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
