Objectives
- Through the mock interviewing of characters from Of Mice and Men, students will gain a deeper understanding of the characters’ personalities and motivations.
- By writing a collaborative interview, students will be able to understand, identify, and apply plot elements and characterization techniques from the novel.
- Students will be able to identify, through a quiz or short paper, basic characteristics of the characters in Of Mice and Men.
- Students will hone their oral presentation/drama skills.
- Students may use multimedia alternatives for presentations.
Overview
A great way for students to get to know the characters in Of Mice and Men is for them to actually inhabit the personalities of those characters. This can be done at any point in the novel, and in many ways, with time for preparation, either alone or in small groups.
Additionally, students who perform the interviewing duties also gain a deeper appreciation of the complexities of the characters.
Materials Needed/Preparation
- Students need to meet in their interviewing groups and decide who will be the interviewer and which characters will be interviewed. Depending on the sophistication of the class, teachers will monitor as necessary.
- To avoid having one or two students dominating the presentation, teachers should make sure that interviewers will ask each interviewee a similar number of questions and in contiguous order.
- Camcorder (if available) to film the interviews.
- PowerPoint (if available)
Estimated Time
2 class periods—one to meet and write the interview script and one to perform it.
Procedures
NOTE: To avoid having one or two students dominating the presentation, teachers should make sure that interviewers will ask each interviewee a similar number of questions and in contiguous order.
Teachers should instruct students to prepare for interviews in the following ways (they can always come up with other ideas):
- Talk show format—one student can serve as a talk-show host (à la Ellen, Oprah, Letterman, Leno, etc.) and ask questions of each of the guest characters. Students, who are playing characters, should respond thoroughly to reveal as much as the class knows about the character(s) at any given point.
- Television news program—breaking news about a character (for example, Lennie and George chased out of Weed; Lennie and George show up late at the boss’s ranch; Curley and Lennie fight; the death of Lennie’s puppy; the death of Curley’s wife; the death of Curley’s puppy; the death of Lennie. Principal characters can be interviewed and videotaped.
- Book Tour—Various characters could show up at a bookstore for a reading of their latest book—a memoir, novel, autobiography, non-fiction, etc.
Post Activity/Takeaways/Follow-up
Post Activity
- Have students write their brief reactions (evaluations) to each interview session and share with the class.
- Have students hold a post-interview “press conference” and ask questions of the interviewers/characters.
Takeaways
- The main purpose of this activity is for students to gain a deeper understanding of the characters.
Follow-up
- Teachers can have students write an evaluation of the project and what they have learned.
Assessment
- During the group preparation, teachers should monitor the groups to ensure they are on task and be available to offer suggestions.
- Teachers can test students on what new insights they have learned about the characters in Of Mice and Men.
Common Core State Standards Met
- Reading Standards for Literature 6-12
- ~Key Ideas and Details: 1, 2, 3
- ~Craft and Structure: 4, 5
- ~Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: 10
- Writing Standards 6-12
- ~Text Types and Purposes: 1, 3
- ~Production and Distribution of Writing: 4, 5, 6
- ~Research to Build and Present Knowledge: 7
- ~Range of Writing: 10
- Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12
- ~Comprehension and Collaboration: 1, 2
- Language Standards 6-12
- ~Conventions of Standard English: 1, 2
- ~Knowledge of Language: 3
- ~Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: 4, 5, 6
- Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
- ~Key Ideas and Details: 1
- ~Craft and Structure: 4, 5
- ~Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: 8
- ~Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: 10
- Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6-12
- ~Text Types and Purposes: 1, 2
- ~Production and Distribution of Writing: 4, 5, 6
- ~Research to Build and Present Knowledge: 7
- ~Range of Writing: 10
