Of Mice and Men Unit Plan Grade 9 Art Leone Edu Prof. R. Moroney Summer 2008

Introduction This unit plan explores the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, on This unit plan explores the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, on many different levels. Using multidisciplinary lessons, the students are asked to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections. The English Language Arts’ standards are prevalent throughout the unit: however, there are several lessons that also include Social Studies and Math. In addition, Technology standards are addressed, including the use of assistive technology for a speech impaired student. The beginning of the unit focuses on pre-reading exercises dealing with the The beginning of the unit focuses on pre-reading exercises dealing with the history of the time period to help foster a complete understanding of the characters and plot within the novel. The middle of the unit has the students reading the first three chapters and there will be a mid-book exam. The final third of the unit will require the students to read the remainder of the book and The unit plan will culminate with a final exam and unit project.

Graphic Organizer

Context of Project Project Specifics: Subject: English Language Arts Grade Level: 9th Team Teaching or Collaboration: No Class Size: 23 students Students with Special Needs: 1 Speech Impaired Student Students’ Experience with Technology: Internet, ing, Texting, Blogs, Ipods Class Access to Technology: Computer Station in the back of the room, the computer lab, personal computer at home & SMART Board

Aim of Project When the unit is completed the students will have a thorough understanding of the themes, characters, setting, plot, and literary devices used in the story. In addition, they will be able to create and use a spreadsheet and chart in Microsoft Excel. Students will be able to answer the following essential questions: How is the concept of the American dream portrayed in the novel? How would you survive if you had nothing? Are there limits to your loyalty to your friends? How important is it to work together to achieve a common goal? How can we prepare ourselves to cope with tragedy? Students will demonstrate knowledge by their participation in group discussions, test scores, rubrics, and unit project.

Justification Technology will be used in the classroom for the following reasons: Differentiation of instruction is facilitated by multimedia applications. Students will learn to better streamline and manage information and, therefore, enhance “Information Literacy.” Students will develop higher level thinking skills as they learn to assess and analyze data. Students with learning impairments will use technology in order to participate and better integrate in the inclusive classroom.

Materials ChalkBlackboardPensPaper Pictures of Animals Pictures of Main Characters Crossword Puzzle Timeline Final Exam Smart Board Microsoft Excel Software Laptop Of Mice and Men Textbook

Time Frame

NYS Learning Standards English Language Arts Standard 1 Language for Information and Understanding Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information. English Language Arts Standard 2 Language for Literary Response and Expression Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation. conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

NYS Learning Standards Cont’ English Language Arts Standard 3 Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will Analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

ISTE Learning Standards NETS Standard I Creativity and Innovation Students think creatively, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products using technology. Students: A. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas and products. B. Use technology for creative self-expression. C. Use systems thinking to explore complex issues. D. Identify trends and forecast possibilities. Nets Standard III Research and Information Fluency Students access, retrieve, manage and evaluate information using digital tools. Students: A. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and use information from a variety of sources and media. B. Evaluate and select information sources and technological tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. C. Process data and report results.

Filamentality Project

Lesson #13 Aim: How can we better understand the use of symbolism? Do Now: Name and describe at least five examples of symbolism used in the book. Learning Objective: Students will better understand the literary technique of Symbolism. Lesson Overview: Using a SMART Board, the teacher will display a T-chart, with one column labeled, “Symbol” and the other labeled, “Meaning.” The “Symbol” column will have a list of symbols used in the book and the teacher will ask for volunteers to match the meaning of these symbols on the SMART Board. The next activity will entail the teacher putting a picture of one of the main characters in each corner of the room. The teacher will then give each student a picture of various animals. The teacher will tell each student, one animal at a time, to go to the corner that he or she believes matches the character. Rubric Assessment: As a homework assignment, students will post a blog explaining why they matched an animal with a character from the book during this activity. In addition, they will matched an animal with a character from the book during this activity. In addition, they will comment why they agree or disagree with a classmate’s blog. The teacher will assess their blogs using a Rubric that will assess the categories, “Position Statement,” “Support for Their Position,” “Sentence Structure,” and “Capitalization & Punctuation.”

Lesson #17 Aim: How can we review for the final book exam? Do Now: Complete the character crossword puzzle. Learning Objective: Students will be better prepared for the final book exam. Lesson Overview: The teacher will give a crossword puzzle to each student that will be a review of the characters in the book. For the next review activity, the teacher will give the students a timeline of the book. The teacher will then play the beginning of a few songs, one at a time and using a laptop and a CD, which will correspond to the events on the timeline. The teacher will ask the students to volunteer their answers to determine the correct event on the timeline with each song. The final review activity will be in the form of a game show. The teacher will break the students into four groups. The team with the most points will receive small prizes. Rubric Assessment: As a homework assignment, students will self-assess their collaborative work skills during the game show activity using a Rubric that will assess the categories, “Working with Others,” “Contributions,” Focus on the Task,” and “Attitude.”

Technology Lesson #13 Symbolism Activity - The teacher will display two columns: one labeled, “Symbol” and the other labeled, “Meaning” on the SMART Board. The “Symbol” column will have examples of symbolism used in the book and The teacher will ask for volunteers to match the meaning of these symbols on the SMART Board. Lesson #17 Timeline/Music Activity – The teacher will give the students a timeline of the book. I will then play the beginning of a few songs, one at-a-time and using a laptop and a CD, that will correspond to the events on the timeline. The teacher will ask students to volunteer their answers in determining the correct event on the timeline with each song.

Assistive Technology A speech impaired student uses a vocal output device to participate in the classroom lessons and activities. Gus! Pocket Communicator is designed for people with communication or speech disorders who require a small, user friendly speech system and have the physical ability to use a hand held computer. Online Price: $2, It offers unlimited pages of words and phrases, along with the ability to create new words and phrases on-the-fly. This is the most portable and powerful speech solution available today and is compatible with ANY Pocket PC from any manufacturer (HP, Compaq, Dell etc.).