Sample Of Mice and Men Essay

Here is a sample essay for Of Mice and Men that I wrote.  Please take a look and we will critique and discuss in class.

Circular Plot Structure & Final Project

Circular Plot Structure
Today we will discuss Steinbeck's use of circular plot structure and foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men.  Complete the following handout and answer the questions on the back.  The assignment is due by next Wednesday (5/25).

Final Project
Click here for you options for your final project for our Of Mice and Men unit.  You can use the following handout to begin preparing and outlining your essay.

Characters and Allegory

I want you to look in depth at one of the main characters from our novel Of Mice and Men.  To help understand your character better you will create a facebook page for one of the following characters: Lennie, George, Curley, Curley's Wife, Crooks, or Candy.  You can use the following template or create your own more creative version.  Each page MUST include the following:
Picture
About Me (age, where they're from, where they work, etc.)
Interests (at least 3)
Friends
Posts on their wall (at least 5) (can be posts from friends, status updates, posted links, etc.)
BE CREATIVE

Next, we will look more at the concept of allegory, which we discussed on Monday.  You will create an outline for an allegorical story about the themes from the novel.  You are going to create your own allegory about the American dream set in modern times.  See my example here.  Your story must contain a setting, at least 5 characters, and an explanation of the theme or message.  Please think carefully and complete the following handout.  Your story can take place in places such as  a big business like Wal Mart, a college campus, an apartment building, a suburb, a mall, a high school, etc.  Remember, the message must deal with themes from the novel of The American dream and loneliness.

Both assignments are due by next Wednesday (5/25) when you arrive in class.

Allegory and Surveys

Surveys
Please complete the following survey on Exhibitions during your IWT.  The survey will help teachers to improve the exhibition process and make exhibitions as beneficial and interesting to you as we can.

At the beginning of 4th period please complete the following survey about your internships.  This will help to understand what benefits the internship program has and look for any improvements we may want to make.

Allegory
Today we will learn about symbolism and allegory and what we can learn about Of Mice and Men.  We will go over this allegory and symbolism powerpoint.  Once we have gone through the powerpoint together you will complete the following handout on allegory in Of Mice and Men.  Please turn in by Friday along with your vocabulary.

Resource Fair for Students with IEP's or 504 Plans
On May 31st the school district will host a resource fair about options for students with IEP's or 504 plans for after high school.  If you are interested in information about transitioning after high school please see this flyer for more info. 

Of Mice and Men Ch. 5 & 6 Vocabulary

Chapter 5 & 6 Vocabulary due on Friday (5/20)

Announcements

Graphic Design Contest
The Community Service Association (CSA) is hosting a logo creation contest.  Top 3 entries will win a cash prize of up to $300.  Click here for details 

USD Cyber Security Summer Program
USD is hosting a free (paid for by the NSA) week long summer program on cyber security.  For more information and application click here 

USD also has other paid summer programs available

Computational Biology Summer Camp
Week long summer camp for students interested in biology, medicine, and computers.  Click here for details.

College Expert at the Met!
Monday May 23rd at 6:30 we will have college expert Lynn O'Shaughnessy to discuss the college application process and how to select the right college.  More details to come.

Of Mice and Men Ch. 3 & 4 Vocab

Please complete and turn in your chapter 3 & 4 vocab handout by next Friday (5/13)

The American Dream

On Monday we learned about the lives of migrant farm workers to give us context to our story.  Today we will discuss the American Dream.  In our story, George and Lennie are after their version of the American Dream.  What is the American Dream?  What does the American Dream mean to you?

We will do a brief pre writing activity and discuss our responses.  Than we will look at the following article that describes opinions of Americans on the American Dream.  Then we will read another article which people describe what the American Dream means to them.

After reading and discussing I want you to do some writing on what the American Dream means to you and whether or not that dream is achievable.  Please complete the following American Dream handout and follow ALL INSTRUCTIONS.  Your assignment is due Friday (5/6).

Of Mice and Men

Reflection
Today we will do a brief reflection on our exhibition we just completed.  Please think carefully about what went well for you, what areas you struggled in, and what you plan to do in the future.

Of Mice and Men
We will begin our reading of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck with a discussion of some major themes.  You will be asked to answer some questions and then discuss your answers.

Before we begin we will learn about the life of John Steinbeck and his famous novel.  Then we will learn about the history of migrant farm workers in America to give the main characters and their struggle context.

Then we will watch a video about migrant workers in America today.  We are watching a episode of Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man the 3rd episode titled immigration.  It is available on Netflix if you are absent and cannot watch in class.

You must read the first 2 chapters of the novel (Pgs. 1-37) by Friday. Your first quiz on the reading is this Friday.  You must also complete your first vocab handout and turn it in on Friday (5/6) as well.

Summer Opportunities
Please check out these summer opportunities from the Elementary Institute of Science:
High School Programs
Future Innovators in Robotics and Engineering (FIRE) program for women