Of Mice and Men--Using 21st century skills to analyze characters in Chapters 1 through 4

 

1. Of Mice and Men (OMM) using real-world and 21st century skills to analyze characters in Chapters 1 through 4.			2. English 9 (Freshman), Literature analysis (reading and writing)
3A. Whole Class Information Number of students in class: 42 (17 girls, 25 boys) Demographics: Caucasian students make up a large majority of the class.  Seventeen students are females, two of the students receive free or reduced lunches, five students are English Learners with Spanish as their first language, six students in the class have IEPs for attention deficit and/or processing issues. Developmental Needs Readiness: intermediate, students are mostly at grade level for English, a few are slightly lower than grade-level with their literacy skills (especially reading comprehension and fluency and writing). The whole class has stronger verbal skills. Interests – this is a highly social group with interest in ASB, football, running, cheerleading, soccer, water sports, skateboarding, music, 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, the special needs and EL students (and two other students) need constant reminders to stay on task due to being overly social, unaware, or distracted. Some students love reading and writing while others struggle or don’t like it. They are mostly multimodal (kinesthetic and visual) learners. Interests: skateboarding, video games, football, soccer, technology, hanging out with friends, music, football, surfing, soccer, and technology.
3B. STUDENT INFORMATION: English language learners   Readiness Level: Intermediate, ELD proficiency level: early advanced (I + 1) = advanced      Learning Profile: do not enjoy handwritten assignments, they need assistance with spelling and grammar, they don’t claim to enjoy reading, they assessed themselves as reading below grade-level and need help with comprehension, they seldom pass English and therefore don’t like the subject. They are visual learners who like the shared work/group concept.       Interests: skateboarding, video games, football, soccer, technology, and hanging out with friends.		3C. STUDENT INFORMATION: Students with special needs   Readiness Level: Intermediate      Learning Profile: attention deficits, easily distracted, need help focusing, help with/copy of notes upon request, individual test taking. Kinesthetic and visual learners who like graphics to help them process the information. They like working in groups for shared workload and social aspects.       Interests: Music, football, surfing, soccer, and technology.
4. RATIONALE: ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS AND ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS              This is the first novel we’ve been reading together in our freshman English class. Students have read the first four chapters. Students have used computers in our previous class sessions, at home, and with other courses. Students build on previous learning to analyze characters in a deeper and more sustained way than we did in the previous short story unit. Understanding how to use real-world, technical, software, and literacy skills to research, read, write, and gather and analyze information are essential skills students need throughout high school, college, their careers, and lives.   Enduring Understandings (EU) Of Mice and Men, and many stories (fiction and nonfiction accounts) throughout history, takes place during the Great Depression. It’s important to have background information about the Great Depression and how this might affect the characters in the novel and people from our lives. During the Great Depression, people dealt with issues of loneliness, desperation, power versus weakness, discrimination, racism, and sexism. History repeats itself, or never quite resolves itself. We need to remember the past and consider modern conversations about issues of friendship, good and evil, loneliness, desperation, power versus weakness, discrimination, racism, and sexism. How have these issues changed? How have they stayed the same over time?   Essential Questions 1.      How can technology help to read, research, gather and analyze information, and start the writing process? 2.      How do characters’ names, descriptions, actions, choices, thoughts, feelings, pasts, and comments reflect a story’s topics and themes as well as how the characters impact us, make us evaluate our beliefs, values, and experiences, and see ourselves and society? 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 is the second lesson in the Finding Character through the Exploration of Friendship and Relationships in Of Mice and Men Unit.
5. CA CONTENT STANDARD(S) Grades Nine and Ten Writing Standards 1.0 Writing Strategies Students write coherent and focused essays that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. The writing demonstrates students’ awareness of the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.   Organization and Focus 1.2 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers, and the active rather than the passive voice. Research and Technology 1.3 Use clear research questions and suitable research methods (e.g., library, electronic media, personal interview) to elicit and present evidence from primary and secondary sources.	6. CA ELD STANDARD(S) Cluster 4 Analyze Characters EA: Describe the interactions between characters and subordinate characters in literary texts (e.g., motivations and reactions).
