Themes
Of Mice and Men, the classic literature novel written by John Steinbeck, has the following theme(s):
Task 1: Pretest time to complete task - ½ hour Please complete the pretest BEFORE attempting ANY assignments. Please relax this will only test what you know at this point in time. You are graded for doing it regardless of your score. Task 2: John Steinbeck time to complete task - 2 hours Go to: Bitesize Read about John Steinbeck’s experiences, migrant workers, and Of Mice and Men. Then listen to Woody Guthrie’s “Hobo’s Lullaby” . Write a short answer comparing/contrasting Guthrie’s hobo to Steinbeck’s George and Lennie. Task 3: Interpreting Primary Sources time to complete task - 2 hours Go to: Digital History Read the top section (The Great Depression and the New Deal). Using a short answer, choose one solution that either President Roosevelt or Huey Long recommended. Do you think it was a good idea or bad? Be sure to use evidence from the primary sources to support your position. Task 4: Of Mice and Men time to complete task - 8 hours Audio: Of Mice and Men Complete the study guide. Task 5: Themes in modern non-fiction time to complete task - 2 hours Read “On Compassion” by Barbara Lazear Ascher (Supplemental Reading Book 2 of 2, page 206). What is the author’s view on compassion? Explain your answer using evidence from your reading. Task 6: Essay time to complete task - 3 hours Essay must be typed and submitted using Google Docs, unless you receive other instructions. You MUST DOUBLE-SPACE AND LEFT-JUSTIFY YOUR PAPER. You must complete the rubric handout and turn it in to have your essay graded. Essay must be at least 400 words and include examples from the book. Please note that the grading of your essay may take 24 hours or more. Please be sure to read “Secondary Solutions Blog” for a complete understanding of what is involved in writing an informative essay. Choose 1 essay topic:
Task 7: Music and Literature time to complete task: 1 hour Many contemporary songs are inspired by literature and share common ideas and themes. Pick a song or songs from the list below, which share common ideas or themes from Of Mice and Men. Write 1 ABC paragraph explaining how Of Mice and Men and your selected song share a theme or idea. See Music and Literature Example. List of songs for Of Mice and Men:
Go to: http://www.businessinsider.com/great-depression-color-photos-2011-5?op=1 Study these color photographs taken between 1939-1943. While you are looking at them keep these few things in mind. The United States had been in the Great Depression since the late 1920s. Europe was in the midst of WWII during this time period. The U.S. entered the war after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. It took WWII to lift the United States out of the Great Depression. And finally, color photographs were very, very rare when these were taken. Choose one photograph and write letter to a family member explaining what your life is like based on the photograph you chose. (Be sure to include the number of the photograph you chose for grading purposes.) Required: Review the informal letter slideshow before beginning your letter. Task 9: Exam time to complete task - 1 hour Must achieve a 70% or greater to pass. Task 10: FIT/Grammar Activities assigned on a daily basis. Task 11: Contemporary Fiction time to complete task - 6 hours Reading: Tuesdays with Morrie or Freak the Mighty Write an essay in which you discuss relationships as seen in Of Mice and Men and Tuesdays with Morrie or Freak the Mighty. Minimum of 1 ABC paragraph. You must increase your TABE score to receive credit for this section. Task 12: Projects time to complete task - 6 hours First Presentation: Prepare a presentation in which you discuss the themes from Of Mice and Men across literature, film, art, and music. Second Presentation: Prepare a presentation, using a different tool than the one used in the first presentation, in which you discuss Relationships across the pieces you have studied. |