A Webquest

Introduction We will soon begin reading John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men. The novel takes the reader on a journey through the lives of two men, Lennie and George. These two men become best friends and make big plans for the future.

Introduction Today, each of you will be researching some of the background information about the novel. There is much to learn about the time period, setting, author, and other information important to the novel. After you receive your topic, you will get together with your partner(s) and research your findings together. Based off your research, you will create a group presentation to deliver next class. One person from each group should upload your presentation on Google Classroom before the end of the class period. In a private note, be sure to write all of your group member names.

The Quest: Each group will be responsible for presenting information on one topic. The topics include the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, migrant workers, the New Deal, Salinas Valley and Soledad, John Steinbeck, and mental illness.

The Process and Presentation: the group will get together to prepare and present the information they found to the class in powerpoint form or any other creative technology-based medium. (5 min max) Each member will be expected to participate in the oral presentation.

The Resources/Grading You will use the websites provided to find the information you need. Just click on the URL address, or feel free to do additional research When you get to the websites, read over your information and answer the questions as completely as possible. Your oral presentation and powerpoint will count as a group grade. Be sure to cite MLA style and include pictures as necessary

1 - The Great Depression Use the following links to answer the following questions: What lead up to the stock market crash? Explain “Black Thursday” and “Black Tuesday.” What was the impact of the Crash? How and by whom was the term “depression“ coined? What were some social problems during The Great Depression? How did the depression affect children? http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/wall_street_crash.htm http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpmech5.htm http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture18.html http://newdeal.feri.org/eleanor/er2a.htm

2 - The Dust Bowl Use the links below to answer the following questions: 1. What kind of severe weather conditions did the nation experience between 1935-1936? What caused the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma? What was “Black Sunday?” What is a “snuster?” How were students affected during a dust storm? What did the Dust Bowl era teach farmers? http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/dustbowlpics.html http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_06.html

3 - Farmers/Migrant Workers Use the links below to answer the following questions: Why were the farmers forced to migrate to California? What were some of the benefits for farmers living in California? What were the migrants called and why? How many migrants would enter California each month? Was California the “promised land” of the migrant’s dreams? Why or why not? 5. What did the migrants do to maintain a steady income? 6. How did WWII help the working conditions of some of the migrants? http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_06.html

4 - The New Deal Use the links below to answer the following questions: Who was the president at the beginning of the Great Depression? Who beat him in the 1932 election? Why? What line did the president say in his inaugural address that quickly became a famous quote? What was the president’s first act when he got into office? What was the “Hundred Days?” Explain how the president created jobs for the unemployed. Include at least three specific examples. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USARnewdeal.htm http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0835397.html http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/

5 - John Steinbeck Use the links to answer the following questions: When and where was John Steinbeck born? When and where did he die? Where did Steinbeck go to college? When did he graduate? What experience helped Steinbeck portray the lives of workers? What was Steinbeck’s first successful work? What two important awards did Steinbeck receive for his writings? When was Of Mice and Men published? Which works were made into a play and/or movie? http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9069547/John-Steinbeck http://americanwriters.org/writers/steinbeck.asp

6 - Salinas Valley/Soledad, California Use the links below to answer the following questions: Where is the Salinas Valley located? What county is it a part of? What does Soledad mean? What are some of the agricultural productw produced in Soledad? What makes the Salinas River so special? http://www.mtycounty.com/pgs-misc/salinas-river.html http://salinaschamber.com/living_here.asp http://www.beachcalifornia.com/soled.html

7 - Mental Illness Use the links below to answer the following questions: What are the causes of mental retardation? What are four signs of mental retardation? By what is a person’s level (moderate to severe) of mental retardation defined? How common is mental retardation? What challenges might someone who is mentally retarded face when learning? http://www.prevention-news.com/1997/causes.htm http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/m/mentalretardation.htm http://www.onestops.info/article.php?article_id=54

Good Luck on your Quest!