Introduction

Use this Real-Life Lens Plan to help students dive deep into John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and examine the play’s themes, action, and characters through the lens of friendship. What is the value of friendship in our lives? What makes someone a “good” friend, and what traits are important for maintaining a strong friendship? How do friendships promote acceptance, kindness, and love in our society?

Materials

  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
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Introduce the Lens

To activate students’ thinking, choose one or two of the following Real-Life Links to use in an engagement activity. Have students read or watch and discuss the content. Encourage students to jot down notes, or record class notes on the board for future reference.

Pose the following Big Idea Questions to the class:

What is the value of friendship in our lives? 

What makes someone a good friend? 

How do friendships promote acceptance, kindness, and love in society?

Engagement Activity

Have students write quick initial answers to the questions. Then discuss the questions either as a class or in small groups. Prompt students to consider the value of friendship in their own lives and how it impacts the way they feel about themselves or the choices they make. Encourage students to take a closer look at what makes someone a good friend by contrasting these characteristics to those of a bad friend. Also, ask students to think about how friendship might promote kindness or love in our society using their own school community as an example. Following discussion, give students time to revise their initial responses, and ask volunteers to share what they wrote with the class.

CCSS

Introduce the Driving Questions

Begin by having students write their own questions about the lesson topic. Encourage them to think about what they already know about friendship and what they’re interested in exploring further. 

Hand out the Driving Questions Worksheet. Review the questions as a class. Students should enter initial answers to the questions as they read Of Mice and Men. They will revisit the questions and revise their answers following the lesson activities, classroom discussion, and completion of the text. Remind students to support their responses with text evidence.

Integrate the Driving Questions into your classroom discussions. Use them to help guide students’ thinking about the Big Idea Questions. 

1. What difficult events in the novel directly impact George and Lennie’s friendship? Explain.  

2. What characters have a positive impact on George and Lennie? What characters have a negative impact on them? 

3. Several characters in the story have “handicaps” or traits that hold them back or set them apart. What characters connect to the motif of “handicaps” in this novella? Explain.  

4. George and Lennie often say “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you . . .” when referring to their unique friendship and how it sets them apart.  How does their friendship impact their story? 

5. George and Lennie repeatedly discuss their dream of owning “a little house and a couple of acres.” How does the theme of the American Dream play a role in this novella through George and Lennie as well as other characters? 

6. What does the ending of this novella mean in connection to its central themes of friendship, the American Dream, and destruction? Explain. 

7. How does the setting (a ranch in Soledad, California, during the 1930s Great Depression) impact George and Lennie and the relationships that surround them?

CCSS

Introduce the "Through the Lens" Activity

Activity: Personal Experience

In this activity, students will explore the role of friendship in their own lives. To prepare for this activity, draw the following diagram on the board, and have students copy it in their notebooks.

Draw a “traffic light of friendship.” In the top red circle, write “Signs of a BAD friendship.” In the center yellow circle, write “Warning signs of a SHAKY friendship.” In the bottom green circle, write “Signs of a GOOD friendship.” 

Ask students to brainstorm ideas for each light color of friendship and record their responses in their notebooks next to the corresponding color. 

Encourage students to come up with their own ideas based on personal experience, reassuring them that there is not one “right” answer. If students seem to struggle, you might offer these sample responses: for the red light—a friend who makes fun of you or insults you; for the yellow light—a friend you agree with only because you fear being honest would cost you the friendship; for the green light—a friend you can be yourself with because he or she accepts you as you are. Ask students to share their ideas and record some of their answers on the board. 

Next, have students individually brainstorm areas in their personal life (or in current society) where they think good friendships develop, circling the examples/foundations they believe build the best or most positive friendships. For example, students may identify their neighborhood, school, or certain activities, like sports or dance, as areas where friendships have developed. Have pairs share their ideas, identifying the areas of their lives in which they have developed their best friendships. 

Finally, have students return to their notes and identify which areas of their personal lives are most impacted by friendship. For example, students may identify that friendship affects what activities they choose to participate in, how comfortable they feel at school, or how confident or happy they feel. In other words, students will determine real-life examples of how friendship affects them in their personal lives. (If you feel that students might be uncomfortable sharing their own experiences, invite them to write about someone they know.) 

To conclude the activity, ask students to use their class discussion notes to write a “want ad” in search of a good friend using the following questions as guidelines: 

What makes someone a good friend? Describe this person, using your personal experience to guide your description. (one paragraph) 

What foundations build the best or most positive friendships? Use your personal experience as you describe what aspects of your life you hope to share with your friend. (one paragraph) 

In what ways do you hope your friendships will impact or benefit your life? Use your personal experience to describe how a good friendship makes life better. (one paragraph) 

Have pairs share their want ads. Encourage students to return to the Big Idea Questions and consider how their experiences informed their initial answers. 

