1. Of Mice and Men
Web Quest

2. Introduction: John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice
We are about to begin reading
John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice
and Men. This novel takes the
reader on a journey through the
lives of two men, Lennie and George. These two men become best friends and make big plans for the future.
Today, you and your group members will be researching some of the background information about the novel. There is much to learn about the author, the setting, and the time period.

3. The Quest:
The class will be divided into groups of three or four. Each group member will be responsible for researching one topic. The topics include, John Steinbeck, Monterey County/Salinas Valley, and Farmers and the Great Depression. After everyone has completed their part of
the web quest, the groups will get together and discuss what information they found. When all of the groups are finished, we will go over the web quest as a class.

4. The Process:
Each group member will be assigned a topic to research (some groups may have two people researching the same topic). When all of the group members are finished looking for answers to their questions, the group will discuss what they found. Each of you should be an expert on your topic. If one of your group members has a question about your topic, you should be able to answer it. When all of the groups have discussed their topics, we will
meet as a class and talk about the web quest.

5. The Resources:
You will use web sites from the Internet to find the answers to your questions. I have already found the web sites for you. All you need to do is click on the site’s address, and the computer will go right to it.
When you get to the web site, read over the information, and look for the answer to your questions. You should answer your questions as completely as possible. If you have any questions, raise your hand and
one of us will come around and help you.

6. John Steinbeck: Use the web links to answer the following questions.
1. When and where was John Steinbeck born? When and where did Steinbeck die?
Where did Steinbeck go to college? When did he graduate?
What experience helped Steinbeck portray the lives of workers?

7. John Steinbeck Continued:
Use the web links to answer the following
questions.
4. What important topics does Steinbeck raise in his writings?
5. What three books are Steinbeck’s signature works? What problems do they all address?
What two important awards did Steinbeck receive for his writings?
In what other media form did Of Mice and Men appear in 1940?

8. Monterey County, Salinas Valley
Use the web links to answer the
following questions.
Where is the Salinas Valley located?
What is Monterey County’s nickname?
Why was the Salinas Valley a good place for farmers to migrate to in the 1930s?
What is significant about some of the families who live in the Salinas Valley today?

9. Monterey County, Salinas Valley
Continued:
What does Soledad mean?
What are some of the agricultural products produced in Soledad?

10. Monterey County, Salinas Valley
Continued:
Use the web links to answer the following
questions.
What makes the Salinas River so special?

11. Farmers and the Great Depression:
Use the web links to answer the
following questions.
Why were farmers forced to migrate to California? What were some of the benefits for farmers living in California?
What were the migrants called and why?
Was California the “promised land of the migrant’s dreams?” Why or why not?

12. Farmers Continued:
Use the web links to answer the following questions.
4. What did migrants do to maintain a steady income?
How did WWII help the working conditions of some of the migrants?

13. Farmers Continued: Use the web links to answer the
following questions.
What are some of the interesting facts you noticed in the fact box?
8. How did President Herbert Hoover further damage the conditions of the farming community?
What did President Roosevelt do to help the farming community? Do you think this was a good decision? Why or why not?

14. Meeting of the Minds
When you have all researched your topic, you need to get together and discuss what you found as a group. Do not just give your group members the answers. Talk about what you read and what you thought was interesting.
Did you learn something new?
What was the most interesting piece of information you discovered?
Would you have liked to have lived
during this time period?

15. Conclusion:
I hope that you have a better understanding of the information that relates to the novel, Of Mice and Men.
We will be reading this book as a class throughout the next couple of days. You will be thrown into the lives of Lennie and George. These two migrant workers are trying to do their jobs and stay out of trouble. All they want to do is make enough money so that they can own a farm of their own. Together we will see whether or not their plans for the future work out.