1.
UNIT CONTEXT
Content
Area: English
Course:
Literature analysis (reading and writing)
Grade Level: Freshman
Length of Unit: Highlight from one week (2 block period days)
Number
of class periods and length of periods: Six weeks, thirteen two-hour-block
classes, from November 5 to December 17, 26 total hours.
Year
plan: This is the second unit of the school year, following Short
Stories. We’ll end this semester with this unit. When we come back after the
winter break and through to the end of the school year, we’ll focus on three or
four more novels, mini lessons, nonfiction, essays, and writing projects.
2.
FACTS ABOUT THE LEARNERS AND DIFFERENTIATION
Whole Class Information
·
Number of
students in class: 36 (13 girls, 23 boys)
·
Demographics: Class is an ethnically diverse group. White students make up a bit more than half
of the class. The remainder of the class
comes from African, Asian, or Hispanic descent. Thirteen students are females,
two of the students receive free or reduced lunch, four students are English
Learners with Spanish and Vietnamese as their first languages, three students
in the class have an IEP for attention deficit, one of those also has autism and
Cerebral Palsy.
·
Developmental
Needs:
·
Readiness: intermediate,
students are mostly at grade level for English, a few are slightly lower than
grade-level with reading comprehension and fluency.
·
Interests – this
is a highly social group with interest in ASB, football, running, cheerleading,
soccer, water sports, skateboarding, volleyball, hanging out with friends, and
video games.
·
Learning profile
– most of these students work well in small groups, but there are a few that
prefer to work independently, many are easily distracted, four need constant
reminders to stay on task due to being overly social or unaware. Some love
reading and writing while others struggle or don’t like it. They are mostly
multimodal (kinesthetic and visual) learners.
Individual Student Information and Differentiation Strategies
·
Elena,
Early Intermediate Level English Language Learner
·
Identity:
Tenth grade Mexican American with Spanish as her first language. Her parents are
educated professionals. Elena has a large family and visits her grandparents in
Mexico during the summers. She is shy, but likes to work in small groups.
·
Developmental
Needs:
i.
Readiness:
She can read and write at early intermediate level, needs assistance with
reading, writing and speaking specifically with vocabulary, tenses, and pronunciation.
ii.
Interests:
She loves reading, dancing, and Mexican heritage.
iii.
Learning
Profile: Elena has multiple intelligences, with an emphasis in kinesthetic
and linguistic learning modalities. She likes working in small groups.
·
Differentiation
Strategies
i.
Content/Readiness:
Provide material in Spanish to build her Spanish literacy skills.
ii.
Process/Readiness
and Profile: Work in small groups with both English and Spanish bilingual
students.
iii.
Product/Readiness:
Allow Elena to use vocabulary sheet to complete assignment.
·
K.M., Intermediate
Level English Language Learner
·
Identity: Fourteen-year-old
ninth grade Mexican American with Spanish as his first language. He was born in
San Diego, and his parents were born in Mexico. His father works in newspapers
and media and his mother stays at home to take care of the younger siblings. Both
of them didn’t graduate high school. His
extended family includes a brother, cousins, aunts and uncles, and
grandparents.
·
Developmental
Needs
i.
Readiness:
Kevin is literate in Spanish and can read either Spanish or English
literature. K.M.’s family speaks Spanish
at home. He can read and write in both languages; He uses Spanish with friends
and family. He thinks in Spanish, and still moves in and out of two languages
when learning in different content areas. He feels the most comfortable
speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish.
ii.
Interests:
He loves to play video games and soccer. K.M. imagines himself attending a
four-year college. After a long day of school and soccer. This summer, to earn
money, he would like to, “work with dad, cut grass, and sell things.” His
favorite food is pizza (even though he thinks it’s not that good for him).
iii.
Learning
Profile: Kevin’s strengths are humor, oral and visual skills,
kinesthetic, his sense of friendship and community. Kevin’s weaknesses in
English class are staying focused, grammar, spelling, writing, and syntax.
Kevin doesn’t like English because, “I’m not that good at it.” He wants to
learn, “how to spell better.” He likes to work in groups because, “I work
better with others than by myself.” Kevin also said that in English class, “The
writing could make the class hard for me.” Kevin doesn’t enjoy reading, “gets
bored after about ten minutes,” and thinks “kids younger than I am read better
than I do.” He does not have access to many books (English or Spanish) at home.
·
Differentiation
Strategies
i.
