Of Mice and Men: A Webquest.

Steinbeck set Of Mice and Men in America during the Great Depression of the 1930s.  A series of droughts in the country meant that a ‘dust bowl’ was created, causing crop failures.  Whole families had to move, and many headed west in search of work.  Refugee camps were created, and emergency accommodations (‘Hoovervilles’) sprang up.  There was no system of state relief, so many were forced to beg for the means to live.  Because of the mass unemployment, those who managed to find work had to accept very bad working conditions and low pay, and many had to become migrant workers, moving from ranch to ranch in search of work. 

You will be working with one other person to prepare a presentation on a topic related to Of Mice and Men.

John Steinbeck            

Questions to Answer:

• The basics: What years did he live? What was his family like (wives, children)? Where did he live? What kind of education did he have?
• What life experiences did Steinbeck have that influenced his novels? (the Great depression and California)
• When and for what did he receive the Nobel Prize? Pulitzer Prize? What are five other famous novels that he wrote?
• Why do you think he was considered a great American novelist?

 Resources:

About John Steinbeck 

Center for Steinbeck Studies (follow links in "Biography" section

Steinbeck and the Social Conscience

Of Mice and Men

Questions to Answer:

•  When was Of Mice and Men first published? 
•  Is Of Mice and Men often used in schools? How do you know?
•   What is a challenged book? Where does Of Mice and Men rank on the most frequently challenged books? Why has this book been challenged?
• Where does the title come from?

 Resources:

Book-Length Works Taught in High School English Courses

Challenged and Banned Books – read about why Of Mice and Men has been challenged or banned in classrooms  

California

Questions to Answer:

•  What are the geographical features of the Salinas valley in California? 
• What are the main industries? What things are grown here? 
•  What was John Steinbeck's relationship to the Salinas Valley? 
•  Where are Weed, Salinas, and the Salinas River located? (These are three places mentioned in Of Mice and Men)

•  What things led to the existence of migrant workers in America in the 1930s? 
•  Are there migrant workers today? Describe the types of people they are and what kind of lives they live.
•  Why did workers want to move to California?
• What was life like for a migrant worker in California?

Resources: