Unit+3

Activity 1: Preparing to Read Of Mice and Men
Remember that in order to understand, and enjoy a piece of writing, you should be an active reader. You should also remember that one of the strategies for becoming an active reader is to have a purpose in mind while reading. To that end, you should keep in mind that in this unit you will be completing a research report on life in North America in the 1930s, doing a comparison between the novel and the movie version, and writing a proposal for a modern version or parody of the novel. Keep that in the back of your mind while you read. There are other assignments along the way, and you can scan future assignments if you wish. This novel is about two men who are migrant farm workers during the Depression in California.
 * || Look at the [|Map] to help you understand the geographical setting of this novel. As you are reading use the [|Graphic Organizer] to record important information ||

There is a **Vocabulary Exercise** for each chapter in this novel. Make sure you know the vocabulary for Chapter 1

Consider the following short scripted scene: //Student//: Mr. Loblaw, I finished that 4000 page novel last night, like you asked. //Teacher//: Great! Now, do you remember the part where the man rescues the boy from that runaway train? //Student//: Sure do! //Teacher//: Great! Now what page was that on?

While you read the novel, //Of Mice and Men//, you will be asked to answer a number of questions and take notes throughout the novel. Many of these questions will be of value to you as you complete work related to the novel. Be sure that where possible, you write a page number down any time you get information from the novel. It makes like a lot easier later on!

**Assignment 1: Chapter 1**
Read the first chapter of your novel. Be sure to look up any terms you are not familiar with and define them in the Glossary section of your blog.

__Grammar and Punctuation__
He went to the store! He went to the store. || Look at the three sentences above and notice that even though the words remain the same, the punctuation is different. What effect does that have on the sentence? Does it change anything? What do you notice about the following sentence? Although there are four word errors in the sentence above, your spell checker wouldnt tell you anything was wrong at all. Why? Because even though the four words are used incorrectly, they are spelled properly.
 * He went to the store?
 * Two many times the whether has had a negative affect on your friends. ||

Learning grammar is usually done with a fair bit of groaning, but if you were an employer and you read a prospective employees resume and it had four word errors in one sentence, what would you think about the person whose resume it is?

Please go through the following interactive activity which gives you a crash course in grammar, punctuation, and word errors.

**Writing an Informational Report - The First Step is Research**
Before you begin the process of writing a report, you need to come to an understanding of what a report is and then go through the various steps towards completion. Please read the following information from Think Literacy about writing an informational report.

Notice that the first step is researching information on your topic. You’ve already learned ways to compile research effectively on the Internet, and so now it is time to look at the process of note taking.

And it is a good idea while you are researching to compile your Works Cited page. A Works Cited page allows the reader of your report to see from where you’ve gathered your information. It’s an important step in avoiding plagiarism because it gives credit to the person who wrote the information. Use the following as a guide to help you make a Works Cited page for this report.

In order to properly cite your research for this activity, you must review the M.L.A. Guidelines you will be using in your report. This replaces the "old style" footnotes or endnotes on essays and reports. Citations are used to let people know you have used someone else's words, ideas, or facts. By citing your sources, you avoid plagiarism. To cite a source, you insert the author's name and the page number of the source immediately after the quotation or paraphrase. "The most fundamental distinction between students is not their race or sex or religion or family income, but between those who get it and those who don't, and kids like these are present in every school, in every classroom" (Dryden, 5). According to Dryden, "the most fundamental distinction between students is not their race or sex or religion or family income, but between those who get it and those who don't..." (5). It is generally agreed that race, sex, religion or family income are not the most significant differences between students (Dryden, 5). Note that this passage is not a direct quote, but still needs citation because you are using someone else's ideas! ||
 * **GUIDELINES FOR CITATIONS (MLA STYLE)**
 * Citing Your Work**
 * Examples of Citations:**
 * OR**
 * OR**

**Works Cited Page:**
This replaces the "old style" bibliography. It is on a separate page at the end of your essay or report. It is an alphabetical list (usually alphabetical by author's last name) of all sources uses when preparing an assignment. This is double spaced throughout but it is NOT numbered.

