Of Mice and Men & The American Dream Conceptual Unit Created By Morgan Dronen

Who? 11 th Grade American Studies class Class struggles with academic motivation Students require a great amount of structure and scaffolding in the classroom

Where? Jamestown High School Williamsburg, VA Diverse, middle-class student body

What? Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck The American Dream Real world job experience Fiction and Nonfiction Literature

Why? Allow students to understand what the American Dream is and how it has changed over time Incorporating the literature into a “ real- world job ” approach will allow the students to gain meaningful knowledge that will help prepare them for the future Students will continuously practice life skills such as teamwork, dedication, and responsibility

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The Student’s Job: Job Title: Literature Analyst Job Description: Analysts are responsible for producing detailed investigation and inquiry on the literary topic at hand. Job Responsibilities: Analysts will be given specific jobs, individual and team based, on a weekly basis and are expected to complete these tasks to the best of their abilities. Dronen Inc.

The Student’s Job: Salary: Weekly paychecks will be distributed based on the completion of previously stated responsibilities. Unsuccessful completion of responsibilities: Student will not receive a paycheck

Dronen Inc. Analysts Student Name 1000 One Thousand Dollars and 00 / 100 Of Mice and Men Unit Mrs. Dronen 12/10/2014

The Bank $500One Homework Pass $1000One free edited paper or assignment prior to grading $2000Three free participation cards $3000One free quiz pass $5000Eight bonus points on your final project

The Student’s Job: Group Work: When students are placed into groups, they are required to work together to complete the task at hand. If a member is not taking their job seriously and contributing to the group work, the group members are able to take action against this analyst. Students will fill out surveys at the end of every group project to ensure that everyone is participating.

The Student’s Job: Students will be responsible for: Group Projects Presentations Analyzing historical literature Making inferences based on literature Creating and writing persuasive arguments

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