"You're bound to get idears if you go thinkin' about stuff." Readers are asked to think about what they see as the important turning points in The Grapes of Wrath. Groups are then asked to think about what scenes could be eliminated if...

Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Judy Garland. Jack Benny, The Lone Ranger, Edward R. Murrow. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman. The second lesson in a unit devoted to The Grapes of Wrath establishes for readers the cultural and...

A perfect companion for anyone reading The Grapes of Wrath, this 20-page packet instructs and directs readers' attention to all the key elements in John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The questions for Chapter one direct...

Here's a great resource packet to use with a study of The Grapes of Wrath. Individuals select historic photos from the Library of Congress's American Memory Collection and create a photo report album to represent a scene from John...

Here’s a must-have resource for anyone using The Grapes of Wrath. Everything from guiding questions to background information, from photographs to documentary films, from activities to assessments is included in a richly detailed packet...

Introduce readers to Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry with a lesson that sets the context for the novel. Class members research the bigotry in Mississippi during the Great Depression and identify examples in the story of how...

How do writers use the interaction between elements like characterization and setting to create meaning? Readers of "A Worn Path" create a series of comic book-style graphics of Eudora Welty's short story and reflect on how Welty uses...

"And this you can know—fear the time when Manself will not suffer and die for a concept, for this one quality is man, distinctive in the universe." What is The Grapes of Wrath all about? Class members are asked to identify what they...

What's with that turtle anyway? In session six of a ten-part unit study of The Grapes of Wrath, class members examine three major symbols that appear in the novel: Route 66, the American West, and the Biblical allusions in the title of...

Class groups adopt a character in The Grapes of Wrath and examine how the character has changed or failed to change by the time the Joad family reaches California. Individuals then examine either Tom and Casy or Ma and Rosasharn and, in...

Books can be dangerous things. They can change the way we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us. Experiences can be dangerous too, especially when writers want to share their experiences. John Steinbeck traveled with...

John Ford's 1940 film version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is the subject of a 23-question worksheet designed to accompany a viewing of the film. The questions not only focus viewers on events, but also ask them to make...

Integrate history, math, and art into a study of The Grapes of Wrath with a series of activities that ask learners to investigate the social, political, economic, and environmental factors at play during the 1930s. Designed to be used...

John Ford’s 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath and photos from the 1930s provide learners with an opportunity to examine the effects of the Great Depression on rural life and farm families. Using a provided list, groups investigate primary...

Follow banking through the 1920s. An era that truly went from boom to bust, the stock market lost over 30% of its value. By 1933, the economy was still failing, and Roosevelt needed more money to pay for his large-budgeted plans. How did...

Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" and other images set the stage for a PowerPoint about the Great Depression. Whether used as background for Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, or as part of a historical study, the presentation would...

Upper elementary and middle school scholars study the economic factors that caused so many Arkansans to migrate to different parts of the country looking for work. Use this history lesson plan to help your charges gain a better...

Truly understanding a story means understanding its setting and historical background. This guide, prepared for To Kill a Mockingbird, encourages your class to explore the Great Depression, Hoovervilles, and the Scottsboro trials....

Use this presentation to discuss the causes and effects of The Dust Bowl, or to establish a historical context for the book, The Grapes of Wrath. Found here are images, eye-witness quotes, and some ideas as to the causes and effects of...

If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust, then you are in luck. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and...

Images and well-organized text will help you deliver a great lecture on The Great Depression and life in the 1930s. The crash of the stock market, the Dust Bowl, unemployment, and mass migration west are all depicted through...

A timeline can provide learners with a better grasp on events that occurred prior to, and after a major time period. Take a look at a simple timeline used to describe the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl. The slide show contains...

Before my class delves into a historical fiction novel, I like to set the stage with historical background information and context. You can do just that with a presentation perfect for the novel, Of Mice and Men. The causes and effects...

“Anyone who thinks small towns are friendlier than big cities lives in a big city.” Mary Alice, the fifteen-year-old narrator of A Year Down Yonder, is forced to leave Chicago and spend a year with her Grandma Dowdel in a small rural...