Of Mice and Men Web
Quest

A Background Web Quest of John Steinbeck’s
novel Of Mice and Men

The Quest

Find out what
it was like to be a migrant worker in the Steinbeck’s Salinas Valley of
California during the Great Depression. Explore the 1930’s Great
Depression and discover how America
was thrust into poverty. John Steinbeck’s novel OF MICE AND MEN is
a social reflection on friendship and loneliness, poverty and dreams, and
despair and hope. George and Lennie, Steinbeck’s
extraordinary characters, chase the American Dream to have a place of their own
and “live off the fatta the lan'”
in a difficult socio-economic
environment. Find out what life was like for migrant workers like George and Lennie during the Great Depression.

Everyone:
Answer these questions about John Steinbeck using the websites below. Write
your answers in the handout.

John Steinbeck Biography

1.     Where was John
Steinbeck born?

2.     What year was
he born? When did he die?

3.     Where did Steinbeck
go to college? How long did he attend?

4.     What was the first
story that John Steinbeck was well known for?

5.     When was Of
Mice and Men written?

6.     What was the
name of the travelogue that Steinbeck wrote about his journey through 40 states.

7.     Where did
Steinbeck die?

John Steinbeck: 1962 Nobel Prize Winner  (Newspaper article)

8.     What two
qualities caused people to like Steinbeck?

9.     Name the works
of Steinbeck literature mentioned in the article.

10.  Name two descriptive phrases about
Steinbeck which include the words nose and head.

Group Project
Tasks:

A. First, Use
the starting questions to research their topic.

B. Next, Answer
those questions using the links.

C. Finally,
your group will organize the information and use it for two purposes:

1.
Each group will
become the expert on their subject and report their findings to the class.

2.
Each student will
use their subject information and pictures to create a brochure in Microsoft
Publisher to share with the class.

Group 1: The Great Depression

Begin your research
with the following questions and links.

1. What
was the Great Depression of the 1930’s in America?

2.  How did the Stock Market
Crash and the bank closings create chaos?

3. Who were the people who were affected by the Great Depression?

4.  What happened to farms and
farmers in America
during the Great Depression?

a.     America in the 1930’s

b.     A Photo Essay on the Great Depression
(hint - look at the captions)

c.     Unemployment in the Great Depression

Group 2: Migrant Workers
(during the Great Depression in California)

Begin your research
with the following questions and links.

What conditions
did the migrant workers have to endure in 1930’s California?

How many races
lived and worked as migrants in 1930’s California?

a.      Was there racism on the farms in California during the
Great Depression?

How did the “Dust
Bowl” drought in the Midwest affect California’s farms?

Explore the
plight of the migrant children during the Great Depression in California.

a.
Migrant workers in California

b.      Photos
of California Transients/Migrant Workers.
(Primary documents: click on photo pages)

c.
Picture
This: Depression Era

Group 3: The
American Hobos - Riding the Rails

From OMAM,"...beaten hard
by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in
the evening to jungle-up near the water (p.
2)."

Begin your research with these
questions and links:

1.
Who are
tramps and hobos?

2.
What were
the economic conditions that created the transient subculture of hobos?

3.
How did
hobos live and where did they work?

4.
What is the unique dialect hobos
and tramps used to communicate?

a.  Hobos and Tramps

b.  Hobo
Signs

Group 4: The Wall Street Crash (begin your research by
answering the following questions)

1. What is “Black Thursday” and how did it
lead to the Wall Street Crash of 1929?

2. How did the Wall Street Crash lead to the Great Depression?

3. What were the long term economic effects to American farmers?

4. What happened to unemployment and crime after the Wall Street Crash?

a.     The Wall Street Crash – What
happened?

b.     The
Great Depression – The result of the Wall Street Crash

c.     The Great Depression: A Brief Overview

d.     America in the 1930’s

Group 5: Mental Disability
(begin your research by answering these questions)

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 is the role of friendship in caring for the mentally disabled?

4. What
was the treatment of people with mental disabilities during the 1930’s?

a.
Mental
Disability

b.
Caring
for a Mentally Disabled Person

c.
Friendship
and the mentally disabled

d.
Mental Health timeline