| picture of an given period in history. Students are
encouraged to explore Web sites about the Dust Bowl and develop a monologue.
There are six discussion questions, a monologue evaluation guide, reading
suggestions, and a vocabulary list. Can be used with or without the
video available from Discovery School.
"A Day in the
Life of a Hobo" Interdisciplinary Blogging Activity
This is an activity I created last year. Students write from the perspective
of a Hobo who is "riding the rails." Students use their knowledge
of the period and their creativity to create a story (250-500 words)
about a day in your life as a Hobo. Students post their blog and read
everyone's work. Students then comment on the posting and state what
they liked about the story they read -- and what made it seem authentic.
The blogs serve to provide a public form to present and share student
work without undue stress on the student. There is no "right"
answer, students are allowed to express themselves creatively, and each
student receives positive feedback about their posting.
Resources for this assignment:
Riding the Rails (PBS)
Part of PBS's American Experience television series, this site focuses
on the plight of more than a quarter million teenagers living on the
road in America. There is a timeline, maps, "tales from the rails",
Hobo songs, a teacher's guide, recommended resources and more
New Deal Network
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI), in collaboration
with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Marist College,
and IBM, launched the New Deal Network (NDN). The site features 20,000
items: photographs, speeches, letters, documents, and exercises from
the New Deal era
Bumming in California
Reading the Grapes
of Wrath
This discussion guide from the California Council for the Humanities
provides an introduction to the novel, a biography of Steinbeck with
a timeline of his life, and discussion questions. The questions are
clustered around topics: Pleasures of Reading, The migrant's Tale, Landscape
and the Land, Politics and Society, and The Novel's Moral universe.
Teacher
Cyberguide: Grapes of Wrath
This supplemental unit to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was
developed as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for
Educators (SCORE). You could assign any of the activities as small group
or individual work for students. After reading The Grapes of Wrath students
chart the conditions and circumstances leading to the displacement of
the Dust Bowl refugees and the experiences of Dust Bowl refugees after
their relocation. They also study the conditions and experiences of
the Kosovo refugees and compare and contrast the conditions and experiences
of the these refugee groups.
The
Grapes of Wrath
NPR's reports on the story behind the creation of the Grapes of Wrath.
Listen to the report as well as Woody Guthrie's 1940 song "Tom
Joad" and watch a scene from the 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath
Classic
Note on the Grapes of Wrath
A detailed student guide from GradeSaver. Offers an introduction to
Steinbeck and the book, summaries and analysis of each chapter, a list
of characters.
Grapes
of Wrath Teacher's Guide
This Penguin teacher's guide questions, exercises, and assignments on
these pages are designed to guide students’ reading of the literary
work and to provide suggestions for exploring the implications of the
story through discussions, research, and writing. There are five pre-reading
questions, dozens of chapter questions, twelve "digging deeper"
questions, nine "writer responses" questions, and ten questions
for further explorations.
The Grapes
of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Pearl
The Great Books Foundation offers an introduction to the novel, fifteen
discussion questions, and three questions for "further reflection."
Grapes
of Wrath (C-Span)
From C-Span's American Writers series, students explore the life and
works of John Steinbeck via an electronic scrapbook and learn about
the effect his work had on others. Students are then invited to use
a printable page from the site to create their own scrapbook. Contains
10 questions for High School students.
Film Study of the
Grapes of Wrath
This New Deal Network lesson plan has students analyze the effects of
the Dust Bowl on tenant farmers by using a visual document, analyze
the film "The Grapes of Wrath" as a "cultural document"
of its time, and view film critically by using a film guide to explore
techniques and visual treatment of the migrant experience.
AP
Vocabulary: Grapes of Wrath
Features 120 SAT vocabulary definitions along with synonyms, antonyms,
and derivatives. There are also four vocabulary tests with answers.
Weedpatch Camp
While writing Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck visited Bakersfield, California
and based his book on Arvin Federal Government Camp which he portrayed
as "Weedpatch Camp." There are newspaper articles about the
camps, personal reminiscences, a bibliography for Dust Bowl and Migrant
workers, the story behind Dorothea Lange's famous "Migrant Mother"
photograph, and more.
Woody
Guthrie and the Grapes of Wrath
This lesson plan from the Rock & Roll Hall of Hame is designed for
students to recognize thematic parallels between Woody Guthrie's
music and Steinbeck's novel, develop an appreciation for The Grapes
of Wrath and the music of Woody Guthrie, as works of art and historical
documents, and explore the idea of the "American spirit."
Students discuss the parallels between Guthrie's life and music and
the experience of the Joad family as well as study lyrics of "This
Land Is Your Land" and explore connections between the novel and
the song.
Teaching
Programme for Grapes of Wrath
Offers hypertexted outlines of teaching strategies
The
California Novels
This site from a Professor at Western Washington State University provides
maps of places mentioned in Grapes of Wrath (and other Steinbeck works)
along with a dustjacket from the first edition and a 1940 movie poster.
It also has chapter summaries, a list of main characters, and links
to related web sites.
John Steinbeck's
Pacific Grove
This site provides a visual tour of local sites relating to the life
and work of John Steinbeck as well as Steinbeck links.
"GRAPES
OF WRATH" BANNED IN KERN COUNTY
Brief article on the August 22, 1939 decision of the Kern County (California)
Board of Supervisors to ban the Steinbeck novel in the county's public
schools and libraries.
A review of the 1940 film
adaptation
TLWT-Home
|Sign up for Newsletter|
Contact |
