Summer Reading Assignment 9th Grade Honors

Optional Essay:

 

Setting is the physical environment in which action occurs. It includes time and place. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the setting as a motivating force for the characters' actions, as a reflection of the characters' state of mind, and as a representation of the characters' values. In a well-written essay, describe Of Mice and Men's setting and explain how Steinbeck uses the setting to illustrate the characters' emotional and physical struggles. Based on their experiences, what role does the environment play in shaping people's character?

Attached are the instructions and template for your resume and cover letter.

Of Mice and Men Group Research Project

In order to truly appreciate John Steinbeck’s classic novella, it is important to establish some general background regarding Steinbeck’s life and times.  In addition, it is also crucial to understand a few of the basic components of the story, such as the Dust Bowl years, the Great Depression, the life of the migrant workers, and mental impairments.

Through this project you will be able to have a better understanding and appreciation for the plight of the characters who lived in John Steinbeck’s Imperial Valley, California during the 1930s.

Directions:  You will be assigned a group and a topic to research.  You will be responsible in finding at least 10 key facts about your topic.   Although you have been assigned the same topic as other students in class, this is not group work yet.  Do your own research to find  your own ten facts. Once you have your information, you will meet with your group members and compile your information together into a Power Point, unless otherwise instructed. The Power Point/Google Slides should contain not only the vital information you are sharing, but also some type of visuals (pictures, clip art, relevant quotations, charts, data, etc.). Don’t forget to do a Work Cited slide for your information, pictures, etc. Your presentation should be 3-6 minutes in length and every member of the group must present equally. Make sure you submit the power point to bruceluu@ccusd.org. Listed below are key ideas you may want to focus on. Remember, time is of the essence!  You only have two periods to obtain your information and organize your presentation.

 

Group One:  The Great Depression:  History

*Your assignment is to create a power point containing all of the highlights of the Great Depression.

What were the causes of the Great Depression?

How did it affect the nation and the average American family?

How did the Great Depression affect people of different income groups and ethnic groups?

What was the New Deal and what were some of its programs?

Why is Franklin D. Roosevelt considered to be a great leader?

How did the Great Depression end?

The story takes place in California during the Great Depression.  Life was very harsh for most Americans during this time. Search for pictures that represent the Great Depression and the New Deal.

The Great Depression

PBS The Great Depression

Group Two:  Dust Bowl

* Your assignment is to create a power point containing all of the highlights of the Dust Bowl.

What and when was the Dust Bowl?

What were the causes of the Dust Bowl?

Who did it affect the most?

What part (s) of the country did it affect the most?

How did the U.S. Government respond to the problems created by it?

How and when did the Dust Bowl end?

The Dust Bow is also known as the Dirty Thirties, it was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the U.S. and Canadian prairies during the 1930. Search for pictures that represent the Dust Bowl.

The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl

Group Three:  John Steinbeck

*Your assignment is to research John Steinbeck’s life and his accomplishments and create a power point containing all the highlights.

His popular works

Major events of his life

Why Salinas and the Imperial Valley were important to his life?

How would you describe his life?

Focus on his biographical information (birth, childhood, education, adulthood, family, etc.)  Search for at least one picture of Steinbeck, his house, his family etc. for the power point.

John Steinbeck, author of the novella Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

Group Four:  Mental Impairments

* Your assignment is to research and create a power point documenting mentally impairments.

What are some different types of mental impairments?

How were mental impairments treated in the 1930s?

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

How were people with mental impairments treated, then vs now?

What roles in society did people with mental impairments play then vs now?

Lennie, one of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is mentally impaired.  Search for at least one picture of mental institutions, patients, doctors, etc. in the 1930s.

History

Group Five:  Migrant Workers

* Your assignment is to create a timeline power point documenting the history of migrant workers in America.

Why was there a need for migrant works then?

What was the ethnic and/or racial make-up of the migrant workers then?

What places did they come from?

Where did they go for work?

Which crops did they pick then?

Is there a need for migrant workers now?   If so, answer the same questions as the above “then” questions.

Migrant workers travel around the country harvesting crops for large farms, never spending a lot of time in one place.  Lennie and George, the main characters in Of Mice and Men were migrant workers.  During the 1920s and 1930s, migrant farm work was a way of life for thousands of people.  Search for pictures of migrant workers, farm scenes, etc.

The Migrant Experience 1930s

Migrant Experience 1930s

Group Six:  Salinas Valley

* Your assignment is to make a map, on poster board, of this area.

Of Mice and Men is set in the Salinas Valley in California, where the soil and climate is especially good for growing all sorts of produce.  To better understand the travels of George and Lennie, a map of this region is needed. The map must include the following cities, rivers, and mountains:  Salinas River, Salinas Valley, Salinas, Fresno, San Francisco, Soledad, Monterey, Monterey Bay, San Jose, Gabilan Mountains, Sacramento, and American River near Sacramento, Sacramento River, Weed, Auburn, and Santa Lucia Mountains.  Mark important information about the state (state symbols for example).

