Ms. Shepard’s 8th Grade Honors English Class OMAM Project is Here!

Ms. Shepard’s 8th Grade Honors English Class

Of Mice and Men: Final Project Choices

Homeskillets, the following is a list of options for your OMAM project. Choose one assignment from each part (Part A, B, C, and D). This means that you will be turning in four parts of a project. Choose a project that appeals to your own personal talents and interests.

YOU MUST WORK IN GROUPS FOR THIS PROJECT: Please consider that you will need to prepare much of your project outside of school. It is best to limit your groups to four people or less. Management and leadership are always easier with a smaller group!

Part A-ON FILM (choose 1):

1.    Debate George’s final decision to kill Lennie. Use debate techniques and set up your presentation LIke a formal debate (1-2 people per side and one person as a moderator). Use facts, opinions and examples from the novel as well as outside information. Possible research topics to enrich your debate include euthanasia, developmental disability/disorder, poverty/life in the 1930s.

2.    Perform a scene from the novel keeping in mind to capture the spirit, tone of voice and appropriate props. Your performance should last about five minutes and include a director’s creative take on how this scene should play out. This creative take should be in the form of an interview separate from the scene you film. Please make sure any props used are appropriate – please see Ms. Shepard if you are not sure!

Part B-ON THE COMPUTER (choose 1):

3.    Research the time period in more depth focusing on the arts/culture of the Great Depression. Present a PowerPoint with examples. You should have at least ten slides minimum – be sure not to simply copy and paste. The last slide should list the URLs of the sites you accessed. Post your power point to the website voicethread.com. To do this, you will first need to register for an account (go to https://voicethread.com/register/) Be sure to register using your @pgcps account.

4.    Research human euthanasia. Prepare a presentation citing all researched incidents, provide your opinion on the topic and explain the connection to OMAM. You should have at least ten slides minimum on a PowerPoint – do not just simply copy and paste! The last slide should list all the URLs of the sites you accessed. Post your power point to the website voicethread.com. To do this, you will first need to register for an account (go to https://voicethread.com/register/) Be sure to register using your @pgcps account.

5.    Prepare a lecture/presentation on an aspect of discrimination emphasized in the novel. (i.e. racism, sexism, ageism) Explain the ramifications of how people perceived to be different were treated. Your presentation should be at least ten slides if you are doing a PowerPoint or if you are delivering a verbal lecture, it should be about 2-3 minutes. Prepare a bibliography citing all URLs of websites you used. Post your power point to the website voicethread.com. To do this, you will first need to register for an account (go to https://voicethread.com/register/) Be sure to register using your @pgcps account.

Part C ON PAPER (choose 1):

6.    Create an artistic rendering of each chapter from the book focusing on the setting and major events. Be sure to capture a significant event from each scene. Please use more involved artistic methods than simple stick figures! IF YOU CANNOT DRAW, IT WOULD NOT BE WISE TO START DRAWING FOR THIS ASSGINMENT. YOU MAY NOT USE COMPUTER IMAGES FOR THIS OPTION.

7.    Record a series (at least 3) of diary entries EACH for the following characters: George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, Curley’s wife. Be sure to date each entry and be able to capture the character’s voice. Feel free to use slang or decorative paper.  This assignment must be at least two typed pages.

8.    Create a newspaper released after Lennie’s death. Chronicle all major events of the book as well as incorporating information from the time period. You should have at least four major articles, a title, date, advertisements and formatted like a newspaper. YOU MAY USE THE FORMATS FROM COMPUTER PROGRAMS (Ex: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, etc.) This assignment must be at least two typed pages.

9.    Compose a series of poems addressing themes in the novel. You should have about 5 – 10 poems formatted like a mini-book. This assignment must be typed.

Part D- Individual Submissions

Use your chapter 6 re-write: Re-write the ending of chapter 6. You can create an epilogue or an explanation of what happens after Lennie dies or you can change the ending completely. Your re-write should be one typed page in length.  (You may need to add to what you have already written in class. )

Due Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 3:30 PM. There will be no late submissions. NONE. The project as a whole is work two homework grades and four assessment grades. Parts A-D will each get the assessment grades.