Of Mice and Men Activities

Of Mice and Men Activities

Friendship Activity

Loneliness is a common emotion that everyone feels once in a while—some more often than others. The ranch hands in Of Mice and Men were drifters; they had no families close by and didn’t stay in one place long enough to make lasting friends. Theirs was a lonely lifestyle. Two fellows, George and Lennie, found friendship early in their lives and travelled together. From them we can see what it means to be a friend and what it means to have a friend. Friendship has great rewards, but being a friend isn’t always easy.

Your assignment is to design an advertisement – “WANTED: A FRIEND.” Your advertisement should contain all the usual information in a “wanted ad”: what you want, job description, the requirements, and the rewards. Be as creative as you like, but remember your ad must contain the information requested above and remember that you are striving for an effective advertisement.

Teaching the Historical Background

There are several things you should be familiar with before we begin this novel. So I don’t have to stand up and lecture for 2 or 3 days, I’m going to let you teach the class about these historical issues. You will be placed in a group and will be assigned one of the following research topics: The Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, The Roaring Twenties, Okies, Flappers, The New Deal.

Your group will briefly research your topic and then present the information to the class. Each group member should help research and have at least a small speaking part when presenting the information. Your presentation should be at least 3 minutes, but no longer than 5 minutes.

Writing Assignment – Dreams

Everyone has hopes and dreams for the future. We hope our lives will turn out in a certain way; we hope certain events will take place; we hope we will be able to live a certain lifestyle, and so on. George and Lennie dream of having a piece of land, a farm of their own.

Sometimes we’re lucky and things just seem to work out without our doing anything to make them happen. More often, though, we can take certain steps to make our hopes and dreams more likely to come true. That doesn’t mean that they will, but the chances of their coming true can be greatly increased.

Your assignment is to choose one of your hopes or dreams for the future, describe it, and make a detailed plan as to what you believe you can do to help make your hope or dream come true.