Content/Readiness:
Provide graphic organizers and cloze notes. Provide books in Spanish and
English.
ii.
Process/Interest:
Work in a group with native English speakers and with students that are
achieving at the same level as him. Check for understanding.
iii.
Product/Readiness:
Provide clear step by step instruction orally and visually. Provide
models. Check for understanding.
·
Alex, a
tenth grade student with a specific learning disability
·
Identity:
Alex speaks English as his first language, he’s white, and needs medication for
asthma (inhaler).
·
Developmental
Needs
i.
Readiness:
He struggles with literacy skills (acquisition of decoding, the relation
between sound and symbol, and word identification in reading and writing). He
reads two years below grade level (at the seventh-grade level).
ii.
Interests:
Alex prefers to be on the outside looking in when it comes to
discussion and group work. He is often alone during breaks and lunches.
iii.
Learning
Profile: Alex self-isolates.
·
Differentiation
Strategies
ii.
Content/Readiness:
Provide audio of reading, offer movie versions of books, and provide vocabulary
with images and definitions.
iii.
Process/Interest: Group
Alex with understanding and kind peers, select roles for group activity with
Alex’s role matching his skills and interests (less vocal, more independent
role).
iv.
Product/Readiness: Check
in to confirm understanding.
·
K.P.,
a ninth grade student diagnosed with ADHD.
·
Identity:
Kaya speaks English as her first language, she’s white
·
Developmental
Needs
iv.
Readiness:
She reads at grade-level, but struggles with paying attention. She often looks
off into space and takes longer than the other students to respond, transition,
stay on task, and prepare for assignments.
v.
Interests:
Kaya didn’t list any interests in any of the surveys, in class, or
outside of class discussions. She does like to read.
vi.
Learning
Profile: Kaya has several friends in the class and likes working in
groups where she says it’s easier for her to focus, concentrate, and get the
work done. She is social, isn’t shy, and participates when called on.
·
Differentiation
Strategies
- Content/Readiness:
Check for understanding, check to make sure she’s prepared, slow down,
bring her back into the discussion by calling on her.
- Process/Interest:
Kaya has preferential seating and I frequently check to make sure she’s
on task and getting into and through the work, activities, and
assignments. I have Kaya work in groups.
- Product/Readiness:
Check in to confirm understanding and progress. Pair her with focused
students. Review homework.
·
M.P.,
a ninth grade student with autism and Cerebral Palsy.
·
Identity:
Morgan speaks English as his first language and he’s white.
·
Developmental
Needs
vii.
Readiness:
He struggles with processing speed, working memory, illegible handwriting, and
near-sightedness. Morgan reads above grade level.
viii.
Interests:
He loves reading. Morgan wishes he could read more in class. Morgan
loves music, is an artist, hikes, and loves the outdoors.
ix.
Learning
Profile: Morgan is funny, but sometimes doesn’t know why. He made friends
quickly after transferring from a different state. He actively participates and
enjoys class, group, and paired conversations.
·
Differentiation
Strategies
v.
Content/Readiness:
Provide copy of notes and feedback. Allow him to correct his mistakes. Provide
vocabulary with images and definitions.
vi.
Process/Interest:
Group Morgan with understanding and kind peers who understand his autism.
Repeat instructions, give him extended time, and check for understanding.
vii.
Product/Readiness:
Check in to confirm understanding. Access to word processing software and
computer.
3.
UNIT RATIONALE: ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS AND
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
This unit follows our unit involving short stories. This unit
includes the first novel we’ll read together in our freshman English class.
Drawing meaning from a text through reading, discussion, analysis, listening,
and writing are essential skills students need throughout high school, college,
their careers, and lives.
Enduring Understandings (EU)
Students will understand the
concept of “friendship” and, more generally, the contrast between unity and
isolation. Students will consider what it means to be a good friend and what
things in society might push us away from each other and keep us from uniting
in friendship. Understanding our own ideas about what friendship is will allow
us to understand better how Steinbeck is presenting that idea.
Of
Mice and Men, and many stories (fiction and nonfiction accounts) throughout
history, takes place during the Great Depression, it is important to have
background information about the Great Depression and how this might affect the
characters in the novel. During the Great Depression, people dealt with issues
of migrant farmworkers and economic crisis. History repeats itself, or never
quite resolves itself. We again or still discuss migrant labor and economic
crisis today, similar to people in the 1930s.
