Lesson 12 | Power, Justice, and Culpability: Of Mice and Men and The Central Park Five | 9th Grade English

Objective

Analyze the structural choices Steinbeck has made in the final chapter of Of Mice and Men and how he works to shape the reader's perception of Lennie's murder.

Readings and Materials

Book: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck — pp. 93–end

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Target Task

Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved

Writing Prompt

In her article, "Is Lennie a Monster? A reconsideration of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men in a 21st-century inclusive classroom context," scholar Claire Lawrence writes:

"Steinbeck positions the story so that the reader's sympathies at the end of it lie with George, despite and indeed regarding his killing of Lennie."

In a paragraph, explain how Steinbeck crafts the text so that the reader feels sympathetic for—rather than critical of—George at the end of the text. Provide specific examples from the final two chapters and carefully explain your thinking.

Criteria for Success

Identifies that Steinbeck focuses on details that show that George doesn't want to have to murder Lennie.
Identifies that Steinbeck suggests that George had "no choice."
Identifies that Steinbeck shows how upsetting the experience is for George.

Sample Response

An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.

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Key Questions

Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding

Close Read Questions

Consider the opening description of the first and final chapters (before the characters enter the scene). What do you notice about the imagery and mood in each? How does Steinbeck's choices regarding imagery and mood reflect the situation of the characters at the time? Provide specific examples and evidence from both chapters and carefully explain your thinking.
Consider the first and final interaction between George and Lennie. What do you notice about the way that Steinbeck has structured his story? What is the significance of these choices? Provide specific examples and evidence from both chapters and carefully explain your thinking.
Where in the text does Steinbeck foreshadow Lennie's murder? How are these situations similar and how are they different? Provide specific evidence from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

Vocabulary

Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text

Text-based

belligerent

adj.

hostile and aggressive

monotonous

adj.

1. lacking in variation of vocal tone or pitch 2. boring, repetitive; lacking in variety

Notes

Suggestions for teachers to help them teach this lesson

The question of whether Lennie's murder was "justified" is commonly brought up for debate in high school classrooms. We believe that asking students to consider "both sides" of this question is to invite them to engage in eugenicist thinking about the inherent worth — or lack thereof — of disabled lives. It is not possible to separate George's decision to murder Lennie from the fact that Lennie has an intellectual disability. And it is therefore not possible to separate our thinking about Lennie's murder from a larger cultural conversation about the worth and "human subjectivity," of disabled people.

Instead, we believe that a more fruitful – and less harmful – pursuit is to have students consider the way that Steinbeck has crafted this final part of the text, particularly the decisions he has made in order to sway the reader's sympathies toward George.

Additionally, we have made the decision to use the word "murder," when referring to what George did.

The men in today's text refer to Lennie as "nuts," an ableist term.

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Standards

RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Reading Standards for Literature

RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
RL.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Reading Standards for Literature

RL.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Supporting Standards

Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit

L.9-10.1

L.9-10.6

RL.9-10.1

RL.9-10.2

RL.9-10.10

SL.9-10.1

SL.9-10.6

W.9-10.1

W.9-10.9

W.9-10.10

Lesson 11

Lesson 13

Lesson Map

“Excerpt from John Steinbeck's The Harvest Gypsies”
Migrant worker on California Highway (1935)
Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California (1936)
Dorothea Lange: Drought refugees from Texas encamped in California near Exeter. Seven in Family (1936)

Analyze depictions of migrant workers in an article by John Steinbeck and various photographs by Dorothea Lange, noting the similarities in their representation.

RI.9-10.2 RI.9-10.4

Of Mice and Men pp. 1 – 3

Explain how Steinbeck establishes the setting and introduces his main characters in Of Mice and Men.

RL.9-10.4

Of Mice and Men pp. 4 – 16

Analyze how Steinbeck develops the reader's understanding of the relationship between Lennie and George.

RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.4

Of Mice and Men pp. 17 – 37 — Chapter 2

Analyze how Steinbeck develops social hierarchies on the ranch and introduces tension into the story.

RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.5

Writing

Of Mice and Men — Chapters 1 and 2
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Paragraph Rubric

Write a strong topic sentence and select relevant textual evidence to support that claim.

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.4 W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.1.b W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5

Writing

Of Mice and Men — Chapters 1 and 2
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Paragraph Rubric

Outline an analytical paragraph using the acronym T-E-A-L, and write a first draft.

W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.1.b W.9-10.1.c W.9-10.1.d W.9-10.1.e

Writing

Of Mice and Men — Chapters 1 and 2
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Paragraph Rubric

Write a strong analytical paragraph that effectively integrates textual evidence and argues for which person at the ranch poses the greatest threat to Lennie and George.

W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.1.b W.9-10.1.c W.9-10.1.d W.9-10.1.e W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5 W.9-10.5

Of Mice and Men pp. 38 – 65

Analyze how Steinbeck develops characters and explain what characters' actions and beliefs can reveal about human nature.

RL.9-10.3

Of Mice and Men pp. 66 – 76

Analyze the character of Crooks through the lenses of racism, loneliness, and power.

RL.9-10.3

Of Mice and Men pp. 77 – 89
“John Steinbeck's Letter to Claire Luce”

Analyze the character of Curley's wife through the lenses of sexism, loneliness, and power.

RL.9-10.3

Of Mice and Men pp. 84 – 93 — end after "much, much more than a moment."

