's Syndrome. Caitlin has been faced with many challenges; two of them being the loss of her mother to cancer and the loss of her brother in a school shooting.
The story takes you through Caitlin's experiences, thoughts, coping mechanisms, and her development of empathy.

This book delves deep into the importance of understanding the differences that make us who we are and understanding others. You are taken on the journey from the beginning of the hurt through the process of the healing and everything in between.