Introduction
Over the next two days you will be completing research as a group about various topics that are covered in the novel, Of Mice and Men. You may use any website given on this webquest and any documents you have been given as homework to help you complete the assignment. Your group will be creating a brochure that shows a synopsis of the information you have gathered over your two days of research.
Task
In your group of four, you will use the Chromebooks to research four topics. You will need to be strategic about your research, and you will need to work together to complete your brochure on time. You will cover the four following issues in your brochure: the life of John Steinbeck, the Great Depression, the migrant experience during the Great Depression, and living with/education of special needs people. You will also create a works cited page in MLA format at the end of your brochure which cites each of your sources accurately. Each person in your group is responsible for your brochure, and you will be graded as a group. Each page of the brochure should have accurate information and should include a nicely designed layout.
Process
In your brochure you must include a title page and a back page as well as information about the four different topics. You must research The Great Depression, The Life of John Steinbeck, the migrant experience during the Great Depression, and living with/education of people with special needs. Your cover page should be visually appealing, and your back page should have map of California highlighting the Salinas Valley area.
It would be wise to split up the topics, so that each person is researching one area.
We will have two block periods with Chromebooks to complete your research and to type out your findings and organize your material for the brochure. You will need to email your typed information to yourself, so that you can print the information at home, and bring it in on Friday. On Friday, you will have approximately 20 minutes to put the brochure together.
What you do not finish at school must be completed at home as the brochure will be due Friday in class.
This “webquest” is designed to assist you in your research. Simply click on the address under the topic you wish to research and you will be provided with several approved internet sites from which you will retrieve information. You may find material in other places, but remember that you may only use appropriate websites.
Topic: Life of Steinbeck
Research the life of Steinbeck and write a character profile giving special attention to the details of his life that might account for the realism he achieved in Of Mice and Men.
Author’s Calendar
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm
National Steinbeck Center
Encyclopedia Britannica
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9069547/John-Steinbeck
Topic: People with Special Needs
Research the types of mental disabilities. Present your findings in your report. Include examples of the activities and capabilities of the different
levels of disabilities.
Intervention Central
http://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-interventions/special-nee…
Kid’s Health
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/birth_defect/mental_retardati…
UNESCO
Topic: Migrant Experience
Research migrant farm workers in the United States. Present your findings in your brochure, noting any changes in the system since 1937. Give examples of their lifestyles and their financial and legal responsibilities.
The Migrant Experience
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html
Migrant Workers Photos
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fachap03.html
Exploring the United Farm Workers’ History
http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/grape-boycott/…
Topic : The Great Depression
Research the era of the Great Depression. Discuss its effects on society and depict what life was like for those living through this time period.
PBS Timeline
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/timeline/index.html
The Depression in the U.S. - An Overview
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/overview.htm
America in the 30s
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/front.html
Works Cited Page
Evaluation
Grading for the brochure will be as follows:
Title Page: ____/3
John Steinbeck:______/10
The Great Depression:_______/10
The Migrant Experience:________/10
People with Special Needs:_______/10
Back Page with Map: _______/5
Works Cited:_______/7
Total: ________/55
You will earn the full ten points for the entry pages if you have the required two paragraphs and three pictures per page, and the information on the page is relevant and meaningful. You will earn the full points for the front cover if it is visually appealing. You will earn full credit for the works cited page if the all the entries are in correct MLA format.