Salinas Valley Migration

Or

Present information answering: What is the  American Dream

American Dream Explained

Group Seven:  Women in the 1930s

* Your assignment is to create a power point timeline for the decade of the 1930s, illustrating the challenges, struggles, and everyday life for a woman at this time in history.

What opportunities were available?

How were the lives of women changing and why?

Although the main characters in Of Mice and Men are men, a woman plays an important role in the story.  It is helpful to know what women in America were doing in the 1930s.  Search for pictures of women in the 1930s etc.

Women in the 1930s

Group Eight:  Nobel Prize

*Your assignment it to create a power point detailing the specifics of the Nobel Prize.

Your power point must include the following:

What is the Nobel Prize?

What kinds of Nobel Prizes are awarded?

How is an individual chosen for this award?

When did John Steinbeck receive the award?

For what, specifically, was Steinbeck honored?

During his lifetime, John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the highest award possible for a writer, a distinction above all others.  Search for picture of the Nobel Prize, John Steinbeck, etc.

Speech

Group Nine:  California, Hollywood and the 1930s culture

* Your assignment is to create a power point detailing California, Hollywood and the 1930s culture.

What types of entertainment were popular?

What were some popular movies, plays, songs, dances, and radio shows?

Who were some popular singers, actors, dancers, composers, playwrights?

Who were popular athletes?

What were the popular sports?

Holly wood, in the 1930s was an exciting, glamorous place and many shared the dream of being “discovered” and becoming a movie star.  A woman, with dreams of a glamorous life in Hollywood, plays an important role in Of Mice and Men.  Search for pictures that represent the culture of California, past and present stars, Hollywood symbols, etc.

Hollywood's Golden Age 1929-1940s

 

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1- Lesson 10 

 

Cards 2 & 4

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1- Lesson 9 

 

Solo Activity

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 8

 

Be sure to complete the solo activity before coming to class.

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1- Lesson 7

 

Only do the Solo Activity which is on Card 9

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 6

 

Complete all the cards excluding card 7. Be sure to remember to "Hand In" your assignments on each card when you finish. 

 

* The video clips with the dramatic reading can be found in the "Lesson Brief" tab to the left of the card numbers.

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 5

 

- Students work individually on Cards 1-3 and the first page of Card 4. (30 Min)

- Students work with a partner to complete pages 2-3 of card 4 (20 min)

- Skip card 5 and continue onto the Solo Activity on Card 6 (30 min)

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 4 

 

Students should have all cards completed including the Solo activity. 

 

Unit 8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 3

 

Students are to complete the remaining cards including the Solo activities. 

 

"Frederick Douglas"

 

Unit 8C Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 3 - Cards 3 & 4

 

 

 

In your notebook:

 

 

 

8C: Liberty & Equality - Sub Unit 1 - Lesson 1

 

Students are responsible for cards 3-5 ending with writing their OWN "Song of Myself" about their identity.

 

 

Below is a supplemental article from CNN

 

 

In your notebook:

 

What do the articles say about your generation? Do you agree or disagree? Cite a specific detail from the article and analyze its merit based on your own experiences.

 

 

 

Wednesday: 

Unit 8A - Sub Unit 2 - Lesson 1

 

Friday

Unit 8A - Sub Unit 2 - Lesson 2

 

Read the following 2 articles:

 

 

 

After finishing the article, in your notebook:

 

Evaluate your plans that you have written prior in contrast to the articles. Are there any similarities or differences? Does society benefit from Dr. Santos' philosophy? Why or why not?

 

 

"Prepare the children for the road, and not the road for the child."

- The Coddling of the American Mind 

 

What is this quote inferring? (Hint: The title of the book) Please give examples.

 

Read the article in the link below:

 

Prompt: The article poses many questions such as:

 

1) Are standardized tests still viable? (needed for schools and colleges)

2) Why do students feel so much pressure and anxiety?

3) One would think that anxiety and pressure would be caused by our environment, but is it solely the reason?

4) Who's responsibility is it? (I know this is a very general question, but this gives you freedom to explore your answers)

5) Your own questions that may arise.

 

Use these questions as a starting point to write and come to a conclusion as to whether or not you agree with the quote. 

 

For further reading:

 

 

 

 

Read the article and in your notebook answer the following prompt:

 

What reasons does the author give for not being excited about "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"? Do you believe that the author is validated in his reasoning? Why or why not? Do you think that the general audience will ever accept a Spider-Man that is not Peter Parker? What does that say about our society?

 

 

Read and define the following terms in your notebook:

 

Holocaust, Shoah, anti-Semitism, caricatures, Swastika, Nazi, Jews, Romani, Adolph Hitler, Third Reich, Aryan, Nuremberg Laws, scapegoat, Judenrein, Kristallnacht, synagogue, ghetto, Final Solution, Concentration Camps, genocide, SS, Gestapo

 

 

 

 

Bruce Luu

CCMS English Teacher

310-842-4200 ext. 5426

 

Assignment:

- Girls will be reading and annotating "They Courageously Spoke Out before#MeToo and Offer Note of Caution Today."

