Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Lesson plans and teaching resources

Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943
Color photographs of American life during the Depression.

Harvest Gypsies
Steinbeck wrote 5 nonfiction / informational pieces about the lives of migrant workers in 1936. They could prove useful in helping students understand the circumstances of the workers in the novel.

Of Mice and Men
A teacher guide for the novel, including prereading, plot summary, setting, symbols, foreshadowing, journal and other writing ideas. Requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Of Mice and Men
In this cyberguide, students research topics related to the book: the Pulitzer Prize, Steinbeck's life, mercy killing, mental retardation, migrants, and the Great Depression.

Of Mice and Men
This study guide offers several resources, including a graphic organizer to help analyze character, practice with vocabulary, writing prompts, and simple plot analysis questions.

Of Mice and Men
A variety of reading strategies, including an anticipation guide, writing a biopoem and a found poem, vocabulary with magic squares, and using a graphic organizer to help with character analysis. Adobe Reader required for access to activities, printable handouts.

Of Mice and Men
A variety of post-reading activities, organized by level of difficulty.

Of Mice and Men
Interactive whiteboard activities, including vocabulary, plot sequence, themes.

Of Mice and Men Anticipation/Reaction Guide
Students respond to 10 statements before and after reading. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

Of Mice and Men: Back in Time
In this WebQuest students investigate daily life in the U.S. during the 1930s.

Of Mice and Men Internet Resources
Links to online quizzes, study questions, project ideas, and related topics.

Of Mice and Men Literature Guide
A very thorough teaching packet with printable handouts and emphasis on literacy skills. Consider downloading the document and printing pages as needed. Adobe Reader required for access.

Painting Places with Words
After discussing the famous and fluent opening that launches Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, small groups of writers imitate the description by applying Steinbeck's paragraph's verbs and sentence structures to a different setting. The imitations are shared out loud, and the teacher writes the names of the new settings on the board. As individual writers, students then choose one of the settings from the list, and (without directly imitating Steinbeck this time) each writes a one-paragraph setting description that attempts to "paint with words" a setting, while using interesting sentences that flow. This lesson focuses on sentence fluency and idea development.

Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature
A list of songs that were inspired by reading literature. Organized by the last name of the author (e.g. Chinua Achebe, William Butler Yeats), the list includes song title, performer, year of release, and more. The list includes 6 titles inspired by Of Mice and Men.

The Tragedy of George and Lennie
This Venn diagram could serve as a prereading activity or as a focal point for a writing prompt.

Vocabulary from Of Mice and Men
A list of 101 words, each presented in the sentence in which it appears. Click on the word for definition, pronunciation, and examples of current usage.