1. As you enter today… Take out your vocabulary HW and your Critical Review Section of your research paper! If you have books for me, bring them to me ASAP…

2. DRILL #8: 5.14.12 The title of Of Mice and Men comes from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The best laid schemes o’ mice and men, Gang aft agley (often go wrong) And leave us nought but grief and pain For promised joye Put this in your own words. What does Burns mean? Explain whether you agree or disagree with this statement.

3. Robert Burns Poem The best laid schemes of mice and men often go wrong- referring to a little mouse who had so carefully built her burrow in a field to protect herself and her little mice babies – and the burrow is turned over and destroyed by the man plowing.

4. Objective: Students will develop background knowledge on John Steinbeck and the historical context of Of Mice and Men by making inferences from a movie trailer and participating in an anticipation guide activity

5. UPCOMING 4B: TUES 5/20- Read Sections 1 & 2 of OMAM THURS 5/22- Read Section 3 of OMAM TUES 5/27- Research Paper Rough Draft / Unit 11 Vocab Quiz MON 6/2- Final deadline for FINAL RESEARCH PAPER! (must be submitted to turnitin.com)turnitin.com

6. UPCOMING 4A: SUN 5/18 at midnight- Deadline for Discussion Board Posts for Gatsby movie (turnitin.com)turnitin.com MON 5/19- Read Sections 1 & 2 of OMAM (pg. 1-37) WED 5/21-Read Section 3 of OMAM (pgs. 38-65) FRI 5/23- Research Paper Rough Draft /Unit 11 Vocab Quiz FRI 5/30 - Final deadline for FINAL RESEARCH PAPER! (must be submitted to turnitin.com)turnitin.com

7. UPCOMING PD 1: THURS 5/15- Critical Review Section of Research Paper due SUN 5/18 @12am- Deadline for Discussion Board Post on Gatsby Movie (turnitin.com) (1 original; 2 replies to others)turnitin.com WED 5/21- Unit 11 Vocabulary Quiz FRI 5/23- Research Paper Rough Draft FRI 5/30 - Final deadline for FINAL RESEARCH PAPER! (must be submitted to turnitin.com)turnitin.com

8. Yusra Senior Writing Project!

9. Of Mice and Men Trailer As you watch, make inferences about: Who do you think will be the main characters? What is the setting and how will it impact the plot? What could a major theme in the story be?

10. Of Mice and Men An Introduction

11. John Steinbeck One of the greatest writers of the 20th century…

12. A Look at the Author Born February 27th in 1902 in Salinas, California During his childhood, Steinbeck learned to appreciate his surroundings, and loved the Salinas countryside and the nearby Pacific Ocean; it would be this appreciation that would later come out in his writing. Steinbeck worked during his summers as a hired hand in nearby ranches.

13. The Fields of Salinas, CA

14. The Beauty of Salinas Rich, fertile soil

15. The Life of Steinbeck Decided to be at writer at age 14 Attended Stanford, but dropped out Spent time working with bindlestiffs and migrant workers on California ranches bindlestiff= refers to a traveling migrant worker who carries a bedroll

16. Steinbeck’s Work Wrote many novels in the 1920s and 1930s, many of which were set in California Gained critical success from readers and critics 1936: Of Mice and Men was published, was very successful 1939: The Grapes of Wrath was published; awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940

17. The Migrant Worker Experience The Grapes of Wrath, just like Of Mice and Men, stemmed from his experience working among migrant workers. Steinbeck’s experiences in the fields researching migrant workers led him to have more compassion for these workers,and stirred up his concern for social justice.

18. His Later Years… Wrote prolifically Worked as a war correspondent Was accused of being a Communist Died on December 20, 1968, at his apartment in New York City. His wife took him home to Salinas to be buried near the land that he spent his life writing about

19. Mural Overlooking The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas

20. Of Mice and Men Originally called Something That Happened When Steinbeck first thought of the idea for the book he intended it to be for children. Steinbeck told a friend that he was experimenting with a new “dramatic form.” In May 1936, he wrote a manuscript, but his puppy (a setter called Toby) ate it! He said of the book: "It is an experiment and I don't know how successful."

21. Of Mice and Men The novel deals with the issues dear to Steinbeck’s heart: poverty, homelessness, the exploitation of itinerant workers, the failure of the Dream, America’s general moral decline

22. Main Characters George and Lennie

23. The Setting The novel is set in the farmland of the Salinas valley, where John Steinbeck was born. The ranch in the novel is near Soledad, which is south-east of Salinas on the Salinas river. The countryside described at the beginning of the novel, and the ranch itself is based on Steinbeck’s own experiences.

24. Soledad, California

25. California in the 1930s

26. Think-pair-share: What do you know about the Great Depression Era? How does it relate to our ongoing discussion about the American Dream?

27. The Great Depression & the American Dream The idea of an American Dream for many was broken when in 1929, the Wall Street crashed, marking the beginning of the Great Depression. This era affected the whole world during the 1930s, but even in the midst of hardship, some people’s dreams survived. Thousands of people made their way west towards California to escape from their farmlands in the Midwest that were failing due to drought. The characters of George and Lennie dreamt of having a “little house and a couple of acres” which was their own dream.

28. The Role of Migrant Workers Before technology created farm machinery, humans had to do a lot of the farm work by hand. Between the 1880s and the 1930s, thousands of men would travel the countryside in search of work. Such work included the harvesting of wheat and barley.

29. Migrant Workers These workers would earn $2.50 or $3.00 a day, plus food and shelter. During the 1930s, the unemployment rate was high in the U.S., and with so many men searching for work, agencies were set up to send farm workers to where they were needed. In the novel, George and Lennie (the two main characters) were given work cards from Murray and Ready’s, which was one of the farm work agencies

30. Theme: The American Dream The novel asks the question: Is the American dream possible in the historical context of the novel? George and Lennie have a dream, even before they arrive at their new job on the ranch, to make enough money to live "off the fat of the land" and be their own bosses. Lennie will be permitted, then, to tend the rabbits.

31. Other thematic elements: Powerlessness Fate My Brother’s Keeper Nature The Nature of Dreams Loneliness

32. Anticipation Guide Decide whether you agree or disagree with each statement.

33. A true friend will tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it.

34. The n-word is more offensive than other racial slurs because of the history of hate behind it.

35. People that are poor should rely on their friends, family, or place of worship for help, not the government.

36. Women today are more often treated as equals by men rather than objects.

37. Sometimes a person has to break the law to make sure justice is served

38. Life today is more difficult than it was in the 1930s.

39. Closure: Choose ONE of above statements that you strongly agree or disagree with. Write a paragraph that defends your position. 1. People that are poor should rely on their friends, family, or place of worship for help, not the government. 2. A true friend will tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it. 3. The n-word is more offensive than other racial slurs because of the history of hate behind it. 4. Women today are more often treated as equals by men rather than objects. 5. Sometimes a person has to break the law to make sure justice is served. 6. Life today is more difficult than it was in the 1930s.