Of Mice and Men Partner Research Project

Students will be partnering up in the library for a week of research based on the historical time period of the 1920’s / 1930’s. The purpose of this is for students to familiarize themselves with the time period of our new novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Students will be creating a PowerPoint presentation that will include the following…

a.)At least 7 slides (this includes the work cited slide)

b.)Well researched and informative information about the selected topic

c.)Research presented from a minimum of three academic sources (No Wikipedia, blogs, Yahoo Answers, etc.)

d.)At least 3 pictures with documented sources (the websites you get the images from do not count towards your three sources but documentation is required for all pictures)

e.)A 3+ minute presentation in class covering the material you learned with both partners equally participating

You will be graded on the following components…

1.) The accuracy of your research (selecting reputable sources, presenting the important information while eliminating unnecessary detail, etc)

2.) The adherence of the partnership to the project details (at least seven slides, work cited slide included at the end of the presentation, a minimum of three informational sources, ready to present on the due date, etc.)

3.) The design and presentation of your PowerPoint

4.) Your work cited slide (correct MLA format is expected!) You are also expected to identify any direct quotes in your presentation with quotation marks.

5.) Your behavior in the library on research days

6.)Your notes (and a possible quiz) over the presentations you saw

*Partners will be assigned randomly and are not able to be switched. WORK IT OUT!

* Projects will be assigned on a “first come/first serve” basis starting on Monday, November 7th at 7:00am. Only one group per class can sign up for any given topic.

*Words of wisdom: Don’t fill up your slides with total text. This is not fun to look at. Use bullets or tell us about the information instead of reading off of your slides. Note cards are allowed during presentations.

Topic Options for Research Presentation

  1. Great Depression- causes and the beginning
  2. Great Depression- recovery (WPA, TVA, The New Deal, etc.)
  3. The Dust Bowl
  4. Migrant workers
  5. Tent cities (aka “Hoovervilles”)/ riding the railroads-teens and adults
  6. Harlem Renaissance (with a focus on Langston Hughes)
  7. Radio / Movies / Photography (focusing on Dorothea Lange) / Music / Literature of the 1920s
  8. Lindbergh baby kidnapping
  9. Roaring Twenties/ Jazz age
  10. Women’s suffrage
  11. Teapot Dome Scandal- early 20s government corruption
  12. Scopes Trial (1925- lawsuit involving teaching of the theory of evolution)
  13. Prohibition / Bootleggers / Speakeasies
  14. Herbert Hoover
  15. Gangs/ Al Capone/ American gangsters
  16. Bonnie and Clyde
  17. Jim Crow / Racism during the 1920’s
  18. Treatment of the mentally disabled from 1900 to today