It’s helpful to understanding the
meaning of a symbol or metaphor in literature. A recurring symbol, and conclusions
generated about the symbol are critical to analyzing a novel. Steinbeck, and
many authors continue to make references to symbols, and our understanding of
this symbol will change as we read from beginning to end of the novel. Our
understanding of the major themes of the novel will be greatly enhanced by
bearing in mind how this symbol functions throughout the story.
Essential Questions
1. What makes
someone a friend? What is the purpose of having a friend?
2. How do you
know when someone is your friend? (Is George Lennie’s friend? Is Lennie
George’s friend? Is Carlson Candy’s friend?)
3. Does our
society and technology encourage or discourage loneliness or isolation?
Reason
for the Instructional Strategies & Student Activities
Steinbeck’s
Pulitzer Prize for Literature stands as a testament to his ability to
illustrate and dramatize some of the most fundamental questions that we ask
about ourselves. What are our dreams? How can we bring them to fruition? What
dreams do we share? If we are fundamentally similar in our ideals, why do we
constantly battle one another as we try to realize those ideals?
Steinbeck’s
novels have remained a staple of the high school canon for decades precisely
because they explore these issues that are as relevant as they were seventy
years ago. Of Mice and Men is
particularly appropriate for the ninth grade classroom because it presents a
very familiar, human side to these problems. It is specific, rather than epic.
Our simple characters are a part representing the whole, which makes it a very
accessible story. Both the prose and the vernacular dialogue of the novel are
relatively simple, though powerful and expressive. At the same time, the
questions raised by the novel are rich enough to merit attention and inspire
dialogue, debate, and learning.
This unit is
worthwhile for students because the ideal of Unity is something that we should
strive for both inside and outside the classroom. Students can benefit from
thinking about Steinbeck’s compelling case for cooperation, and about the
forces he sees that threaten that ideal.
4.
STANDARDS
Content Standards
Grades Nine
and Ten Reading Standards
3.0 Literary Response and Analysis
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
3.3 Analyze interactions between main and subordinate characters
in a literary text (e.g., internal and external conflicts, motivations,
relationships, influences) and explain the way those interactions affect the
plot. (C,P)
3.4 Determine characters’ traits by what the
characters say about themselves in narration, dialogue, dramatic monologue, and
soliloquy. (C,P)
3.5 Compare works that express a universal theme and
provide evidence to support the ideas expressed in each work. (C,P,A)
3.6 Analyze
and trace an author’s development of time and sequence, including the use of
complex literary devices (e.g., foreshadowing, flashbacks). (C,P)
Grades Nine and Ten Writing
2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their
Characteristics)
2.4 Write persuasive compositions:
a. Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained and logical
fashion. (P,C)
c.
Clarify and defend positions with precise and relevant evidence, including
facts, expert opinions, quotations, and expressions of commonly accepted
beliefs and logical reasoning. (P,C,A)
ELD Standards
Cluster
2: I: Apply knowledge of text connectors to make inferences. (C)
Cluster
2: I & EA: Use decoding skills and knowledge of both academic and social
vocabulary to read independently. (C, A)
Cluster
3: EA, Apply knowledge of language to achieve comprehension of informational materials,
literary texts, and texts in content areas.
5.
UNIT OBJECTIVES
·
Students provide examples of each of these literary terms in the
novel: character, plot, setting, theme, symbol, doubling, foreshadowing,
literal and figurative meanings, and metaphor. Students use this terminology and
vocabulary to speak and write about the text. (ELD/2.4c, 3.6)
·
Students use reading strategies such as predicting outcomes,
character mapping, and journaling to gain fluency with this text. Students will
be able to apply these strategies to other texts. (ELD/3.5)
·
Students summarize as a technique to construct meaning from the
text. (ELD/2.4a, 3.4)
·
Students construct meaning using context clues. (ELD/2.4a, 3.4)
·
Students develop their writing ability through effectively
organized essays through drafts and revision. Students format when documenting
citations in their essays. Students transition between ideas and paragraphs in
their essays. (2.4a, 2.4c)
·
Students engage in meaningful and purposeful dialogue in the
classroom, developing their abilities to articulate their ideas and listen to
others. (ELD/3.4, 3.5, 3.6)
·
Students analyze how race and gender groups are represented and
how they interact with one another in this text. Students evaluate these
representations and analyze how these representations relate to today’s
society. (ELD, 3.5, 3.6)
·
Students explain how history repeats itself and themes are
universal (friendship, isolation, financial crisis, migrant workers, depression/recession,
sexism/racism). Students construct of a better future for themselves by
understanding the past. (ELD, 3.5, 3.6)
6.
