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Summer Reading Assignment
9th Grade ELA College Prep
Dear College Prep English Student:
Let me congratulate you on choosing to take College Preparatory English in your ninth grade
year! It is exciting to be entering high school and I am thrilled to be a part of your freshman
experience. This letter is to inform you of the summer reading assignment and to introduce
myself to you. Your assignment is due the first full day of school in the fall semester.
Your summer reading is the novelette Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 1937, Penguin
Putnam Publishing, Inc. The book is available from the school and it is also available online for
free (in PDF format and as a Kindle download) and for purchase, if you choose.
This novel is a short yet moving classic tale of two travelling companions, George and Lennie,
who wander the country during the Great Depression, dreaming of obtaining a better life. It
delves into the desires and struggles of humanity from an unexpected perspective. Please do not
excuse the realistic language Steinbeck uses. There is no excuse for vulgarity. However, by using
authentic dialect, Steinbeck exposes the language too often typical of the uneducated and
ignorant (ELA Standard 9-10 RL.10).
Assignment: After reading the novel, choose one of the essay topics from the attached sheet
and follow directions carefully. This essay must be typed, double-spaced, with a “Times-New
Roman” or “Georgia” 12-point font. You must have your essay to present to me no later than
the first full day of school in the fall semester.
Also, you will need to do a CHARACTER POSTER. The directions for the poster are given on the
attached sheet. Follow directions exactly. The poster is due at the same time as the essay
assignment on the first full day of school in the fall semester.
It is imperative for you to understand that if you do not have BOTH of these assignments turned
in by the first full day of school in the fall, you MAY be dropped from College Prep English
9 and placed into basic English 9.
If you have questions about the assignment, you may contact me at your convenience. I look
forward to meeting you face-to-face and enjoying our time together!
Heidi Kerley, MAT
[email protected]
Of Mice and Men Essay Questions
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Directions: In order to communicate your understanding of the novel, you must choose one of
the response options below. Be sure to reference the question you’ve chosen with each response.
You will need to reference the novel in each answer.
Option 1: Choose six of the essay questions and write a minimum of one paragraph in length in
response to each question. You must use at least ONE citation or quote from the novel per
question (6 total).
Option 2: Choose three of the essay questions and write a minimum of two paragraphs in
response to each question. You must use at least TWO citations or quotes from the text to
support each answer (6 total).
Option 3: Choose one of the essay questions and write a minimum of five paragraphs in
response to the question. You must use at least SIX citations/quotes from the text to support
your answer.
Use the page number when you quote or reference the novel. For example: George shows his
love and devotion to Lennie by giving him strict instructions on what to do if he gets into trouble
(p. 15). OR: On page 33, we see how the men respect Slim because “all talk stopped when he
spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject.…”
1. In the final scene of the novel, George intentionally kills Lennie. Do you think George is
justified in his action? You must choose “YES” or “NO.” You may not “see both sides.”
Your response should include reasons from the text supporting why George ended
Lennie’s life.
2. Many people in the novel suffer from disappointment. Choose any three of the following
characters and discuss specific reasons from the text that show they have been
disappointed with their lives: Crooks, Curley, George, Candy and /or Curley’s wife.
3. Do you think people like Lennie and Crooks are treated the same way in today’s society
as they were in the novel? Do you think Lennie would have suffered the same
consequences (actual and the consequences George perceived Lennie would suffer) in
today’s society? Give specific text examples in your response.
4. What is the connection between Carlson’s shooting Candy’s dog and George shooting
Lennie? Do you think it was right/ethical of both men to make the decision to kill? Use
specific examples from the text in your response.
5. Of Mice and Men has been described as a pessimistic novel by some readers. Do you
agree? Explain your position with cited examples from the novel. What textual evidence
can you find in the novel that might be called “hopeful” or “optimistic?”
6. Some readers of this book may feel that George and Lennie’s relationship is entirely onesided and that George offers Lennie friendship and support, but gains nothing in return.
Do you agree or disagree? Give specific examples from the text to support your position.
7. Many of the characters suffer from being lonely. Choose at least two characters to discuss
and pull specific examples from the text to support why you believe they feel lonely.
8. In this novel, the “dream” of having their own place is very important to George and
Lennie. How does Steinbeck use their dream to tell us about the reality of their lives?
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9. In the character of George, Steinbeck created a character with flaws. What are George’s
weaknesses and strengths? Refer closely to the text to episodes and relationships in your
response.
10. From what you learn about Candy, why do you think he was so keen on joining George
and Lennie on the “dream” ranch? Use specific examples of Candy’s characterization that
are both explicit and inferred.
The essay part of your assignment will be worth 100 points.
CHARACTER POSTER ASSIGNMENT
Choose one of the following characters for your poster:
George, Lennie, Curley, Curley’s wife, Carlson, Candy, Crooks, or Slim
Include all of the FIVE bolded components in your poster for your character.
1. Character Illustration: Draw the character yourself and explain why your drawing is an
accurate portrayal (description cited from the novel). Please only choose this option if you are a
talented artist. OR, find a visual that represents your character from another source. You must
cite this source (To cite, use an APA style citation. See Purdue Owl’s website for assistance or
www.citefast.com online. Please DO NOT use a web address as a citation). Explain why this
image represents an accurate portrayal. Use characterization cited from the novel in your
explanation.
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 emotions and insert page number(s) after each.
3. Character’s Dream/Goal: Describe the overall dream/goal and explain its importance to
him/her. Cite page number(s) where you find the dream/goal described.
4. Character’s Decisions: Identify and explain a time when your character made a GOOD
decision. Explain why it was good and cite your explanation with page number(s). Title this
section using “Good Decisions.” Identify and explain a time when your character made a BAD
decision. Explain why it was bad and cite your explanation with page number(s). Title this
section using “Bad Decisions.”
5. Character Quotations: Find the TOP FIVE most important quotes spoken by your
character choice. Cite your quotes by placing a page number after each in parenthesis. Give an
explanation why each quote is important to the development of the character and/or the novel.
Each part of the poster will be worth a total of 20 points equalling 100 points.
Your poster will be graded on :
● Accuracy to the novel (citation of explanations, examples and quotes, holding to the
examples from the text more than your opinions),
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Creativity (use of space, neatness, appeal to the eye, originality in design, evidence of
any “out-of-the-box” thinking),
Analysis and explanation (not just a retelling of the events or restating the obvious
character traits, but relation of the character to the development of the novel and the
appeal of the character to the reader) and,
Following directions (titles on each part, using quotes, citations, examples, etc. and
addressing each part of the sections completely).
The combination of the essay and the poster equals a 200-point assignment and
BOTH will be due the first full day of school in the fall semester.
If you have ANY questions regarding the assignments, please do not hesitate to contact me.
~ Mrs. Kerley
[email protected]