How to create a Works Cited page:

 * **This information is not all inclusive. It provides samples only. Talk to your teacher for more information, or look at reference material for MLA citations.** ||

**For a BOOK or PAMPHLET:**
Brown, D. and K. Webster. Pizza and its origins. London: Houghton-Mifflin, 1985. NOTE: || 1. Title so books are underlined or placed in italics, and only the first letter is capitalized. 2. Use a "hanging indent" after the first line. 3. When more than one author is listed, only the first author's name is inverted. 4. When 3 or more authors are listed, list the first author's name, then the abbreviation et al. after the name. 5. Use the EXACT order as listed, with the EXACT information. 6. Punctuation is important, as is attention to capitalization. Use the same capitalization method as the articles from which you cite. ||  ||
 * Anthony, R. The ultimate guide to creating pizza. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.

**For a MAGAZINE, NEWSPAPER, BROCHURE, OR BOOKLET:**
Frederick, P. "Pizza is the best cure for a hungry tummy." The Province. 12 February 2000: 7. ||
 * Delbello, F. "My best pizza recipe uncovered." Gourmet Today. May 2001: 45-46.

**For a MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER found on the Electric Library:**

 * Melanson, B. "Why I love pizza." Gourmet. 03-22-25. Electric Library. Nelson Library, Nelson, BC. 7 May 2001. [|http://www.elibrary.com] ||

**For a CD ROM:**

 * Norrie, W. "The Origins of Pizza." Microsoft Encarta '99. (CD-ROM) Microsoft Corporation, 1999 ed. ||

**For an Encyclopedia:**
Pizza. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1995 ed. ||
 * Not every article will have an author, so use title of article

**For an Internet site:**
DeVuono, R. My mom's pizza is the best this side of the Atlantic. Online posting. 10 May 2001. Available: [] ||
 * The date is the date you DOWNLOADED the information

**For a Personal Interview or Phone Call:**

 * Rigatoni, Antonio F. Telephone interview. 15 March 2001. ||

For a Videotape:

 * **Mama Rosa's Techniques for Fool-Proof Pizza Dough. Videotape. Prod. Tony Roma. Dir. Arthur Agnotti. National Film Board of Canada, 1998. 65 min.** ||

= = __Additional Notes:__
 * 1) If there is more than one city of publication, always choose the Canadian city.
 * 2) If there is more than one date of publication, always choose the Most Recent date.
 * 3) If there is no date given, simply write n.d. where you would normally put the date.
 * 4) If there are more than 3 authors, use the abbreviation et al. after the first author's name.
 * 5) Use the editor's name if no author is listed, and if there is an editor listed.
 * 6) Items found in the Vertical File should be cited according to the type of information they are: ie: magazine article, brochure, newspaper clipping, etc. If there is no author, give the ministry, agency, or company as the author and alphabetize accordingly.

**Sample Works Cited page**
Brown, D. and K. Webster. Pizza and its origins. London: Houghton-Mifflin, 1985. Delbello, F. "My best pizza recipe uncovered." Gourmet Today. May 2001: 45-46. DeVuono, R. My mom's pizza is the best this side of the Atlantic. Online posting. 10 May 2001. Available: [] Frederick, P. "Pizza is the best cure for a hungry tummy." The Province. 12 February 2000: 7. Melanson, B. "Why I love pizza." Gourmet. 03-22-25. Electric Library. Nelson Library, Nelson, BC. 7 May 2001. [|http://www.elibrary.com] Norrie, W. "The Origins of Pizza." Microsoft Encarta '99. (CD-ROM) Microsoft Corporation, 1999 ed. Pizza. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1995 ed. ||
 * Anthony, R. The ultimate guide to creating pizza. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998

**Assignment 2:**
Correcting Grammar Mistakes In this assignment, you will apply what you just learned to identify the grammar errors in a number of quotes from the novel Of Mice and Men. Be sure to refer back to the interactive activity for common grammar and punctuation errors. All the information you need to find the mistakes and complete the assignment can be found in the All About Grammar and Punctuation practice activity. Open the [|OMAM Grammar] document to get started.