ASSESSMENT PLAN
Reading Journal Students keep journals as they
read.
·
Formality: informal
·
Type: diagnostic,
formative
·
Purpose: assess
skills, knowledge or concepts
·
Implementation
Method:
written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, supports
·
Evaluation
Criteria:
journals turned in periodically as a way of monitoring student reading.
·
Feedback
Strategies: written feedback and student conferences
·
Student
Self-Assessments: Provide one rubric for the unit.
Vocabulary Quizzes weekly quizzes on vocabulary from
Of Mice and Men in order to
facilitate reading and enrich their vocabulary.
·
Formality: formal
·
Type: diagnostic and
summative
·
Purpose: assess
knowledge or concepts
·
Implementation
Method:
written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling
·
Evaluation
Criteria: correct
answers
·
Feedback
Strategies: re-teaching, marking up quiz, allowing students to redo
·
Student
Self-Assessments: ability to redo, ability to use in essay writing and assignments
Essays (grammar and mechanics) Transition words, introduction, body, and
conclusion are all valuable to students in their writing and allow them to
effectively organize their ideas in an essay. They help students understand the
relationships among the ideas they present in their essays.
·
Formality: informal and
formal
·
Purpose: formative
·
Implementation
Method:
written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, marking up papers
·
Evaluation
Criteria: rubric
·
Feedback
Strategies: peer review, teacher review, student and teacher conferences
·
Student
Self-Assessments: peer review, self-review with rubric, compare to examples, ability
to redo
Whole Group Discussion
Students interact in discussions about the questions and issues raised in the text.
Questions are valuable and promote learning. There are no right answers.
Students learn socially and consider global themes.
·
Formality: informal
·
Purpose: formative
·
Implementation
Method:
verbal
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, frameworks/scaffolding done previously, include
reminders
·
Evaluation
Criteria: watching, listening, questioning, facilitation
·
Feedback
Strategies: peer review, teacher questions,
·
Student
Self-Assessments: peer review, participation, reflection
Small Group Discussion Generates diversity of opinion
that is stymied occasionally by the whole group discussion.
·
Formality: informal
·
Purpose: formative
·
Implementation
Method:
verbal
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, frameworks/scaffolding done previously, include
reminders
·
Evaluation
Criteria: watching, listening, questioning, facilitation
·
Feedback
Strategies: peer review, teacher questions,
·
Student
Self-Assessments: peer review, participation, reflection
Direct Instruction/Lecture: Must be used infrequently and
for short bursts of time and information.
·
Formality: informal
·
Purpose: formative
·
Implementation
Method:
verbal
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, frameworks/scaffolding done previously, include
reminders
·
Evaluation
Criteria: watching, listening, questioning, facilitation
·
Feedback
Strategies: peer review, teacher questions, verbal approval
·
Student
Self-Assessments: peer review, participation, reflection
Writing prompts Trigger background knowledge and
helps students formulate ideas before presenting them. Allows students to have
a private conversation with the teacher.
·
Formality: informal
·
Purpose: formative, assess prior knowledge
·
Implementation
Method:
written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, marking up papers
·
Evaluation
Criteria: visual, written comments
·
Feedback
Strategies: peer review, written comments
·
Student
Self-Assessments: peer review and compare to
examples and peers
7.
STEPS OF
INSTRUCTION
Into
I’ll hook the students through their own friendships and have them
consider what friendships mean. We’ll discuss why we have friends, how we keep
friends, and how society is structured for friendship or isolation. We’ll look
at why we’re reading Steinbeck’s novel, why he’s important, what it means to be
a Pulitzer Prize winner. We’ll look at the Great Depression of the 30s and 40s
and compare that with today’s recession and financial crisis.
I’ll hook them through a guide reading of the first few pages of
the novel and discuss Lennie and George, why the author does what he does, what
decisions the author makes, Steinbeck’s meaning and intent through authentic
and student-focused mind maps and global questions that impact their lives. I’ll
make them love George and Lennie so that they are impelled to keep reading—to
want to read the story. I’ll help them connect their views on friendship with
the relationships in the story. How would it be to have a friend who “thinks
like a small child” but is also incredibly strong and big?
As we start the reading, I’ll introduce Socratic seminar style debates and journaling (with journal prompts). These skills relate to other classes. I’ll help students see the interconnectedness of the units, other content areas, and their lives. We’ll discuss, write about, present, and synthesize topics, themes, and characters that merit great consideration and various readers may well make strong opposing arguments. Our work will focus on issues central to our morality, humanity, human rights, and ethics.
