Of Mice and Men Pre-Reading Webquest

You are about to embark on a journey of understanding of what it was like to be a Great Depression era migrant worker in the Salinas Valley of California. John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men as a vehicle to express his social conscience about the period. Of Mice and Men is a novel about poverty and dreams, friendship and loneliness, and despair and hope. In order to help you to understand the context of the novel and how it still resonates today, you are about to embark on a Webquest that will lay the ground work for a deeper understanding of this simple, yet profound story. 

DIRECTIONS: Research the following background issues that led to Steinbeck's writing of this novella about profound friendship and social issues. You will be working INDIVIDUALLY on this webquest and will need to answer questions using COMPLETE SENTENCES.

Geography

Directions: Use the links below to answer the questions found on your web quest worksheet.

• The Geography of Of Mice and Men – Background on the Salinas Valley-the setting
• Setting and Significance – Outline of farmland
• Steinbeck and Salinas – Relationship between Steinbeck and Salinas

1. What are the geographical features of the Salinas Valley in California?

2. What kinds of jobs are available here?

3. What was John Steinbeck's relationship to the Salinas Valley?

4. For the visual component, create a map of the area with significant locations identified.

Sociology

Directions: Use the links below to answer the questions found on your web quest worksheet.

• The Great Depression
• The Migrant Experience – Overview
• Photos of the Great Depression
• The Dust Bowl
• Migrant Workers today

1. What was the Great Depression?

2. What were some of the causes?

3. Who were the migrant workers and how were they affected by the Great Depression?

4. Do migrant workers exist today? Where? what kinds of jobs do they have?

Psychiatry

Directions: Use the links below to answer the questions found on your web quest worksheet. 

• Mental Disability
• Caring for a Mentally Disabled Person
• Friendship and the mentally disabled

1. What is a mental disability and how does it affect a person's everyday life?

2. What are some of the difficulties in caring for a mentally disabled person?

3. What kinds of support are available for caregivers?

4. What is the role of friendship in caring for the mentally disabled?

Biography:

Directions: Use the links below to answer the questions found on your web quest worksheet.

• John Steinbeck
• Nobel Prize Speech
• Steinbeck’s Works

1. Present the major facts about Steinbeck's life.

2. What philosophy of life is revealed in Steinbeck's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech?

3. What influenced Steinbeck to write Of Mice and Men?

4. For the visual portion of your presentation, create a collage of Steinbeck’s life and work.

FINAL RESPONSE: You have all learned about different influences on the writing of Of Mice and Men. If you had to choose the one most important feature of what you have explored, what would it be? How would this aspect influence a writer? Provide evidence and support for your point. Explain your answer. This should be 3+ paragraphs long - include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Please be sure to answer this prompt on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER.