Of Mice and Men

The activities and ideas in this pack will help students develop a close understanding of the text, explore its social, cultural and historical contexts, consider Steinbeck’s ideas and perspectives, and analyse his use of language and structure.

‘There’s a strong focus on the themes, characters and life in 1930s America in this pack, with plenty of support for students developing their own critical interpretation. There are some great contextual images of the Dust Bowl and documentary-style videos too. It’s a short but powerful novel so the approaches are suitable for KS3 students as well as IGCSE, and there’s something for all abilities.’
Helen Stacey, writer

All the practical and creative ideas you need to teach this popular text in one place.

What’s included?
An assessment objective map
Lesson plans and ideas alongside tailor-made resources.

What’s inside?

Introduction (pages 2-3)

Section 1 (pages 4-20)
Resource - judge a book by its cover
Resource - a comprehensive pack
Resource - Lennie in quotes
Resource - historical context
Resource - wanted poster
Resource - section 1 learning grid
Resource - match the contextual information
Resource - evaluating a PEE paragraph

Section 2 (pages 21-37)
Resource - chapter 2 – introducing more characters
Resource - picture research
Resource - chapter 2 question loop
Resource - role on the wall
Resource - chapters 1 and 2 – picture game

Section 3 (pages 38-58)
Resource - word definitions task
Resource - Steinbeck’s writing style
Resource - foreshadowing
Resource - from Character presentations
Resource - tension graph
Resource - A-Z quiz of George and Lennie’s Dream
Resource - Chapter 3 – Do you know the question? Quiz

Section 4 (pages 59-72)
Resource - bullseye
Resource - Chapter 4 – Getting to know Crooks
Resource - Crooks and Curley’s wife
Resource - critics’ viewpoints
Resource - De Bono’s six thinking hats
Resource - top ten statements

Section 5 (pages 73-100)
Resource - power and authority diamond nine
Resource - the characters’ innermost feelings
Resource - Lennie on trial
Resource - an unusual form
Resource - extract study
Resource - Curley’s wife: Miss Dynamite or lonely victim?
Resource - Curley’s wife: do we sympathise with her?

Section 6 (pages 101-133)
Resource - Chapter 6 – Beat the clock
Resource - storyboard
Resource - characters – key quotations revision guide
Resource - Bloom’s taxonomy discussion questions
Resource - society under scrutiny
Resource - put the PEE structures back together
Resource - themes in the novel – essay planning

Exam style questions (pages 134-135)