You are going to be writing a 300-500 word report in the next activity, but right now you are responsible for gathering information for that report and creating a works cited page.

Your first task is to narrow down a topic. Your general topic is going to be life in North America in the 1930s. It is now up to you to narrow down that general topic to find something that you find interesting about life in the 1930s. You might use a word web to brainstorm ideas or some other method of brainstorming that you are familiar with. Don’t hesitate to ask the teacher for some feedback before you finalize your topic. You will need to find at least three different sources of reliable information on your chosen topic and so be sure that there is enough information on that topic before you invest too much time in that direction.
 * Topic**

Using the resources available to you (Internet, library, etc.) you need to find at minimum of three reliable sources of information about your topic.
 * Research**

**Assignment 4**

 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

**Assignment 5**
__**The Written Report**__ Now that you’ve completed the research and note-taking portion of this report, it is time to let the report take shape. Using the blank template provided below, fill in the information for your report in the way that it was demonstrated in the content section.

For a copy of the Essay Template click: [|Essay Template].

Remember that you are to write an essay 300-500 words in length. Take a close look at the rubric to see how this essay is being evaluated.

**Activity 3**
In the novel, when Lennie crushes Curley's hand, the other workers convince Curley to say it was an accident. This helps Lennie and George, but it also shows that the other workers know that Curley provoked Lennie unmercifully.

Hopefully you will never have to witness an actual workplace accident or have a workplace accident but if you do, you will be expected to fill in an Accident Report. Check here to see an Example of an Accident Report Form (available in pdf format). Forms like this are widely used for many purposes at work. It is important to know how to read and complete these forms correctly.

Use the following questions to make point form notes about this form that you will use in the assignment for this activity. What personal information about the injured person is needed? What details about the accident are needed? What details about insurance claims are needed? ||
 * First, look at how the form is organized. What are the 7 parts of this form?

**Assignment 6**
Complete the following assignment and **post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

Of Mice and Men - Vocabulary Chapter 3
Read the third chapter of your novel.

**Assignment 7**

 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

Writing Assignment
You will prepare an Accident Report for Curley's injured hand.

Pretend that you were present in the bunkhouse when Curley's hand was crushed. Using the point form note that you made about the Accident Report Form, make a list of all the details you will need for your report.

Curley has decided to charge Lennie with causing his injury. Write your account of the injury using all the details that you have noted. Be sure to organize your report in a formal way, using the Accident Report Form as your sample. Include all the necessary parts of the sample.

//"Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me."//
This childhood rhyme is actually not true. We are often hurt by the words that others use about us. We can also hurt others cruelly with our words.

In the novel many characters use cruel language and insulting words about other characters. One character, in particular, is treated very badly. He must live apart from the others and he is constantly referred to a "the nigger." The author is trying to arouse our sympathy for Crooks through showing how badly he is treated by everyone. He is also trying to persuade the readers about how wrong it is to use such language through his characters in this story. He creates a believable character in Crooks and shows us Crooks' reactions to this treatment.

While you are reading Chapter 4, make a note of the way Crooks reacts to how he is treated by others. Notice that he also uses the word "nigger" about himself. Sometimes people use these words of insult referring to themselves to pretend that something isn't a bother to them. Are there any words that you find insulting when other people use them? Do you ever use words about yourself that would make you angry if someone else used them? Crooks reacts to his treatment by trying to stop others from coming into his space. Why does he do this? Have you ever used language that is insulting and then regretted it? How would you react if you were in a situation where others were using insulting language that made you uncomfortable? ||
 * How would you feel in Crooks' situation?

**Assignment 8**
Complete the following assignment and **post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

//Of Mice and Men -// Vocabulary Chapter 4
Read the fourth chapter of your novel.

__Journal Reflection__
Reflect in your journal on the topic of insulting language. In order to get things going, consider the following starters about the topic.
 * 1) Identify a place or situation in which you are insulted on a regular basis. Who insults you? How does it make you feel?
 * 2) Identify a person you yourself regularly insult in a joking manner? What makes it acceptable? Are there times when it goes too far?
 * 3) Who do you never insult? Why?

**Activity 5**
In this chapter we start to understand Curley's wife a little. She is very lonely on the farm and regrets marrying Curley. She thinks she made a mistake marrying him and she doesn't see any hope for the future. Curley is very jealous and possessive and she is bored and discontented. That's a dangerous combinations and it's no wonder George recognized that she was a dangerous person. || While you are reading this chapter try to understand her character. The author never even tells us her name. She is only Curley's wife. Why? Use the following questions to make point form notes for the journal which you will be writing. What did she think she wanted to do with her life? Why is she so lonely? Do lonely people sometimes put themselves in danger because they are lonely? Can loneliness make a person angry with other people? Why? Who does Curley's wife treat with cruelty because she is so lonely? What did she do? (This is not in Chapter 5 - look in Chapter 4) Why does Curley's wife try to talk with Lennie even though Lennie knew he wasn't supposed to talk to her? Do you feel any sympathy for her? Why or why not? ||
 * //**Her face grew angry. "Wha's the matter with me?" she cried. "Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody?"**//
 * Why did she marry Curley?

**Assignment 10**
Complete the following assignment and **post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

Of Mice and Men - Vocabulary Chapter 5
Read the fifth chapter of the novel.

**Assignment 11**
__Journal__ Using the point form notes you made in activity 5, write a reflective journal on this topic. You are encouraged to apply Curleys wife’s situation to experiences that you or someone you know has had.
 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

**Activity 6**
When all of the men find Curley's wife dead in the barn they think they know what happened. Curley immediately starts getting the others to run after Lennie. He gets a gun and so do the others. They aren't going to catch Lennie and take him to jail. Curley swears that he will kill him by shooting him in the stomach. They have become a mob.

Only George understands that it probably isn't the way it seems. He knows Lennie will have to go to jail because of what he has done, but he knows that Lennie didn't kill Curley's wife deliberately.

Prepare for your journal about mob behaviour and violence by making point form notes based on these questions: Why is Curley's intention particularly cruel? Given what has happened in the novel so far, why is Curley's intention particularly cruel? Do you think they would have taken Lennie to jail? Why or why not? Do you think they would have asked for Lenny’s side of the story? Why or why not? What is the meaning of the word "mob"? What does this word suggest about the behaviour of people who are in a mob? Why do mobs often act violently? Why are mobs so hard to control? What actual and well-known happenings in our modern world have created mob reactions? (You may wish to research this topic before the discussion) ||
 * What do the men assume happened?

__Journal__
In a reflective journal, discuss mob behaviour and violence using your answers to the questions from Activity 6.

**Activity 7**
In this activity you will take 3 quizzes that have opportunities for you to correct your own answers. Plan to take these quizzes when you have time to think about your answers so that you can do as well as possible. Consider them preparation for the upcoming test.

Click here for the //Of Mice and Men Multiple Choice Quiz 1//. Click here for the //Of Mice and Men Multiple Choice Quiz 2//. Click here for the //Of Mice and Men Multiple Choice Quiz 3//.

**Activity 8: Adapting a Story - Culminating**
Many times filmmakers like to build on the success of a novel by making it into a film. The idea is to start with a great story that people recognize and transform it into a great film. This is what director, Gary Sinise, did when he transformed the novel //Of Mice and Men// into a film in 1992.

In the culminating assignment for this unit you will be comparing the novel that you have read and the movie that was made in 1992, starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.

As you watch the movie, you will find it helpful to make some notes about some of the key aspects of the setting, the characters, and the story.


 * || Here's a checklist (available in pdf format)**,** for you to print, that will help you while you are watching the movie. ||

__**Parody - a form of adaptation**__

In the future, someone (an employer, friend, family member, etc.) will give you a task that asks you to think "outside the box: when solving a problem. This means that the answer to the problem is not sitting right in front of you; it means you must approach it from another angle. In industry, it’s one of the ways that innovation and new discoveries find their ways into our daily lives. Employers like ideas that show improvement, save time, save money, etc. and thinking outside the box generates most of these ideas.