Through
As we move through the story, and the way the author brings about
social change through a variety of topics, we’ll look at migrant farm works
today, in comparison with the 1930s. We’ll come upon racism and sexism in the
story, and discuss how that has changed or stayed the same since the 1930s. The
topics of euthanasia and justice are also present in the story and provide
opportunities for rich debate. Mini-lessons and opportunities to connect and
deepen help students invest in and flow through the story. All throughout the
reading, activities, and beyond, students work with language, literary devices,
themes, and vocabulary—building on our previous unit, and moving them forward
to future units.
|
Week 1, Day 1 (11/5)
|
Week 1, Day 2 (11/7)
|
Week 1, Day 3 (11/9)
|
Week 2, Day 4 (11/14)
|
Week 2, Day 5 (11/16)
|
|
Introduction
to Steinbeck, Pulitzer Prize. What is it? Why does that matter? Social change. 1930s and Stock Market Crash
and
Great
Depression and Migrant Farm Workers—Now and Then
Mention
how this unit builds toward character essay at the end of this unit.
Small groups summarizes and takes a position on four short articles: one about The Great Depression (1930s and 40s), one about The Great Recession (2008 to today), one about migrant farm works of the 1930s and 40s, and one about migrant farm workers today. Introduction to Socratic seminar?
What
do you know about the Great Depression? Think of your family members over the
age of 75. If they were in alive in America during the 1930s and 1940s, how
might they or their parents have been impacted?
Should
people who are poor rely on their friends, family, or church for help—not the
government?
|
Read
through page 6. Discuss.
Help
students like Lennie and George. Inspire them to read the book. Read the back
cover…the quote about Lennie thinking like a small child. What does that
mean? What would it be like to be friends with someone like Lennie? Is George
Lennie’s friend? Why?
Introduction
to journals and prompts.
What does Robert Burns’ mean in his 1785 poem, "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough,” from the line, “The best-laid schemes [plans] o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley [often go awry]?” How are “mice” and “men” or “people” similar?
Why
might this allusion be appropriate for a novel set in the Great Depression?
(3) Based on this allusion, make a prediction about what might happen with
George and .
|
The
whole book will be assigned. Give them two days to read each chapter.
Is
it better to be big, strong and dumb than it is to be small, weak, and smart?
Is
life today is more difficult that it was in the 1930s? Is society is more
tolerant and accepting of people with disabilities (physical and mental)
today than it was in the 1930s.
Who
are the two main characters? What is their relationship? Where are they?
Where are they going? What topic dominates their conversation?
|
Friendship
and Isolation
Character
Maps—Main Characters
Students
use quotes and evidence to create character sketches of George and Lennie and
their relationship
Assessment: Character Maps. Exit Slips: Predict whether their friendship will last
Vocabulary
Discussion
of journals, note-taking, and reading
(1)
What do mice, rabbits and puppies have in common? (2) What references are
made to mice or rabbits or dogs in the title and chapter 1 of the novel?
Please write down the page numbers where you see either of these mentioned in
the novel. (3) What is a symbol?
|
Rabbits,
Mice and Puppies
Discuss
poem.
George
and Students
discuss and write to understand the complexities of George and Lennie’s
relationship.
Chapter X. Why a flashback? Why so late in the novel? Why not chapter 1 [so reader will like Lennie – if they don’t they won’t want to read they won’t care]. Discuss what happens on Sacramento River, and Weed.
Students
compare and contrast George and Lennie.
Of
all the common characteristics of mice, rabbits and puppies, list the three
you believe are the most important ones for Steinbeck. Why do you believe
these three are the most important? By using this symbol, Steinbeck is
conveying this important message: People are ______________ because
________________.
What
is a symbol? What does the story have to do with the mice? (2) What does this
tell us about? (3) Are these animals particularly fragile or vulnerable? How
does this relate to what Steinbeck is saying about men? How are mice used in
scientific laboratories? Is this similar to the way George relates to ? (5)
How do rabbits figure into George and ’s dream for the future? Who will tend
the rabbits? Why do we think this is important to ? (6) Who in the class has
owned a puppy or rabbit? Describe that experience (7) What two animals
is likened to in Chapter 1? (Ans: a
dog and bear) Are these similar or opposing metaphors?
|
|
Week 3, Day 6 (11/27)
|
Week 3, Day 7 (11/29)
|
Week 4, Day 8 (12/3)
|
Week 4, Day 9 (12/5)
|
Week 4, Day 10 (12/7)
|
|
Character
Maps—Secondary Characters
Students use quotes and evidence to create character sketches of Candy, Curley, Curley’s wife and Slim (jigsaw).