Analyze how Steinbeck has used foreshadowing to develop tension leading up to the story's climax.

RL.9-10.5

Of Mice and Men — pp. 93–end

Analyze the structural choices Steinbeck has made in the final chapter of Of Mice and Men and how he works to shape the reader's perception of Lennie's murder.

RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.5

Of Mice and Men — full text
“To a Mouse”

Analyze the Robert Burns poem, "To a Mouse" and draw conclusions about why Steinbeck chose a line from this poem for the title of his novel.

RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3

Assessment: Socratic Seminar

Of Mice and Men — full text

Take a position on one of three analytical prompts and gather textual evidence in preparation for a Socratic seminar.

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3 W.9-10.1

Assessment: Socratic Seminar

Of Mice and Men — full text

Engage in a Socratic seminar in preparation for crafting a literary analysis for Of Mice and Men.

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3 SL.9-10.1.a

Argumentative Writing

Of Mice and Men — full text
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Rubric 9-12

Write a strong thesis statement in response to an analytical essay prompt, and outline body paragraphs needed to support that thesis statement.

W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.1.b W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5

Argumentative Writing

Of Mice and Men — full text
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Rubric 9-12

Write the body paragraphs of an analytical essay in the literary present tense, using strong transitions within and between paragraphs.

W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.1.b W.9-10.1.c W.9-10.1.d W.9-10.1.e W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5

Argumentative Writing

Of Mice and Men — full text
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Rubric 9-12

Review the parts of an introduction, and write a strong introduction to an analytical essay using the acronym H-I-T (hook, introductory information, thesis statement).

W.9-10.1 W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5

Argumentative Writing

Of Mice and Men — full text
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Rubric 9-12

Review the parts of a conclusion, and write a strong conclusion to an analytical essay using the acronym B-A-M (refer back to thesis, analyze its significance, make it universal).

W.9-10.1 W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5

Argumentative Writing

Of Mice and Men — full text
Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Rubric 9-12

Revise and edit essay drafts either independently or using a peer review structure.

W.9-10.1 W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5

“Supreme Court Denies Stay of Execution for Marvin Williams”
“Supreme Court Bars Executing Mentally Retarded”
“Family of John Steinbeck 'deeply troubled' by Scheduled Execution of Marvin Williams”

Explain what the Atkins v. Virginia decision and the case of Marvin Wilson reveal about perceptions of culpability in the criminal justice system.

RI.9-10.2 RI.9-10.3 RI.9-10.4

Of Mice and Men — full text

Analyze how characters in Of Mice and Men view Lennie's culpability in different situations throughout the text.

RL.9-10.3

“What is Cognitive Bias and How Does it Contribute to Wrongful Convictions”
“Black People are Wrongly Convicted More Than Any Other Group”

Identify claims made about the relationship between racial bias and wrongful convictions, and analyze how structural choices help develop an author's ideas.

RI.9-10.2 RI.9-10.5

The Central Park Five — Preface

Identify Sarah Burns' purpose in The Central Park Five, and explain how an author's tone develops the reader's understanding of their perspective.

RI.9-10.1 RI.9-10.4 RI.9-10.6

The Central Park Five — Chapter 1

Analyze the structure of the first chapter of The Central Park Five and explain the purpose and impact of specific sections of the text.

RI.9-10.3 RI.9-10.5

The Central Park Five pp. 37 – 51

Analyze how Burns uses descriptive language and specific details to communicate her perspective.

RI.9-10.1 RI.9-10.4 RI.9-10.6 W.9-10.10 W.9-10.9

The Central Park Five — pp. 3–7, 21–27, 38–43
When They See Us — 00:00–07:32; 23:25–30:25

Analyze the choices director Ava DuVerney made in When They See Us and compare her portrayal of characters and events with Sarah Burns' text, The Central Park Five.

RI.9-10.1 RI.9-10.7 W.9-10.1

Of Mice and Men pp. 2 – 3
The Central Park Five — Chapter 3

Analyze how racism shaped media coverage of the Central Park Five, and explain the debate around blame and culpability in this case.

RI.9-10.3 RI.9-10.4 RL.9-10.4

The Central Park Five pp. 188 – 206
When They See Us — Episode 4, 1:01:00–1:12:50

Analyze the choices director Ava DuVerney made in When They See Us and compare her portrayal of characters and events with Sarah Burns's text, The Central Park Five.

RI.9-10.3 RI.9-10.4

Assessment: Performance Task

Of Mice and Men — full text
The Central Park Five — excerpts

Brainstorm, outline, and record a podcast episode that analyzes the power of language to construct meaning about a person's identity in both Of Mice and Men and Central Park Five.

RI.9-10.2 RI.9-10.4 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.4 SL.9-10.4 SL.9-10.5 W.9-10.4 W.9-10.6

Power, Justice, and Culpability: Of Mice and Men and The Central Park Five

Objective

Readings and Materials

Target Task

Writing Prompt

Criteria for Success

Sample Response

Key Questions

Close Read Questions

Vocabulary

Text-based

Notes

Enhanced Lesson Plan

Standards

Reading Standards for Literature

Reading Standards for Literature

Supporting Standards

Language Standards

Language Standards

Reading Standards for Literature

Reading Standards for Literature

Reading Standards for Literature

Speaking and Listening Standards

Speaking and Listening Standards

Writing Standards

Writing Standards

Writing Standards

Lesson Map

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