Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Essential Questions
- What are the benefits of having relationships?
- Are all relationships equal?
- How do relationships support our lives?
- What are the trade-offs in relationships?
- What determines the relationships we have?
- How do class, religion, race, and culture affect our relationships?
- What role does empathy play in mutual relationships?
- What place does a dream/vision have in one’s life/relationships?
Unit Questions for Rhetorical Study of Of Mice and Men
1. What is the thesis, what is the overall argument the author presents?
2. What did the author choose to study? Why?
3. What is the writer’s purpose? To inform? To persuade? To criticize?
4. Who is the author’s intended audience?
5. How does the writer arrange his or her ideas? Chronologically?
6. How does the writer use diction? (Word choice, arrangement, accuracy, is it formal, informal? Technical versus slang?)
7. Does the writer use dialogue? Quotations? Why?
8. Are important terms repeated?
9. What is the sentence structure of text? Are there fragments, run ons? Is it declarative, imperative, exclamatory? What effect does this have?
10. Does the writer use punctuation to create an effect? Italics, underlining, parentheses? Which marks does the writer use, and when?
2. What did the author choose to study? Why?
3. What is the writer’s purpose? To inform? To persuade? To criticize?
4. Who is the author’s intended audience?
5. How does the writer arrange his or her ideas? Chronologically?
6. How does the writer use diction? (Word choice, arrangement, accuracy, is it formal, informal? Technical versus slang?)
7. Does the writer use dialogue? Quotations? Why?
8. Are important terms repeated?
9. What is the sentence structure of text? Are there fragments, run ons? Is it declarative, imperative, exclamatory? What effect does this have?
10. Does the writer use punctuation to create an effect? Italics, underlining, parentheses? Which marks does the writer use, and when?
Unit Common Core Standards
- RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- W.9-10.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
- L.9-10.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
- RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
- W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- L.9-10.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- 9-10.4.A Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Assignments and Information
Full Text of the Novel
Non-Fiction Connection
Vocabulary Voice Lessons and Writing Activities Analysis Essay Information
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Study Guides
Reading Schedule for Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men All study guides are due the day the next chapter is set to begin. For example: Chapter 1 study guide is due on February 7. Chapter 2 study guide is due on February 10. This schedule is subject to change, but it should provide an outline for you in which to complete your work. |