Discussion
and rating characters based on the perception of power and size (big versus
small and powerful versus powerless).
|
Assisted
Suicide and Euthanasia
Students
read two short articles about the pros and cons to euthanasia. Million Dollar
Baby, international perspective, in relation to Carlson killing Candy’s dog.
Is it okay to kill an animal if it’s sick, dying, or suffering without possible healing or remedy? Is it okay to kill a person who is sick, dying, or suffering without possible healing or remedy?
Ticket
out of class: Was Carlson right to shoot Candy’s dog?
|
Racism
and Sexism (in the 1930s and 40s and today)
Students
examine how Crooks, the stable hand, and Curley’s wife are characterized.
Vocabulary
It’s
never okay to use the n-word. It’s more offensive than other racial slurs?
Are
women today often treated by men as equals rather than as objects, or
second-class citizens?
|
Friendship/Isolation
Students discuss some social factors that keep the characters at
odds.
“Ain’t
many guys travel around together, I don’t know why. Maybe the whole world’s
scared of each other.” Students work in small groups to complete a character
chart that says “People are scared of (Character 1) because . . . .
(Character 1) is scared of people because . . . .”
|
Whole
Class Discussion
To
develop an understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of George’s shooting
Lennie. Is this an act of Friendship? What forces his hand?
Vocabulary
Mindmap
major themes – use different colors for different themes.
Mindmap
of different characters and how they support the theme.
Victims
and family of criminals should be able to take the law into their own hands?
Do states with the death penalty have lower murder rates? Is justice best
determined in a court of law? Is breaking the law justified to make sure
justice is served?
|
|
Week 5, Day 11 (12/11)
|
Week 5, Day 12 (12/13)
|
Week 6, Day 13 (12/17)
|
|
Character
Analysis
Students
choose a character to analyze and begin writing.
Students
are given rubrics for essay. Model paper and rubric review.
Transitions
Students
look at coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and use them to develop
complexity in their writing. Students will learn how to link ideas with
appropriate conjunctions.
|
Students
work on essays.
Students
conference with the teacher.
|
Peer
Review and Editing. Unit Evaluation
Students
review their peer’s work using the rubric.
Students
evaluate and critique unit plan.
Presentations
Students read short excerpts from their papers.
Vocabulary
Quiz
|
Reading Journals
I ask students to keep a running journal as they read this novel.
I will explain that they need to make entries in the journal every time they
read. I will ask that the journals be turned in periodically as a way of
monitoring student reading. Primarily though, I will tell students that these
journals will be a way for us to center our class discussions on the issues
that are of interest to them.
Every time that a student reads some portion of the text, they
will be asked to note the pages read and the amount of time spent. Then, they
should dedicate some time (10 minutes on average) to writing down what I will
call “Locks and Keys.” Locks are any questions the students have about the
reading that prevented understanding. I will give the students examples,
including vocabulary words, plot points, character motivations, et cetera. Keys
are any revelations or understandings the students come to during or after
reading. Again, I will provide examples, including connections to prior
knowledge, life experience, and so on.
I plan to dedicate some portion of instructional time to answering
questions from these journals or exploring the ideas and understandings of the
students. I will ask that students raise questions as they emerge, but will
allow time each week for the explicit purpose of discussing the journals.
Vocabulary Quizzes
I incorporate weekly quizzes on vocabulary words from Of Mice and Men in order to facilitate
reading and enrich their vocabulary.
Grammar and Mechanics: I selected concepts to
incorporate in this unit. I chose transition words because they are valuable
for students in their writing and allow them to effectively organize their
ideas in a longer essay. I also think it will help the students understand the
relationships among the ideas they present in their essays.
Whole Group Discussion
This is an essential part of the teaching during this unit.
Students learn through interactive and authentic discussions about the
questions and issues raised in texts. These discussions should be premised on
the following. Questions are valuable and promote learning. No student need be
embarrassed about difficulty in comprehension. We rely together on the
collective resources of the students and the teacher to find answers and
generate understanding. We rely on close reading of the text to support
opinions about an author’s contentions. We rely on our knowledge of literary
terms such as, plot, setting, character, theme, symbol, allusion, etc. as both
a lens through which we look at texts and a specialized jargon that allows us
to articulate with precision our ideas about those texts.
