Of Mice and Men
WebQuest PowerPoint Project
Objectives:
Build background knowledge about the novel Of Mice and Men
Conduct research on the web
Work with peers to design a PowerPoint presentation
Design a quiz to test students’ knowledge of your topic
Present findings to the class
Quiz class on your topic
You will spend the next two days completing a WebQuest and using your findings to
design a PowerPoint presentation. The goal of this project is to find out what life was
like during the time period of the John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, and to
discover biographical information about the author.
Webquest (10 points):
• Conduct research on the computers according to the instructions. Find answers to
the questions, and more.
• Record the web addresses of the websites you got information from for your
Works Cited slide.
• You will have one class period to complete the WebQuest. Each student will
receive up to 10 points for participation and effort on the day of the WebQuest. If
you are checking PowerSchool, playing games, or working on something for
another class, you will lose points in this part of the project.
PowerPoint (50 points):
• Each group must create a PowerPoint with at least a 10 slides.
• Each slide should be visually appealing- having appropriate color schemes, text
sizes, and pictures.
• Each slide should have at least one graphic (photo, map, graph, etc) accompanied
with a caption below the picture indicating what it is.
• Each slide should contain the answers to the questions being researched. Do not
overwhelm your slides with large amounts of text. Remember, you will present
this to the class, and can provide detailed information verbally, but as for the
slides, only list important ideas and have a little bit of explanation with them.
• Type must be large enough to see from the audience (at least 18 point font).
• The first slide should be title “Of Mice and Men Webquest,” have the names of
the group members listed, along with the class period.
• The final slide of the PowerPoint should be titled “Works Cited,” and have every
website that you obtained information or pictures from. Failure to do this is
called plagiarism and a score of ‘0’ will be given to the entire group.
• This is your chance to be creative! Make the presentation fun, but just make sure
that your artistic side doesn’t overwhelm the information you discovered in your
research, as that is the most important thing.
• You will have one class period to create the PowerPoint and practice presenting it.
Presentation (10 points):
• Each group must present their PowerPoint to the class.
• Presentation must be practiced and polished.
• DO NOT simply read each slide exactly how it is written. Use the bullet points on
the slide to cue longer explanations of the information.
• Make eye contact with the audience.
• Speak up.
• Be prepared to take questions about your topic.
Quiz (10 points):
• Each group must design a 10-point quiz on the information they present.
• Quiz must have exactly 10 questions, worth 1 point each.
• Questions may be multiple choice, matching, or short answer.
• DO NOT simply use the research questions you answered for your PowerPoint.
• Quiz must be typed in Microsoft Word or Pages, saved on a flash drive along with
the PowerPoint presentation, and turned in on the day of the presentation. Mr.
Parker will photocopy the quizzes and distribute them on the day after the
presentations.
DUE DATES: RED
Webquest will take place on 2/9 in class. Creating PowerPoint and quiz and practicing
presentation will take place on 2/11 in class. Presentations will take place on 2/15 in
class. Quizzes will be given on 2/17 in class.
DUE DATES: WHITE
Webquest will take place on 2/10 in class. Creating PowerPoint and quiz and practicing
presentation will take place on 2/14 in class. Presentations will take place on 2/16 in
class. Quizzes will be given on 2/18 in class.
Webquest Topics, Questions, and Websites
Biographers: John Steinbeck
1. Who is John Steinbeck?
2. When and where was he born, and when and where did he die?
3. What is his educational background?
4. When and why did he start writing?
5. What about his family life: Who were his parents? Was he married? Did he
have children?
6. When did he publish his first novel?
7. What are his most famous works?
8. Did he have hobbies?
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm
http://www.steinbeck.org/
Geographers: Salinas, California
1. Where is Salinas, California?
2. What is the area known for?
3. What is the climate like?
4. Who are its residents?
5. What is its history?
6. What was it like there in the 1930’s?
7. How is Salinas different from other parts of the country?
8. What else can you tell us about Salinas?
http://www.seemonterey.com/salinas-valley-california
http://www.mchsmuseum.com/salinasbrief.html
http://www.salinas.net/history/index.html
Anthropologists: Migrant Farm Workers
1. What is a migrant farm worker?
2. What races or ethnicities have been migrant farm workers?
3. What is the history of migrant farm work in the U.S.A?
4. What was life like for a migrant farm worker in 1930?
5. What was a migrant farm worker likely to earn?
6. Describe migrant farm worker housing.
7. What was it like for the child of a migrant farm worker?
8. What is life like for a migrant farm worker now?
http://www.farmworkers.org/strugcal.html
http://museumca.org/picturethis/3_2.html
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/index.html
Historical Geologists: The Dust Bowl
1. What is the dust bowl?
2. Where did the dust bowl take place?
3. When did the dust bowl happen?
4. What were the causes of the dust bowl?
5. Who did the dust bowl affect?
6. What were the effects of the dust bowl?
7. Are there other dust bowls taking place in the world now?
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.htm
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_02.html
http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html
Historians: The Great Depression
1. What is the Great Depression?
2. Where did the Great Depression take place?
3. What caused the Great Depression?
4. Who did the Great Depression affect?
5. What were the effects of the Great Depression?
6. How did the Great Depression affect different parts of the country differently?
7. How did the country cope with the Great Depression?
8. How did the Great Depression End?
http://museumca.org/picturethis/3_2.html
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/1930z/
Psychologists: Mental Retardation
1. What is Mental Retardation?
2. What causes Mental Retardation?
3. Who suffers from Mental Retardation?
4. How is Mental Retardation treated?
5. What is the history of Mental Retardation?
6. How were people with Mental Retardation treated in the 1930’s?
7. What is eugenics?
8. How does the eugenics movement of the early 1900’s propose dealing with
mental retardation?
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/birth_defect/mental_retardation.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/timeline/index.html
http://www.amphilsoc.org/exhibits/treasures/aes.htm
Entertainment Experts: Hollywood in the 1930’s
1. What was new about movies in the 1930’s?
2. How much did a movie cost to make in the 1930’s?
3. How much did a movie cost to see in the 1930’s?
4. How popular were movies in the 1930’s?
5. Who were some of the most famous movie stars of the 1930’s?
6. What were some of the most famous movies made in the 1930’s?
7. How did young women become famous actresses in the 1930’s?
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/film/hollywooddepression.html
http://www.hollywoodsgoldenage.com/
http://www.hollywoodmoviememories.com/1930s-movie-memories/1930s-a-brief-primer
Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize for Literature
1. What is the Pulitzer Prize?
2. What is the history of the Pulitzer Prize?
3. Who are some of the most notable winners of the Pulitzer Prize?
4. What is the Nobel Prize?
5. What is the history of the Nobel Prize?
6. What are the different categories of the Nobel Prize?
7. Who are some of the most notable winners of the Nobel Prize?
8. Who are some of the most notable winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature?
http://www.pulitzer.org/faq
http://nobelprize.org/educational/nobelprize_info/
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/