In the world or writing or film, a form of adaptation that uses this principle is Parody where someone takes an existing piece of literature or film and transforms it into a modern context or changes it to serve another purpose, while the ideas of the original work are still embedded in that parody. The creators of the Simpsons have parodied many great literary works in their show. Lord of the Flies, Hamlet, and The Crucible, are just three examples of parodies from the show. What the writers do is pop the characters from the Simpsons into the plots of these famous works and then see what happens. You can still, however, see traces of the original works in the show. Try to come up with a list of parodies that you know of from film or television.

__**Pitching your idea**__ Another reality of this idea of innovation is the need to pitch the idea to someone who can help make it happen. A pitch is a short presentation in which you give the main ideas of your proposal. This means that your ability to communicate orally is key. Fact or fiction, many people are more afraid of speaking in public than they are of death? Why might that be?

__**Building confidence in your speaking ability**__ Picturing your audience in their underwear is one common approach that some say helps take away the nervousness of speaking in front of a group of people. You might have a distraction, but you might also forget what you’re up there to say. Here are some tips for preparing to speak in front of a group of people. These tips are also useful if you are speaking in front of a group of one in a job interview or some equally stressful situation.

__Tips__

 * 1) Preparation** - I’m just going to get up there and wing it. This is not an uncommon expression when people prepare to present their ideas in front of a group. Maybe you are one of those gifted individuals who can do that, but most people go down in flames when they wing it. Make sure of what you are going to say before you start. In the case of the assignment for this activity, you will be pitching an idea of a parody. You might want to write it out and practice it before you actually pitch it.


 * 2) Rehearsal** - If you think you’re ready, do it one more time, and do it in front of a supportive audience. This helps build confidence, which takes away some of the nervousness.


 * 3) Posture** - Remember the activities dealing with body language? Imagine a person who is speaking in front of a crowd and is nervous. How do they stand? Are their shoulders forward or back? Are they looking down or straight ahead? Your diaphragm is the muscle just below your lungs that is in charge of your breathing. If you are hunched forward, looking down, you are putting pressure on your diaphragm and it doesn’t work very effectively. Less oxygen means your brain isn’t working as well as it could be. Try it now! Put your shoulders and head back and sit up straight. You should find it easier to breathe.

You are ready to start pitching!
 * 4) Breathing** - Air is one of the things that your body needs. If your body isn’t getting the air it wants, it starts to think that something is wrong, and then it does strange things because it perceives that there is danger. Take a deep breath right now and let it out slowly. Feel better? Instead of imagining people in their underwear, focus on your breathing. It will help take the nerves away, and you will be able to avoid imagining your teacher in his/her underwear!!

**Assignment 14: Journal**
Write a journal response to the following:
 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

It is said that more people are afraid of speaking in public than of death.
 * 1) What physical signs of nervousness do you show when you are going to speak in front of a group of people, like a classroom situation? (List a minimum of five)
 * 2) Why does your body react in this manner?
 * 3) What causes your body to react in this way? (You should do some research before answering this question)
 * 4) What have you done in the past to deal with or avoid situations where you had to speak in front of a crowd?
 * 5) What have you done in the past to overcome this fear?


 * Once your teacher returns your journal with comments, make the necessary corrections and save the final copy in your Portfolio.**

**Assignment 15**

 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

__Outline__
 * You have just been hired by a big time movie studio to create a parody of the classic novel Of Mice and Men. This is a huge opportunity for you, and if all goes well, it could mean a multi-million dollar contract and your Mom will say really nice things about you!

Before your boss will let you get into the studio to pitch your ideas, he wants to see a rough copy of your ideas based on the novel, the previously released film from 1992, and your new concepts for a parody. ||

**Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**
__**The Pitch**__

The characters from the novel and who plays them; (ex - Of Mice and Doh is a story of Lennie, played by Homer Simpson, and George, played by Ned Flanders) The main plot of the parody; (Remember, it should have the themes, but not the same exact plot as the novel) The big ending. (Surprise the executives)

**Assignment 17**
In this assignment you will reflect on what you have learned and the assignments you completed in Unit 3.


 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.**

Unit 3 Metacognitive Reflection: Use the following document and post to the Learning Journal section of your blog.: [|OMAM Unit Reflection.rtf]