Small Group Discussion
This is also a key activity in facilitating learning, but it adds
a component of intimacy and privacy that some students thrive on and some
topics necessitate. Also, this kind of learning activity can generate a rich
diversity of opinion that is not elicited as easily by the whole group format.
Further, by thinking about how I might divide the students into groups, I can
manipulate the learning and the interactions in a positive way.
Lecture
There is a place for the lecture format in the classroom, but it
must be used sparingly, for limited lengths of time, and derive from the
teacher’s informed opinion that the lesson plan necessitates this less
interactive (thus, less desirable) format.
Writing
prompts
These do not have to be used daily, but I think they can be a good
way to assess prior knowledge and a good means by which students begin to
crystallize their ideas before presenting them in a whole group discussion.
Writing prompts allow students a private forum through which they can address a
teacher directly. Writing prompts give students practice in expressing thoughts
on paper that may be easier to convey verbally.
There are many ideas at the core of this novel. I have decided to
plan this unit around the central idea of Unity (Friendship) in opposition to
Isolation (the social forces at work that promote division). I chose to work
with this idea for several reasons. First, George and Lennie’s relationship is
obviously paramount to the way readers construct meaning from this text. This
relationship is complicated and somewhat ambiguous. For instance, George is
both protective and manipulative in the way he interacts with Lennie. He is
alternately loving and demeaning. I think the question of what motivations we
ultimately attribute to George is at the heart of how we interpret his ultimate
act, when he shoots Lennie. For my part, I find George a sympathetic character,
and I read him as man who is pressed into an unwelcome act, a mercy killing, to
protect his friend from greater harm and hardship. I believe his action requires
both bravery and love. Nonetheless, this question is rich enough that it merits
great consideration and various readers may well make strong opposing
arguments. I also believe that this question goes directly to very important,
larger questions that are central to our morality, humanity and ethics.
The question of Dreams undoubtedly stands at the heart of this
novel as well. Characterizing George and Lennie’s shared, utopian vision is
crucial to making meaning of this text. Establishing the modesty of this vision
allows students to learn about how pragmatic considerations about society
impinge on our ideals, and the historical context of this novel helps to
illuminate this. That is, the economic realities of the Great Depression
changed people’s visions of what they could expect from life. Establishing the
ubiquity of their dream also serves to emphasize our interconnectedness and our
similarities. Steinbeck argues through his work that the migrant workers of the
thirties all shared a vision, and the great tragedy of the novel is the power
of the social forces that divide them and keep them from realizing their
collective potential. In this way, the idea of Dreams can be tied back to Unity
and Isolation.
Racism and Sexism are undeniable and explicit in this novel, and
must be referenced and unpacked for students to make meaning from this text.
These are powerful and divisive forces at work can be interpreted as important
elements in creating the tragedy of the storyline. Not only are these ideas
central to Steinbeck’s work, they are ideologies that are very much alive
today, and can be connected easily to student experiences. Race relations and
gender politics are considerations that every student should be forced to
grapple with in high school, college and beyond, and are present, either
implicitly or explicitly, in every text in every curriculum in every nation of
the world. Steinbeck uses politically charged, degrading terms such as
“jailbait,” “rattrap” and “poison” to describe Curley’s wife. Crooks is called
the “stable nigger” throughout the novel. These epithets need to explored and
confronted, lest the indecent and inhumane sentiments behind these names remain
unchallenged in the classroom and in society. Racism and sexism can be tied
back to our central theme if we view them as ideologies that prevent the kind
of solidarity for which the characters long.
Power and Powerlessness is a central theme of this novel. Students
should be asked to explore the question of who wields power in this text, and
to what ends. Steinbeck makes little reference to the “boss” of the ranch, yet
this omission is in itself worthy of the students’ consideration. The
characters we see are all toiling for a man who controls things from a
distance, protected from the dangers to which the ranch hands are subjected.
The boss is characterized implicitly, through his son, Curley, who is
unquestionably the least sympathetic character in the book. He is pugnacious,
mean-spirited, untrusting and hard-hearted. Again, this theme is easily tied
back to the central theme of the unit, as students are asked to explore how
Unity might alter an entrenched power dynamic.