If time allows, prompt a whole-class discussion with a focus on the following questions: What is the value of friendship in our lives? What makes someone a good friend? How do friendships promote acceptance, kindness, and love in our society? Explain. 

Before moving on, explain that students will explore the friendship of the main characters, George and Lennie, and its effect on their lives, the choices they make, and their reaction to events and experiences as they read Of Mice and Men.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Begin by having students copy the traffic light of friendship diagram in their notebooks. However, rather than having students brainstorm individually, have students work in pairs to brainstorm. By working in pairs, students can build confidence in their ideas by hearing the ideas of another student and working as a team to present an idea. Also, rather than having students write paragraphs for the friend “want ad,” have students list bullet points that answer the same guideline questions. Proceed with discussion as outlined above.

Increase difficulty

Have students write short personal essays (rather than just three paragraphs in a “want ad” format) about the power of friendship, drawing connections to at least two personal experiences with friendship as they answer the questions What makes someone a good friend? What foundations build the best friendships? Then have students write a concluding paragraph on how powerful they think friendship is in their personal lives or in their current society. In their conclusion, they should also answer the question How do friendships promote acceptance, kindness, and love in our society? Then proceed with discussion as outlined above.

Introduce the Final Project

Before moving on, introduce the final projects to the class (see below for details). Have students choose the project they will complete and encourage them to keep their project in mind as they read the text. Facilitate the formation of project groups if necessary.

Assign the Midpoint Activities

Activity 1: Characters around the Ranch

Several characters live at the ranch in Soledad, California, where Lennie and George begin working. Have students work individually to create a character map, noting character details they’ve learned by the midpoint of the novella. Pass out the Characters around the Ranch Worksheet.

Using this character map that clarifies where each character lives on the ranch, students will: 

  • Give a brief physical description of the character. 

  • Identify the character’s role at the ranch or in the story. 

  • Explain how the character views George and Lennie’s friendship or how he or she impacts their friendship. 


Students should also include textual evidence to support their observations by listing page numbers that contain strong character quotes supporting their ideas. 

After completing the worksheet, have pairs or small groups discuss the characters’ roles in the story and whether/how the characters influence George and Lennie’s friendship.

Students can continue to fill out this map as they finish reading the text, wrapping up their reading with a second partner or small-group discussion.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Have students keep the character map log as stated above. However, as they read the text, they should only respond to the first two prompts: “Give a brief physical description of the character” and “Identify the character’s role at the ranch or in the story.” The text evidence can also be modified. Rather than finding text evidence to connect to every character on the map, students can choose a few characters to find evidence for. Reducing note-taking work promotes comprehension and avoids frustration or burnout.

Increase difficulty

After pair or small-group discussion, have students write a short essay responding to the following prompt: 

Which character has the greatest impact on George and Lennie’s friendship? Explain using text examples and at least one direct quote.

Activity 2: Moments of Friendship

There are many moments of friendship detailed in the first half of the novella. As they read, have students keep a list of text quotes and/or examples where friendship is visible in the story. Many of these examples will come from George and Lennie’s relationship. However, Candy and his dog could also be included. Students could even list the relationship between Curley and his wife as something that is the opposite of friendship if they want to get creative. 

Students should also explain how each moment reveals friendship, using these guiding prompts as they respond: 

How does this moment reveal friendship? Explain. 

Does this text quote/example give important facts about a friendship? (How it started? Where? When? Why?) 

Does this text quote/example identify what the characters give/gain in the relationship? 

Does this text quote/example show how this friendship is unique and rare? 

Students will then use their notes to participate in a discussion (verbally or in essay form) about Lennie and George’s friendship. The discussion should respond to these questions: 

How is George and Lennie’s friendship important to the story? 

What does George give to and gain from his relationship with Lennie? 

What does Lennie give to and gain from his relationship with George? 

How do the other characters react to George and Lennie’s friendship? 

You can return to this activity after students finish reading the text to continue this discussion and further examine Lennie and George’s friendship.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Students can work in pairs or small groups to complete the explanations to each moment tracked.

Increase difficulty

Have students complete all tracking and explanation elements of this activity individually. In addition, have students find direct quote evidence to connect to each moment of friendship they list in their notes. Then students can participate in a whole-class discussion, using these tracking notes to guide discussion about Lennie and George’s friendship. To add an extra challenge, have students write a short essay response to one or two of the discussion questions, being sure to include text evidence to support their ideas.

Final Projects

Students will work on their final projects after they have finished reading Of Mice and Men. Project 1 requires students to work in pairs or small groups with some whole-class discussion. Project 2 calls for students to work in pairs with an optional individual approach, followed by an individual writing response.

