Of Mice and Men

1. If you won the lottery
where would you live?
In pairs, describe your
ideal place to live.
Two minutes each.
Go!

2. Date ‘Of Mice and Men’
ILO:
By the end of the lesson I will be able to:
•Analyse and interpret language and how
the writer uses it to create a calm setting
but with a hint of mystery and suspense.

3. Assessment:
This lesson I will:
• Use peer assessment.

4. Build:
Reading:
• Read the opening of the
novel.
• What does the setting look
like?
Reading beyond the grain:
• In groups, re-read the
opening and mind map
evidence of the following
that help to create the
description:
 Colour.
 Verbs.
 Adjectives.
 Alliteration.
Functional skill: teamwork, analysing information and forming opinion.

5. Build:
Using your evidence
and ideas, describe the
mood at the start of the
novel.
What genre of novel do
we expect and why?
How does the writer
engage the reader from
the start?
What is your opinion of this
image?
Functional skill: forming judgement and opinion.

6. Apply:
• Read the next paragraph. This is an omen.
Explain the use of the phrases below to
show this:
“little wind to
moving”
“sculptured stones” “sound of footsteps”
“rabbits hurried
noiselessly”
“heron...pounded
down river”
“the place was
lifeless”
Write the phrases and label the specific language term, e.g.,
‘hurried’ is a verb.

7. Demonstrate:
Using the picture opposite,
write an opening for a book
with a setting similar to that
in ‘Of Mice and Men’ using
colour, verbs, adjectives and
alliteration.
Start with a positive opening
but then change it to have
an air of mystery or danger.
I woke this morning to a glorious
blue summer sky. Beautiful.

8. Assessment:
Swap your work with a partner who will
assess for:
1. Use of descriptive language including colour, verbs,
adjectives and alliteration.
2. Changes of mood from positive to negative.
Comment on what you like about the work and how it
could be improved.

9. Do the words create a positive
or negative setting?
“twinkling” “night descended”
“the sun crept up in the East”
“the trees shook and swayed”
“a little mouse scurried across the meadow”
“the waves rippled against the sand”

10. Do the words create a positive
or negative setting?
“twinkling” “night descended”
“the sun crept up in the East”
“the trees shook and swayed”
“a little mouse scurried across the meadow”
“the waves rippled against the sand”