Of Mice and Men – PROJECT OPTIONS
English II CP- Ms. Kucinski
Directions: Choose one of the following projects to complete. Develop your ideas thoroughly, following all requirements. Use examples, details, and quotes from the book to support your ideas wherever possible. Be prepared to write a rough draft/sketch and then a final draft on good paper. Work individually; you will each turn in a final project.
Due Dates:
All assignments are due at the beginning of class.
Completed rough draft/sketch (20 points): ______
Final draft (attach rough draft) (70 points):______
Presentation (10 points): ______
*Written projects must be typed, double-spaced or printed neatly on a nice sheet of paper in blue or black ink.
*Artistic projects must be drawn and colored neatly on large, unlined paper.
PROJECT OPTIONS
1. Write three fully developed-letters from any characters in the novel to “Dear Abby” or some other advice columnist. What problems or concerns would the characters mention? Write Abby’s replies to all of the letters.
2. Curley’s Wife’s diary has just been found. Write 3-4 diary entries that she may have written. Perhaps we can discover another side to her personality, or maybe a twist in the account of her marriage to Curley. Try to focus on her inner feelings/emotions rather than simply summarizing the events of the book. Include possible dates for each entry.
3. Using a large sheet of poster board, appropriate paper, or an appropriate computer program, create a project to resemble a newspaper which could represent Of Mice and Men. Your newspaper should contain at least four or more of the ideas listed below.
a. News story- Stress the who, what, where, when, and why of the major happenings in the novel (the death of Curley’s Wide, the death of Lennie, etc…).
b. Feature article- Imagine that you (as a student reporter) are interviewing John Steinbeck. What questions regarding his personal and professional life might you ask him? Using factual information you have gathered from sources, answer those questions in your own words. (Attach copies of all sources used.)
c. Editorial- Review the positive and negative aspects of the book. What characters were well developed? What parts did you like best? What part did you like least? What other aspects should have been included in the novel?
d. Advertisement- Sell the book. Look at current ads in magazines and newspapers for ideas.
e. Comic strip- The comics should contain information about the plot and/or characters.
4. Character poster- Choose one of the following characters from Of Mice and Men to focus your final project on:

- George- Lennie - Curley - Curley’s wife

- Carlson- Candy- Crooks - Slim

Your poster must have five parts:

Part I – Character Illustration

Part 2 – Character’s Feelings

Part 3 – Character’s Dream / Goal

Part 4 – Character’s Decisions

Part 5 – Character’s Quotes

All parts must be titled appropriately using the above titles. Your poster will be graded on accuracy to the novel, creativity, analysis and explanation, and following directions.

Part 1 – Character Illustration

Option 1 - draw the character yourself, and explain why your drawing is accurate to the novel. Please only choose this option if you are a talented drawer.

Option 2 - find a visual that represents your character from another source – must cite visual, and explain why it represents your character accurately.

Part 2 – Character’s Feelings

Explain a time when the character felt the following emotions during the course of the novel:

Frustration / Anger / Relief / Loneliness / Fear / Humiliation

Title each example using the above titles AND insert chapter numbers after each one.

Part 3 – Character’s Dream / Goal

Describe the overall dream / goal for this character.

Explain why it is important to him or her.

Part 4 – Character’s Decisions

Identify and explain a time when your character made a good decision. Explain why it was good? Title this section using “Good Decision”.

Identify and explain a time when your character made a bad decision. Explain why it was bad? Title this section using “Bad Decision”.

Insert chapter number after each decision and explanation.

Part 5 – Character Quotations

Find the top 5 most important quotes spoken by this character (in your opinion). Place chapter number after each quote.

Explain why each one is so important to the novel.

YOU WILL BE GIVEN CLASS TIME TO WORK ON YOUR ROUGH DRAFTS/SKETCHES AND FINAL PROJECTS, BUT YOU MUST BRING IN YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND MATERIALS!!