Final Project 1: Theme Connections through Video

Students will make connections between the theme of friendship and other themes in the novel (such as alienation/loneliness, dreams, fear, failure, and freedom versus captivity). Students will do the following: 

Using a free video-creating website, students will create a video essay response, connecting one other theme in the text to the theme of friendship. For example, the theme of dreams would connect to the theme of friendship when Lennie and George dream of owning land and a little house together. Their friendship almost makes the dream seem possible.

Students must follow these specific guidelines when creating their videos: 

Students must prepare the video like an essay, using the writing process to plan/organize their ideas, clarify a main idea or thesis statement, and find text evidence to support their ideas.

The video can be no more than 10 minutes long; students can be creative in how they cover the important elements of their response. 

Students must connect one other theme from the text to the theme of friendship, verbally discussing the connection and providing at least three text quotes to support their connection. Students should answer the question: How does the theme of _______ connect to the theme of friendship?

Students can choose to get creative with their videos, using music or props, playing a character role, or adding graphics, as long as they follow the other required guidelines.

After completing their video response, students must post their videos to a class site by a teacher-announced deadline. Several days after posting, students must respond to at least two videos from a classmate or group, creating an online classroom discussion.

If video-posting website technology is not available, this response discussion could also happen face-to-face in the classroom. Students could record videos that are shared (a few at a time) in the classroom followed by verbal discussion. If video recording is also not an option, these videos can instead be done as in-person presentations that follow the same guidelines.

In their response to a peer’s video, students should respond to the following prompt:

Explain why you agree or disagree with your classmate’s connection. Then draw connections that add to or build upon your classmate’s response.

Finally, students can participate in a whole-class summary discussion during which all possible connecting themes are discussed regarding the theme of friendship. Some potential discussion questions could be:

What other themes in this novel directly connect to the theme of friendship?

How do these themes impact the friendship between George and Lennie?

If George and Lennie didn’t have their friendship, how might these other themes be impacted?

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete the video activity. Have a partner or a team with whom providing support will balance students’ strengths to create the video.

Increase difficulty

Have students connect the theme of friendship to more than one other theme. Another way to increase difficulty is to require creative elements for student videos. For example, students could be invited to include elements like conducting a character interview, performing a skit that connects the themes, or using more graphics or video-editing tools to polish their videos.

Final Project 2: Character Cut-outs and Connections

In pairs, students will create caricature-like cut-out posters of George and Lennie that detail each character’s unique physical and emotional qualities while also demonstrating the connection and friendship between them. Partners can decide to each focus on one character, coming together for the friendship/connection portion, or partners can work on both characters together. Each poster should include:

  • an image of the character (as the focus), using magazine cutouts or clip art images pasted in a word-processing document for each physical feature. Use these physical features to highlight elements of the character that stand out or identify that character. For example, if a character is a gossip, students could make the character’s mouth very large in comparison to the other features. The final image will look almost like a caricature and should not just be a copied photo from a movie image.

  • at least two text quotes that physically describe the character. These quotes should be included on the poster in the space around the image and briefly explained.

  • at least two text quotes that describe the character’s personality or emotions. These quotes should also be included on the poster in the space around the image and briefly explained.

  • at least one symbol that represents the character in some way. An explanation of why this symbol connects to the character must be included in the space around the image.

  • explained connections about each character’s friendship with the other, including these “friendship” connections in a focal point or central location. Use the following questions to guide this response:


What does this character give to the friendship? 

What does this character gain from the friendship? 

Overall, how does this character feel about the friendship?

As a final focus, partners should come up with a creative way to connect the two character posters so that they can be displayed together to show the importance of George and Lennie’s friendship. For example, the characters may be connected by holding hands, by a little house, by rabbits, or even by words or images in a thought bubble above the characters’ heads. A connection just needs to be made; there is no exact way this should be done.

To wrap up this project, individual students will write a reflection on the final events of the novella from the perspective of George or Lennie. Students will write their reflection as if they are George or Lennie and answer the following questions:

Looking back at the final events of your story, how do you feel about what happened? If you could change anything about the events, what would it be, and why? How do you think your friendship with George/Lennie impacted your life and the ending of this story?

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

You can choose to decrease the number of quotes required on the poster or do whole-class mini-lessons on certain elements, such as symbolism, to guide student choices for these elements of the posters. For the writing response, students can simply respond to the questions in more of a question/answer format (still from the perspective on George or Lennie) to focus on content while avoiding the block that often comes with writing mechanics, organization, or formatting. Pairs can also respond orally (each student taking a different character role) rather than in written form.

Increase difficulty

For the poster portion of this project, have students include more direct text quotes to support character description and to identify more than one symbol. Then have students complete the writing response twice, once from the perspective of Lennie and again from the perspective of George, using text quotes to support their responses.

Assess the Assignments

Use the Rubric for Student Assessment to evaluate student work on the lesson assignments. 

Distribute the Student Reflection Worksheet. Guide students through the self-assessment and reflection questions.

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