Unit+Plan+-+Of+Mice+and+Men

Unit Plan: Of Mice and Men By Jenn Ashburn

John Stei'nbecks //Of Mice and Men// Gibbons, Kaye. //Ellen Foster.// New York; Vintage Contemporaries, 1987. Print. Ellen is a young girl with an ill mother and an abusive father. Ellen's mother commits suicide, leaving Ellen to fend for herself. She finds willing protection from her best friend's family, but struggles with the idea that her friend is black and Ellen is white. Ellen's journey takes her from one house to another, some more friendly than others. She eventually locates a loving foster family, and realizes that skin color no longer matters, now that she lives in the 1960s.
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Halse Anderson, Laurie. //Speak.// NewYork: Penguin Group, 1999. Print. Melinda starts 9th grade alienated from all of her friends. Melinda attended a summer party, in which she is the victim of date rape. In desperate need of help, she calls 911, but becomes overwhelmed when party goers frantically disperse. She sneaks home, keeping her secret for close to a year. Along with her social status and pride, Melinda loses her voice and motivation. She is a social outcast for calling the police. The only sign of her pain is her badly bitten lip. Melinda finally confides in her former best friend, from her attacker and her silence. Lennie, Ellen, and Melinda are all victims and social outcasts. Lennie is criticized for his intelligence, and his clumsy strength forces he and George to flee social situations quite often. Ellen is abandoned by her mother, abused by her father, and forced to work in the cotton fields by her grandmother. Melinda is ostracized from an entire school because she was a silent victim. All three of these characters need compassion from loyal friends, because they have all lost their dignity for one reason or another. By reading //Speak// and //Ellen Foster// in juxtaposition with //Of Mice and Men,// students will learn that everyone deserves compassion and companionship, and that one friendly soul can make a difference in someone's life. Art Walk: Students select or draw pictures that expresses or represents a strong emotion for the student or a character in one of the novels. Journal Entries: Daily journal entries would ask students to reflect on readings, characters, and related themes. Drama: Upon completing all three novels, students will be divided into three groups, one for each book. Each group is responsible for developing a new scene for the book. Students can create a scene that might follow the end of the story, or provide an alternative ending for a scene from the novel. Each group will act out their scene (10-15 minutes), followed by a Q&A opportunity. Socratic Seminar/Fishbowl: Students will discuss key questions regarding the novels with teacher supervision. Culminating Essay: Students will write a 3-5 page paper comparing two of the novels and relating the unifying concept to their own life.
 * Unifying Concept:** The importance of preserving each individual's dignity through friendship and compassion.
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