This document provides a homework menu for students studying John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men". The menu is divided into sections for appetizers, main courses, and sides. Appetizers include tasks to help students understand the social and cultural context of the novel such as researching the Dust Bowl or the meaning of Soledad. Main courses consist of assignments connected to analyzing the text like writing from the perspective of a character or creating a chapter summary. Sides offer opportunities for students to reflect on their learning like evaluating a recent piece of work or explaining the plot to someone else.

1. For work on the novel
Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck
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SOLEDAD’S
BIG RANCH DINER
“We got beans with
ketchup”
The Takeaway Homework
Menu Format
This homework menu is designed to give you
an element of choice in your work outside the
classroom.
You should complete at least one task per
week, but your teacher may guide you in the
type of task.
Just off the Soledad Highway
Desserts
“Red Velvet Cupcakes just like Ol’
Aunt Clara used to make”
These tasks are designed
to appeal to your creative side.
 Write a poem or a song on
the theme of loneliness.
 Create a short video with a
soundtrack using pictures to
explain the Depression in
America.
 Make a Lego stage setting
of the novel and take a
photo or bring in the model.
 Write a short story set at the
time of the novel.
 Create a Facebook page for
one of the central characters.
 Learn a passage from the
novel and recite it to the
class with actions.
 Draw a storyboard or
cartoon which shows a key
scene from the novel
 Write Lennie’s school
report.
 Make a collage of the
themes in the novel.
Sides (A chance to reflect)
 Write down a WWW and an
EBI on a recent piece of work.
 Go through a recent writing
task and make improvements.
 Design a logo to show a
recent lesson objective.
 Write 3 tweets which
summarise your learning
over the week.
 Explain the storyline of the
novel to someone at home.

2. Delete text and
place photo here.
You should ensure that you
complete one “Main Course”
homework per week.
Appetisers
 Research and produce a
list of 10 facts about John
Steinbeck.
 Create a fact sheet for
Year 5 students on The
Dust Bowl.
 Find out about the title of
the novel and the poet
Robert Burns.
 Research the location and
the meaning of Soledad.
 Make up a quiz using
research on the era.
 Build a bank of important
key words.
 Find the definitions of 5
new words from the novel
and write them in your
book.
Main Courses
Main Courses
 Imagine you are
George at the end of
the novel. Write
about your feelings.
 Create an
advertisement for the
dream farm to appear
in a local real estate
agent’s window.
 Invent a starter for
your next lesson.
 Write 10 questions
and answer them on a
chapter of your
choice.
 Create a flow chart of
the events in the
novel.
 Write a letter as The
Boss asking the ranch
in Weed for a
reference.
 Write a reference for
George and Lennie.
 Create a poster to
show what you have
learnt in English this
week.
 Create a powerpoint
on a character study.
 Create a blog as a
character .
 Script an extra scene
from the novel.
Appetisers:
These tasks will help you to
understand the social and
cultural context of the novel.
Mains:
• These tasks are related to
the study of the text and will
help you to understand the
characters and the themes in
more depth.
 Write a diary entry from a
character in the novel which
reflects on an important event
 Write a newspaper article
about “what happened in
Weed.”