Introduction

Getting Started
Pre-Reading Activity
Grades 6–12
Language Arts, History
Entire Class, Individual, Research, Writing

Objectives

After viewing the PowerPoint presentation students will be able to:

  • Have an introductory knowledge of the life of John Steinbeck.
  • Understand the background of writing The Grapes of Wrath.
  • Be familiar with the historical context of the novel.
  • Understand the setting and themes.
  • Gain knowledge of the main characters.

Overview

Through a brief PowerPoint presentation, students will be introduced to John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, its characters, the setting, and the contextual background, including the Great Depression.

Materials Needed/Preparation

  • Consider the activities in The Harvest Gypsies section of the Steinbeck in the Schools website.
  • ~These lessons provide a much more in-depth examination of the context in which The Grapes of Wrath was written.
  • View the basic sample PowerPoint introduction to The Grapes of Wrath.
  • Create an initial PowerPoint presentation (based on the sample on this site) with an introduction to Steinbeck, photos, the context of the novel, its characters, and themes.
  • Teachers unfamiliar with The Grapes of Wrath should read the introduction to the novel and add pertinent elements to the presentation.
  • ~Also recommended reading:
  • ~~The Harvest Gypsies by John Steinbeck
  • ~~“A Primer on the ‘30s,” “Dubious Battle in California,” “The Harvest Gypsies: Squatters’ Camps,” and “Starvation Under the Orange Trees” in America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction, by John Steinbeck
  • The PowerPoint presentation can be shown via laptop computer/LCD projector or television.
  • Students will need The Grapes of Wrath notebooks.

Estimated Time

1-2 class periods

Procedures

  • Begin by asking students what they know about the Great Depression.
  • During the PowerPoint presentation, students should be taking notes in their notebooks.
  • After viewing, initiate a discussion of what the novel may be about. This should be a free-form discussion based on what students have learned so far before opening the book.
  • Students should also take notes based on what other classmates have said. This will prepare them later for the “Mining for Examples” activity.

Post Activity/Takeaways/Follow-up

Takeaways

  • Students can discuss/write what they know about Steinbeck.

Follow-up

  • Have students write an evaluation of the project and what they have learned.
  • Students can further research/present information about Steinbeck. Have students briefly research, via the Internet, more about John Steinbeck and the Great Depression. This will be the basis of a class discussion the following day.

Assessment

After checking students’ notes based on the PowerPoint presentation, teachers may assign a quiz based on the presentation.

Extensions

  • The Harvest Gypsies by John Steinbeck
  • “A Primer on the ‘30s,” “Dubious Battle in California,” “The Harvest Gypsies: Squatters’ Camps,” and “Starvation Under the Orange Trees” in America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction, by John Steinbeck

Common Core State Standards Met

  • Reading Standards for Literature 6-12
  • ~Craft and Structure: 6
  • ~Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: 9
  • Reading Standards for Informational Text 6-12
  • ~Key Ideas and Details: 1
  • Writing Standards 6-12
  • ~Research to Build and Present Knowledge: 8
  • Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12
  • ~Comprehension and Collaboration: 2
  • Language Standards 6-12
  • ~Knowledge of Language: 3
  • ~Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: 4, 5, 6
  • Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
  • ~Craft and Structure: 4
  • ~Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: 7
  • Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6-12
  • ~Research to Build and Present Knowledge: 8

Related Lesson Plans for this Work