Opportunity to Improve Upon Your Book Test

Of Mice and Men

Directions: 

1. If you are unhappy with your book test grade, this grade will be averaged with the book test grade.
2. In order to better communicate your understanding of the novella, you must choose one of the two response options below. 
3. Your responses must be typed and emailed to me at: edrosdick@mahwah.k12.nj.us. 
4. Received by midnight Monday, October 28.
5. They will be checked for plagiarism online. 
6. You may use your novella and notes to help you write and plan.

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Option #1:  Choose three of the topics and write a minimum of one paragraph in response to each question.  You must use at least one citation from the text to support each answer.

Option #2:  Choose two of the topics and write a minimum of two paragraphs in response to each question.  You must use at least two citations from the text to support each answer.

TOPICS:

1.    Show how John Steinbeck explores the complex relationship between George and Lennie. What is Steinbeck trying to prove about friendship with the characters George and Lennie?  You should write about: What keeps them together, and the difficulties they each have. How they are different from other people on the farm.

2.    Think about what it means to care for someone.  What is John Steinbeck trying to prove about loyalty?  Do you think George’s decision to shoot Lennie showed that he cared for him?  What predictions can you make about George’s future?  How will he feel about his decision in five years?

3.    Many people in the novel suffer from disappointment.  What is John Steinbeck trying to prove about disappointment in the 1930s?  Choose any three of the following characters and discuss what reasons they have to be disappointed about their lives: Crooks, Curley, George, Candy, and Curley’s wife.

4.    What is the connection between Carlson shooting Candy’s dog and George shooting Lennie?  What is the parallel between the two scenes?

5.    Loneliness is a topics found throughout Of Mice and Men.  Choose one character and explain how loneliness affects the character’s actions and choices throughout the novel.  What is Steinbeck saying loneliness can do to people?

**Flip over to see the rubric you will be graded upon**

SKILL AREA	5 Excellent 90-100	4 Strong 80-90	3 Adequate 70-80	2 Fair 60-70	1 Weak 50-60
Understanding & Interpretation: the extent to which the writing exhibits sound understanding, interpretation, and/or analysis of literature and writing task	convey an accurate and in-depth understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task offer insightful interpretations of the text(s) with analysis that goes well beyond a literal level reveal a thorough and insightful understanding of the author’s use of literary elements and techniques Includes textual citations	convey an accurate and complete understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task offer clear and explicit interpretations of the text(s) with analysis that goes beyond a literal level reveal an understanding  of the author’s use of literary elements and techniques Includes textual citations	convey an accurate although somewhat basic understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task offer partially explained and/or somewhat literal interpretations of the text/s with some analysis reveal an implicit understanding of the author’s use of literary elements and techniques Does not include textual citations	convey a partly accurate understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose of the  writing task offer few or superficial interpretations of the text(s) with a tendency to retell instead of analyze reveal a vague or limited understanding of the author’s use of literary elements and techniques Does not include textual citations	convey a confused or largely inaccurate understanding of the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task offer unclear interpretations of the text(s) and no attempt to analyze reveal a confused  understanding of the author’s use of literary elements and techniques Does not include textual citations