7. LEARNING GOAL(S) - OBJECTIVE(S) (Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor, and Language Development)   After reading chapters 1 to 4, and activating prior knowledge about computer hardware and software, students use technology (21st century skills) and graphic organizers to structure their analysis of a character of their choice from the novel, which is the prewriting step to prepare them to write their character analysis essay.	8. ASSESSMENT(S) Formative/progress monitoring 1.      Students follow written and verbal directions that include vocabulary and technical language. 2.      Students connect new information to prior knowledge. 3.      Students describe the interactions between characters and subordinate characters in literary texts. 4.      Students use technology to gather and analyze information during the prewriting step in the writing process. 5.      Students use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers, and the active rather than the passive voice while completing Character Charts. 6.      Students use clear research criteria and suitable research methods (via computer and electronic files) to elicit and present evidence from primary sources. 7.      Students participate individually and show team work in pairs. 8.      Teacher monitors, checks for understanding, and provides instant correction and feedback.
9A. EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS   1.    Content/Readiness: Students are given graphic organizers and Word versions of the text. Students use online dictionaries for help with vocabulary and technical language. 2.    Process/Interest: As needed, group English learners with native English speakers and with students that are achieving at or above the same level. Check for understanding.] 3.    Product/Readiness: Students follow clear, step-by-step instructions (including screen shot images) orally and visually. Students review and follow teacher modeling. Students are monitored for understanding. 4.   Product/Interest: Students choose a character to analyze in preparation for their essays. Students use technology and real-world skills to analyze the book. Technology assists students in quickly and easily finding facts and data in the text.	9B. EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS   1. Content/Readiness: Students are given graphic organizers and Word versions of the text. 2. Process/Interest: As needed, group special needs students with understanding and kind peers, select roles for group activity matching students’ skills and interests. 3. Product/Readiness: Students follow clear, step-by-step instructions (including screen shot images) orally and visually. Students review and follow teacher modeling. Students are monitored for understanding. 4. Product/Interest: Students choose a character to analyze in preparation for their essays. Students use technology and real-world skills to analyze the book. Technology assists students in quickly and easily finding facts and data in the text.
10. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES A. Anticipatory Set/Into 1. Teacher welcomes student to class and uses the cognitive SDAIE strategy of reading aloud the written objective and purpose for the lesson (1 minute).   2. Teacher asks students to consider if they want to work individually or in pairs. Teacher informs students that pairs must agree on the same character for today’s activity. Teacher informs students that there are only 32 computers for the 42 students. Teacher asks students to gather only their OMM books and information and bring that with them to the computer lab (4 minutes).   3. Teacher walks with students to computer lab and gets the key from the media center. Teacher privately informs two special needs students to work individually and far apart from each other to minimize distraction and focus their attention (5 minutes).   B. Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice/Through   4. Teacher asks students to raise their hands if they are comfortable with computers and MS Word software and discusses ability levels (1 minute). 5. Teacher passes out hard copies of the step-by-step instructions and the Characterization Charts (1 minute).   6. Teacher models to students by reading the instructions and following the steps via the teacher computer and Smart board at the front of the room (10 minutes).   7. Teacher circulates to monitor progress and provide correction and instant feedback while students work independently and in pairs to complete their Characterization Charts (23 minutes)                                                                                                            C. Closure 8. Teacher instructs students to print their work, email work to their partners, log off the computers, and return to the classroom to discuss chapter 4, and begin reading chapter 5, and reflect on using the computer lab (15 minutes).   D. Beyond 9. Students read the final two chapters of the book and continue gathering evidence to support their prewriting for the character study essays.	11. STUDENT ACTIVITIES A. Anticipatory Set/Into 1. Students listen to and read the objective and purpose for the lesson (1 minute).   2. Students consider if they want to work individually or in pairs. Students find partners who agree on the same character for today’s activity. Students gather only their OMM books and information and bring that with them to the computer lab (4 minutes).   3. Students walk to the computer lab. Two special needs students agree to work individually and far apart from each other to minimize distraction and focus their attention (5 minutes).   B. Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice/Through   4. Students raise their hands if they are comfortable with computers and MS Word software and discuss their ability levels (1 minute). 5. Students receive hard copies of the step-by-step instructions and the Characterization Charts (1 minute).   6. Students listen, read, and watch the teacher modeling by reading the instructions and following the steps via the teacher’s computer and Smart board at the front of the room (10 minutes).   7. Students work independently and in pairs to complete their Characterization Charts (23 minutes).                                                                                                            C. Closure 8. Students print their work, email work to their partners, log off the computers, and return to the classroom to discuss chapter 4, and begin reading chapter 5, and reflect on using the computer lab (15 minutes).   D. Beyond 9. Students read the final two chapters of the book and continue gathering evidence to support their prewriting for the character study essays.
12. RESOURCES ·         Step-by-step instructions ·         Computers with Microsoft Word ·         Of Mice and Men novella and Word version ·         Characterization chart graphic organizers ·         Smart board