Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck Ms Preibisch English 12
Possible reasons he wrote his novella: As a vehicle to express his social conscience and observations regarding the social and cultural issues he witnessed during a difficult era in America. Steinbeck paints a picture of two friends struggling against an indifferent society. He focuses on topics of poverty and dreams, friendship and loneliness, despair and hope. In addition to gaining a better understanding of the context of the novel, the Webquest will also enable you to understand how many of the societal, cultural, and economic factors that Steinbeck addressed in Of Mice and Men resonate today.
First Assignment: Web Quest: Pre-reading Research Rationale: To examine the time period & setting in which the author lived To gain a better understanding of the social, cultural, and economic factors that influenced the author To gain insight into the lives of migrant workers in the Salinas Valley, California during the 1930s and The Great Depression. To relate the issues in the novel to today (Ex: compare issues with migrant workers then, to issues in Canada today)
Essential Question for your Web Quest: What are the social, cultural, and economic issues that influenced John Steinbeck s writing?
Objectives & Assignment: Research and create a poster/prezi/ PowerPoint of topics related to the historical context of the novel. Gain an appreciation of how social, cultural, and economic factors can influence an author and are greatly reflected in a literary work. Create a Works Cited page using the proper format: file://localhost/users/pamela_preibisch/ Downloads/works-cited-mla-2.ppt
Process: Students will be working with a partner or in groups no larger than four. Each group s research will provide information that effectively answers the task and questions. As a member of the group, each student will explore webpages from sites that pertain to Of Mice and Men or issues/topics relevant to the novella. Each student will be given specific questions/topics to explore in a related genre. Each student will have a specific role and task: Geographer, Sociologist, Psychiatrist, or Biographer.
Each student will: Conduct and assemble research from the Internet to answer the questions from his/her section. Find visuals relevant to his/her research to be used for the group s presentation. Help his/her group assemble the presentation. The final product must contain text and visuals from all four categories. Submit a works cited page of sources used in his/her part of the project.
Instructions: In your role, research information that will answer specific questions for your section and obtain specific visuals that address your topic to be included in the group s presentation. Ø Try using Google scholar or go to SFU s webpage and look under the library tab. http://www.sfu.ca/ - http://www.sfu.ca/ While researching consider taking Cornell notes to record your information. See example format here: http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/ cornellnotes.html Remember to copy/paste the URL of the file you take the passage from for your Works Cited page. (It s a good idea to include this in your Cornell notes).
Questions for each role: Psychiatrist s Questions: What is a mental disability and how does it impact a person s everyday life? What are some of the difficulties faced when caring for a mentally disabled person? What kinds of support are available for people who care for the mentally disabled today and in the 1930s? What role does friendship play in caring for the mentally disabled? For the visual aspect, consider creating a collage (poster or digital) of literature book covers and film posters that have stories about mentally disabled people.
Biographer s questions: List major facts about Steinbeck s life. What philosophy of life is revealed in Steinbeck s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech? Give a brief definition of that philosophy. What influenced Steinbeck to write the novella, Of Mice and Men? What are other major works written by Steinbeck? Who are some of the recipients of the Steinbeck award? What is the purpose of the award? For the visual aspect, consider creating a collage (poster or digital) of photos of Steinbeck and the covers of his most significant novels.
Geographer s Questions: What are the geographical features of Carolina s Salinas River Valley? What is the Salinas Valley known as? What kinds of jobs are available there? What was John Steinbeck s relationship to the Salinas Valley? Identify specific locations relevant to Of Mice and Men For the visual component, consider creating a map (poster or digital) of the area with significant locations identified.
Sociologist s Questions: When was the Great Depression and what factors caused the Great Depression? Who were the migrant workers and how did the Great Depression affect them? There are many Migrant workers today. Where are they in North America and where are they from? What kind of jobs do they do? What difficulties do migrant workers experience today? How is the issue of migrant workers significant today? Explain. Why do we need to do something about it? For the visual aspect, consider developing a collage of photos (poster or digital) of migrant workers of the 1930s and migrant workers today.
Objectives & Assignment: Research and create a poster/prezi/ PowerPoint of topics related to the historical context of the novel. Gain an appreciation of how social, cultural, and economic factors can influence an author and are greatly reflected in a literary work. Create a Works Cited page using the proper format: file://localhost/users/pamela_preibisch/ Downloads/works-cited-mla-2.ppt
Presentation in the Great Hall Marks are based on: the content of the presentation your ability to elaborate on the areas you ve researched Your ability to show a strong understanding of the time period and make connections to your world today. your visuals which should be clear and articulate information. They need to be precise and chosen for a reason. Your properly formatted Works Cited page