Closure/Beyond
·
Character analysis essay and presentation
·
Close of unit reflection and discussion of what students learned
·
Scaffold and continually refer to examples, building on finding
character through the exploration of friendship and relationships in Of Mice and Men in other text as we move
on to other elements of fiction and non-fiction in the upcoming unit’s texts.
I would like students to come away from this unit with the ability
to speak and write about the themes at play in Steinbeck’s novel. I see all the
texts in the curriculum as competing voices in a dialogue about the questions
that we ask about ourselves. Steinbeck’s voice is stridently proletariat and
humanitarian. Steinbeck deifies compassion as the ultimate human capacity. This
contention must be analyzed and evaluated. Students need help in understanding
what Steinbeck is arguing before they can begin to evaluate it in terms of
their own experiences. In this unit, I strive to connect explicitly the issues
at play in the novel to student experiences, and ask that the students do
likewise.
I would like students to consider how Steinbeck represents issues
such as friendship, racism, sexism, power, euthanasia in the novel and suggest
that they are matters of importance today. I would like students to explore how
the historical context of the Great Depression affects these considerations.
Further, I would like students to compare Steinbeck’s voice with those of the
other authors in the curriculum, to look for common threads of interest and
points of debate.
Though the use of reading journals, I would like to help students
understand that the work of teaching and learning in the high school classroom
should be guided explicitly by their questions and the ways they construct
meaning from the texts they are offered. Also, I would like use these journals
as a way to suggest to the students that uncertainty (i.e. questions) is a
valued resource in education. In this way, authentic curiosity becomes the
driving force behind the learning.
8.
WEEK OF LESSON PLANS
A week’s worth of lesson plans include two, two-hour block classes
(see one lesson plan attached).
9.
MATERIALS/RESOURCES
Articles
·
John Steinbeck/Pulitzer Prize 1930s and 2010s
·
Great Depression/Stock Market Crash 1930s and 2010s
·
Racism/Sexism/power 1930s and 2010s
·
Friendship/isolation
·
Migrant farmworkers 1930s and 2010s
Essays
·
John Steinbeck/Pulitzer Prize 1930s and 2010s
·
Great Depression/Stock Market Crash 1930s and 2010s
·
Racism/Sexism/power 1930s and 2010s
·
Friendship/isolation
·
Migrant farmworkers 1930s and 2010s
Graphic Organizers
·
John Steinbeck/Pulitzer Prize 1930s and 2010s
·
Great Depression/Stock Market Crash 1930s and 2010s
·
Racism/Sexism/power 1930s and 2010s
·
Friendship/isolation
·
Migrant farmworkers 1930s and 2010s
PowerPoints
·
Essay Writing 1
·
Essay Writng 2
Rubrics
·
Assessing essays
Models
·
Essay models
Photographs
·
Dorothea Lange's Migrant
Mother
·
Migrant workers 1930s and
2010s
Poem
·
Robert Burns’ poem, http://www.robertburns.org/works/75.shtml and translation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Mouse
Primary sources
·
John Steinbeck/Pulitzer Prize 1930s and 2010s
·
Great Depression/Stock Market Crash 1930s and 2010s
·
Racism/Sexism/power 1930s and 2010s
·
Friendship/isolation
·
Migrant farmworkers 1930s and 2010s
Text
·
Of Mice and
Men
Videos
·
John Steinbeck/Pulitzer Prize 1930s and 2010s
·
Great Depression/Stock Market Crash 1930s and 2010s
·
Racism/Sexism/power 1930s and 2010s
·
Friendship/isolation
·
Migrant farmworkers 1930s and 2010s
Websites
·
John Steinbeck/Pulitzer Prize 1930s and 2010s
·
Great Depression/Stock Market Crash 1930s and 2010s
·
Racism/Sexism/power 1930s and 2010s
·
Migrant farmworkers 1930s and 2010s
10. REFLECTION
·
My strengths are creativity and understanding of how to tie the
Unit into authentic real-world skills that link to Bloom’s Taxonomy in ways
that matter to the students, no matter what content area or course.
·
This unit plan would be more relevant for me if I could plan for
it with my co-teacher. There hasn’t been time to discuss the next unit, as we
are knee-deep in the current unit. For now, since this is my first unit plan,
it feels like a possible map I could follow. Until I collaborate, received
feedback, and implement this unit plan I won’t know for sure. I’m just doing my
best with the knowledge I have."
11. RUBRIC
WITH SELF-ASSESSMENT
See the
highlighted criteria on the unit plan rubric that I believe best describes my
unit plan (see attached).
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