1. Of Mice and Men A Novella by John Steinbeck: Reading through Theory

2. Today’s Objective After annotating Dr. Donna Campbell’s Essay “Naturalism,” students will be able to write a paragraph that defines the philosophy and literary theory and identify these features in John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men.

3. Today’s Agenda FIRST, I will define philosophy. NEXT, we will read Dr. Donna Campbell’s essay “Naturalism” OUTLOUD and annotate. THEN, you will read it again silently add MARGINALIA and share it with your partner. FINALLY, you will use your annotations to write a paragraph that defines Naturalism and its literary features.

4. What is Naturalism? What makes Steinbeck a Naturalist writer? Look for answers to these questions as we read the article titled “Naturalism” by Dr. Donna Campbell, professor of American Literature at Washington State University.

5. Naturalism is a philosophy. What is philosophy? philosophy |f ə ˈ läs ə f ē |noun ( pl. -phies) the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. a theory or attitude held by a person or organization that acts as a guiding principle for behavior. A way to explain and organize our ideas about the way the world and the individuals within it exist or should exist.

6. Naturalism is a philosophy. What is philosophy? At the top of the article next to the title: WRITE OUT YOUR PREDICTION about what naturalism believes about the way the world works and the individuals within it exist or should exist. Think and Write for 1 Minute Share your prediction with partner. 1 minute Discuss predictions with class. 3 equity cards.

7. First read: ANNOTATE Teacher reads ONE paragraph out loud. Give students 1 minute in between each paragraph to annotate. Underline sentences that help you understand Naturalism. Use the following questions to guide your annotations. What is Naturalism? How does Naturalist philosophy view human beings and their relationship to the environment? According to Naturalist writers, how much control do human beings have over their destiny? Is there such thing as “free will”? Describe the most common characters in Naturalist literature and their conflicts. Circle KEY WORDS or WORDS you do not understand.

8. Second read: MARGINALIA SECOND READ: Explain your annotations: * Identify and Summarize important Ideas: i.e. This explains that___. ✔ Respond to Ideas: i.e. I think/ wonder/ understand/ agree____. ? Clarify questions and confusion: i.e. I don’t understand ____. What does ___ mean? I wonder why____.

9. DISCUSS ARTICLE A. What is Naturalism? According to Dr. Donna Campbell of Washington State University, Naturalism is___________. B. How does Naturalist philosophy view human beings and their relationship to the environment ? Naturalist philosophy views human beings as _______ and their relationship to their environment _______. C. According to Naturalist writers, how much control do human beings have over their destiny? Is there such thing as “free will”? According to Naturalist thinkers and writers, human beings have/do not have control over their destiny. D. Describe the most common characters in Naturalist literature and their conflicts. The most common characters in Naturalist literature are ________ and their conflicts usually _________.

10. What is Naturalism? Naturalism is _________________. It views human beings as ___________. According to its philosophy, ___________________. Additionally, For example, ________________________. In literature, naturalist philosophy is illustrated by _____________________.

11. Philosophy believes: Human beings as “animals” products of heredity and environment. In literature, this is often illustrated through lower Class, and unremarkable people. Characte rs Philosophy views Nature as hostile or indifferent at best. This is often depicted in literature through Common settingsSetting Philosophy believes that free will is an illusion. In literature conflicts depict characters as beaten down and defeated by natural & economic forces they cannot overcome.Conflicts Philosophy believes Human behavior can be studied and understood through scientific methods. In Literature, Third person narrator describes human behavior like a scientist without judgment. Narrator Theme Philosophy believes that the universe does not care, so people should. Literature is one tool to help people care about those most vulnerable to an indifferent universe and unjust economic systems.

12. What makes Steinbeck a NATURALIST writer? “The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement.” --John Steinbeck, Nobel Prize Speech, 1962