- Boys will be reading and annotating "The Secret of Sexual Assault in Schools."

 

Girls:  Highlight in blue (or different color) details of how the #MeToo movement has impacted women.

 

Boys: Highlight in blue (or different color) the impact of men and their actions on women.

 

Both boys and girls: Highlight in yellow how people from the community and around the nation are showing support and responding.

 

 

Symbolism - "Four Skinny Trees"

Definition: Something that on the surface is its literal self but which also has another meaning or even several meanings.

 

- A symbol may be said to embody an idea

 

In your notebook, do one of the following:

 

Option 1) Rewrite this vignette without mentioning trees. Find the symbolism that the tree provide, and in your writing use what they symbolize in place of the trees themselves.

 

Option 2) Draw a picture of what this chapter is illustrating. What do you see? What vision does this create for you? In your drawing, be sure to include words and phrases labeling what the different parts of the drawing symbolizes.

 

Homework: 

 

Each student must complete a WebQuest. Students will search the web for at least three and at most five websites that have to do with culture. They may choose to research Esperanza's Latino heritage or their own. Students should record the address of each website and also write a short paragraph about each website. The paragraph should not simply summarize the site, but should be the student's opinion on whether the site was helpful, what was most interesting about the site, and whether he or she could relate to anything on the site. This can be written in a google doc and shared with the teacher or on a separate sheet of paper to be turn in on Monday. 

 

Be sure to continue reading the book up to and including the chapter "Minerva Writes Poems." Here is the link to the online text below:

 

 

In your notebook, respond to Journal #3:

 

Is there something in your community or neighborhood that is significant to you? What is it? What does it mean to you? Why is it so important?

 

Objective: Understanding the use of repetition as a device to emphasize ideas.

 

Repetition is most commonly used in songs; however, one of the most well-known examples of repetition is found in Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven."

 

 

In your notebook, identify to examples of repetition found in this chapter and explain their significance.

 

2) Students are to continue reading from the chapter "Born Bad" and finish through Edna's Ruthie" Link to the book below.

 

 

- Write a response to "Geraldo No Last Name" in your notebook

 

 

  

 

Consider the unwanted kiss incident. Write a diary entry Esperanza might make regarding the incident; include her feelings at the time. In what ways does the incident develop the theme of the book?

 

 

 

     "The Eskimos got thirty different names for snow," said Esperanza. "I read it in a book."

     "I got a cousin," interrupted Rachel. "She got three different names."

     "There ain't thirty different kinds of snow," Lucy declared proudly. "There are two kinds. The clean kind and the dirty kind, clean and dirty. Only two."

 

Handout

 

Identify incidents or comments from the novel that support the main theme, "Growing up is..."

 

Lists incidents from each chapter which supports the theme.

 

"The Family of Little Feet":

 

 

"A Rice Sandwich":

 

 

"Chanclas":

 

 

"Hips":

 

"Darius & the Clouds"

 

A. This chapter is similar to a poem because some of the sentences have poetic elements, such as internal rhyme and repetition. Identify one example of repetition, internal rhyme, and simile from the chapter. What do you think "sky" might represent in this chapter?

 

1 Example of Repetition:

 

 

2) Example of Internal Rhyme:

 

 

3) Example of Simile:

 

 

B. Rewrite a portion of this chapter in the form of a poem. Try to create a three to five-line stanza from each paragraph in the chapter. The first stanza is begun for you as a sample.

 

"Never too much sky, sky keeps you safe

You can sleep and wake up drunk on sky

Too much sadness, but note enough sky"

 

In your notebook: Do you feel like you have a role or place in society? If so, what is it? If not, what would you like your role in society to be? Is it influenced by your family? Your culture?

 

 

Think about the chapter "Our Good Day." Describe one of the best days you can remember from your childhood. What happened? How did you feel? Was your good day at all similar to that of Esperanza's good day? If so, how?

 

 

"My Name" Handout.

 

I don't have an online copy of the handout so if you were absent, you will be given until Friday to complete it. 

 

Here is a link to the online text:

 

 

In their notebook, students are to write a description of their own home, mirroring the description in Chapter one and using the elements of the style of a vignette. Students should write about the physical description of their home, as well as briefly mentioning any family members who live with them. Students should also describe what "home" means to them.  

 

 

1) What are the writer's feelings about how Americans pronounce her and her family's name?

 

2) In the story, Alvarez notes that her mother thought that the pronunciation of her name didn't matter and quotes her saying, "You know what your friend Shakespeare said, 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'"  Do you agree with Alvarez's mother? Why or why not?

 

3. Why do you think some people permanently changed their name when they come to the US and others do not?

 

4. Based on the story, how are names important in the way people view themselves and others?

 

Below is a link to the story:

 

 

Link to the story and questions: