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

**Unit Plan Outline: //Of Mice and Men//**
Tyrone Stevens

Steinbeck, John. __Of Mice and Men__. New York, NY: Covici Friede, 1937. [107 pages]
 * Canonical text:**

Krakauer, Jon. __Into The Wild__. Harpswell, ME: Anchor, 1996. [224 pages] The novel is based on the true story of Chris McCandless, a native of Annandale, VA. Upon graduating from Emory in 1990, Chris gave away $25,000 in savings to Oxfam and began traveling. He ultimately wound up in a school bus in the wilderness of Alaska, where he died after eating some poisonous berries. The novel brings up a debate as to whether Chris’ death was due to carelessness or if he was in fact careful and just got an unlucky break.
 * Bridge texts:**

Mengestu, Dinaw. __The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears__. New York, NY: Penguin Riverhead, 2007. [228 pages] This story is loosely based off of Dinaw Mengestu’s own life. Set in the 1970s, Sepha Stephanos comes to Washington D.C. from Ethiopia – a country rattled with political violence. He leaves behind his younger brother and mother. His father was forcibly taken from his own home and presumably murdered. After working at a DC hotel for several years, Sepha takes some federal funding to start a small grocery store in Logan Circle – a poor section of Washington D.C. that is slowly gentrifying. His life is extremely isolated. Sepha spends most of his time alone in the store, with only a few customers coming in and out each day. When a new neighbor, Judith, moves next door to him with her biracial daughter, Naomi, things start looking brighter. After a series of racial incidents disturbs the neighborhood, Sepha fears that he may once again have to start his life all over.

This unit will explore the theme of isolation. The three class texts all relate to isolation from various angles. In Steinbeck’s //Of Mice and Men// isolation affects several characters. For George, isolation occurs as a result of having to look after his learning disabled friend, Lennie. A ranch is the only place they can both get work together – and it’s in the middle of nowhere. Curly’s wife, the ranch owner’s daughter-in-law, faces isolation due to her husband being extremely overprotective. Despite being wealthy, she has almost no social life. She’s in her prime and once had dreams of being an actress in Hollywood. Crooks, the black stable-hand, is isolated because of the color of his skin. In //Into The Wild// isolation is a choice for Chris McCandless – he’s trying to get away from a manufactured American lifestyle. In //The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears// isolation is a result of being an immigrant in a new country. The only person Sepha Stephanos knows in America upon his arrival in Washington D.C. is his uncle.
 * Unifying Concept:**

__Character Belt Actvitiy__: //Of Mice and Men// You and your group (4 per group) have been commissioned to design the plans for a symbolic belt from //Of Mice and Men//. Each group will have a belt made out of construction paper that will be used for the design plans. The belt must include at least 10 symbols that relate to your character’s characteristics, beliefs, flaws, dreams, vulnerabilities, and significant life events. Characters that will be assigned: Lennie, George, Curly, Curly’s Wife, Candy, Crooks, Slim.
 * Response Activities:**

__NPR/Alternative Ending Assignment__: //Into The Wild// Choose one of the following: 1) You are your colleague (assignment partner) are well-respected adventurers and have been asked to join Jon Krakauer on Kojo Nnamdi for a half-hour in-depth discussion of //Into the Wild// on NPR (National Public Radio) next week. The Kojo Nnamdi Show’s producer has emailed you a list of topics he wants to touch on during next week’s show. You will need to write an 8-10 sentence response in preparation for each of the following. a) Did McCandless die in vain? Was his lifestyle reckless or was it an unlucky break? b) What were his values? c) What inspired McCandless to live a life of isolation? Was he running from something? d) Did Krakauer have a message? Is this story a cautionary tale or is it akin to Thoreau's //Walden// ? e) What do you think McCandless would have done next had he survived the berries? What would he be doing now?

2) You may choose to work alone and write an alternative ending to //Into The Wild// . Your ending should pick up from the berry-incident. You may write in your own style or you may try to imitate Krakauer – your ending might fit in smoother with the rest of the book this way. Your alternative ending must be a 10-page (minimum) chapter. You will need to use 1.5 spacing and proper grammar/spelling. You will need to pick up somewhere during McCandless’ final month or final week. Be sure to:
 * Tie up the berry-incident
 * Write about the following events – what happens next?
 * Include an ending/conclusion

__Song/Soundtrack/Poem/Spoken-word Assignment__: //The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears// Choose one of the following: 1) Write a 3-5 minute long song inspired by the novel. You will need to record and play the song or perform the song in class. Each classmate will need a copy of your lyrics. I will also need 3-paragraph (at least 6 sentences per paragraph) justification of how your song ties into the novel. The song needs to be school appropriate.

2) Make a 10-song soundtrack for the novel as if it were a movie. Your songs must tie into key events of the story. For each song, write at 5 sentence (minimum) long justification explaining why you chose it.

3) Write and perform a 3-5 minute long poem or spoken word piece inspired by the novel. You will need to include a copy for each classmate. I will also need a 3-paragraph (at least 6 sentences per paragraph) justification of how your poem or spoken-word piece ties into the novel. Your work needs to be school appropriate. Questions to consider: -How does this song tie into the tone of the scene? -Are there lyrics – why or why not? -What do the lyrics/music have to do with the action/character? -Would the sound/song for the scene be diegetic (you can see where it’s coming from – i.e. a radio) or non-diegetic (you don’t know the source of the sound – you just hear it). Why?