Your teacher will have told you what your final assessment question will be. It will be BASED UPON one of the following questions, but you may find that they rephrase it for your class. ENSURE THAT YOU CHECK that you’re focusing on the correct question before drafting!

Explore the ways one or two minor characters are presented in ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck. Explore the ways emotions are shown in ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck.

Find your GOLDEN NUGGETS. These are the quotations that you are going to use to support each of your points in the assessment. For a ‘C’ grade or above, they MUST fall into one of the following categories of language or structure: Structure Cyclical narrative Repetition Echo Simple/minor sentences Cliff hanger Language Metaphor/simile Personification Pathetic Fallacy Interesting adjectives/adverbs Symbolism

Annotate your GOLDEN NUGGETS. Mindmap all of the meanings, suggestions and effects. Ensure that these all link to the specific question that you are answering. For a ‘C’ grade or above, you MUST also make links to the context of the novel. “the way a bear drags his paws” Simile, comparing Lennie to an animal. This could highlight the sorrowful life that a migrant worker lead at that time, making the reader sympathise with Lennie, despite his frightening, ‘bear’ like, physical appearance. ‘Drags’ suggests a burden. Perhaps Lennie dislikes his life and his situation and, despite his physical power, has no way of stopping it. ‘Bear’ is a brutal animal, symbolising Lennie’s physical power.

Turn your annotations into PEEEL paragraphs. Use the example and structure below to help to guide you. Point: Introduce which technique/viewpoint you’re discussing and briefly what It suggests. Evidence: Provide evidence. Explain: Explain the obvious meaning, linking back to your point. Explore: Now go into more depth, discussing whether the language could suggest other things or that the structural technique could have other effects. Link: link to the context of the text

Steinbeck creates tension very effectively in chapter three, when Carson shoots Candy’s dog, through his use of a number of very effective linguistic techniques. Steinbeck uses the senses throughout this scene with a particular focus on sounds. For example, the narrative describes how George “rippled the edge of the decks nervously, and the little snapping noise drew the eyes of all the men in the room, so that he stopped doing it.” This suggests just how uptight George and all the other men were about what was about to happen. Furthermore, Steinbeck’s precise verb choices here really effectively create an impression of George playing with the cards to distract himself from what is happening, giving a very realistic visual image through the choice of “rippled” which suggests the movement of the cards in his hands. In addition to this, the verb “snapping” is not only onomatopoeic, creating the harsh ‘snapping’ sound of the cards in contrast to the silence around him, it could also be seen as representing the men’s nerves that are about to ‘snap’ with the tension of waiting. The use of the adverb “nervously” effectively reinforces George’s feelings of apprehension as he waits for the sound of the gunshot. Steinbeck may have wanted to show the reader that this event was particularly important, not only in terms of the effect it had on Candy and on the other men, but also because it is a significant moment in the story. This could link to the idea of the Great Depression. Steinbeck could use this as a symbol of the depression taking away all hope and happiness from people, as the dog was Candy’s source of happiness and his companion.

Now peer assess, getting a friend or member of your family to check your paragraphs. Mark/Ban d Skills Band 5 A/A* You make original and sophisticated interpretations of characters and events THROUGHOUT your essay. You show that you understand Steinbeck’s ideas and intentions throughout the novel, making sophisticated points. You unpick language and structure in an extremely thorough and sophisticated way (you explore in so much depth that there’s nothing else that you could possibly say) You make interesting links to context, which demonstrate a high level understanding. (Hint: the link in the previous example is a Band 5 link.) Band 4 C/B You sustain your interpretations throughout your essay, ensuring that each PEEEL is high quality. You demonstrate a good understanding and interpretations of Steinbeck’s ideas. You analyse language and structure in detail, thoroughly exploring. You make convincing connections between characters and events and the novel’s context.