Breaking News: Migrant Workers in Town
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Kelsey Leake
Heyworth High School
Summer 2012
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Lange, Dorothea, photographer;
1935; LC-USF347-003801-ZE)
John Steinbeck is an award-winning American author; he has written several novels about the hardships of migrant workers during the Great Depression. One of his most celebrated novels is Of Mice and Men. This novel tells the story of two migrant workers, George and Lenny, and their struggles to reach the American Dream. Through this learning experience, students will discover what it was really like to be a migrant worker during the Great Depression and compare and contrast their findings with John Steinbeck’s fictional characters and events.
Overview/ Materials/LOC Resources/Standards/ Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview Back to Navigation BarObjectives / Students will be able to:
· Navigate the Library of Congress website
· Analyze primary sources about migrant workers from The Great Depression
· Create news scripts and a news program using information that was gathered from the LOC website
· Choose important events, characters, and themes in Of Mice and Men to write a news story about
· Compare and contrast Steinbeck’s portrayal of migrant workers in the 1930’s and actual documented history
Recommended time frame / 7 days (following the reading of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men)
Grade level / 9th -12th grade
Curriculum fit / Language Arts, American Literature
Materials / · Access to Computer Lab
· Video cameras
· Art supplies for scenery and costumes
· Copies of:
· analysis sheet
· rubric
· project handout
· discussion questions (see extension activity)
Illinois State Learning Standards Back to Navigation Bar
Language Arts:
GOAL 1: Read with understanding and fluency.
· 1.B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.
· 1.B.5a Relate reading to prior knowledge and experience and make connections to related information.
· 1.C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.
· 1.C.5b Analyze and defend an interpretation of text.
· 1.C.5c Critically evaluate information from multiple sources.
GOAL 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas.
· 2.B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
· 2.B.5b Apply knowledge gained from literature as a means of understanding contemporary and historical economic, social and political issues and perspectives.
GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
· 3.C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.
· 3.C.4b Using available technology, produce compositions and multimedia works for specified audiences.
GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
· 4.B. Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.
· 4.B.4b Use group discussion skills to assume leadership and participant roles within an assigned project or to reach a group goal.
GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
· 5.B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources.
· 5.B.5b Credit primary and secondary sources in a form appropriate for presentation or publication for a particular audience.
· 5.C.5a Using contemporary technology, create a research presentation or prepare a documentary related to academic, technical or occupational topics and present the findings in oral or multimedia formats.
Procedures Back to Navigation Bar
The project is authentic assessment that should be completed after reading Of Mice and Men. Some background information will have been provided prior to reading the novel in the form of a Power Point.
Day One: (after reading novel)
· Students will be introduced to their Of Mice and Men final project. They will also be split into groups of three.
· Students will go to the media center to learn how to use the Library of Congress website. In particular, the teacher will model how to browse through the American Memory http:/memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/index.html and Voices from the Dust Bowl (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html).
· Students should browse through the collection to find pictures, audio files/interviews, song lyrics, and articles/stories that they find appealing about migrant workers during The Great Depression.
Day Two:
· Students should continue to browse through the website and dust bowl collection. It is advised that each of them chooses one type of primary source to focus on. When they have found 3 primary sources that they would like to report on, they will fill out its corresponding analysis sheet.
Day Three-Five:
· Students should begin to work with their group to create news stories based off of their primary source findings. Project Assignment attached.
· Students should also be creating three stories based on major events, characters, or themes in the novel, Of Mice and Men.
· They should use this time to assign character parts, write scripts, find/create costumes, and video tape the “news.”
Day Six:
· Watch the “news” projects (rubric)
· Students should be taking notes for discussion the following day
Day Seven:
· Students will split into groups. Groups should consist of one person from each project group. They will answer the discussion questions as a group. The questions are based around Steinbeck’s accuracy of migrant workers in California and life during The Great Depression.
Evaluation Back to Navigation Bar
· I will be using an authentic assessment for this learning experience.
· Students will be creating news segments for a local news show in the 1930’s. The news story will show the primary source that was used and information based off of that primary source. The news segment will also have information based off of the novel Of Mice and Men. The rubric for this project is attached.
Extension Back to Navigation Bar
On the final day of this learning experience, after all news segments have been watched, students will split into different groups (one person from each group together) and discuss whether Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men was an accurate view of migrant workers during The Great Depression. Handout attached.
Primary Resources from the Library of Congress
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Primary Sources and Citation
Topic: Primary Sources for Migrant Workers during the Great Depression
Image/Source / Description / Citation / URL/ Image of the Dust Bowl; large dust cloud in Texas / Rothstein, Arthur, 1915-1985, photographer; LC-USF346-002486-C / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1998018491/PP/
/ Woman looking at map; boy standing behind her. / Photoprint by Dorothea Lange. 1935; LC-USZ62-85035 / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002713463/
/ Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California / Lange, Dorothea, photographer; 1936 Feb. or Mar. LC-DIG-fsa-8b29516 / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1998021539/PP/
/ Map of California by the Rural Rehabilitation Division showing areas where different crops are grown, proposed location of initial camps for migrants, and routes of migration / 1935?; LC-USZ6-1018 / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002723443/
/ To harvest the crops of California thousands of families live literally on wheels, San Joaquin Valley / Lange, Dorothea, photographer; 1935 Feb. 22.; LC-USZ62-69109 / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004670049/
/ Migrant worker on California Highway / Lange, Dorothea, photographer; 1935; LC-USF347-003801-ZE / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1999000001/PP/
/ Migrant worker in Texas / Lee, Russell, 1903-1986, photographer; 1939; LC-USF33-012021-M3 / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1997025315/PP/
/ Migrant worker at camp in California / Lange, Dorothea, photographer; 1939 Feb; LC-USF34-019182-E / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000002711/PP/
Rubric
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Name: ______
Breaking News – Migrant Workers in Town
Rubric
Criteria / Below / Meets / Exceeds / Points EarnedPrimary Source Analysis Sheet/Citation
(1-7,7-14,15-20) / Two or fewer primary sources is found and analyzed. Citations are missing or incorrect. / Three primary source sheets are found with minimal analysis. Citations are available and correct. / Three primary source sheets are found with excellent analysis. Citations are available and correct.
News Article Scripts from Primary Sources
(1-10, 10-20,20-30) / Two or fewer scripts turned in. Scripts do not match the primary source. The information provided is not accurate. / Some scripts match the primary source. Some of the information provided is accurate. / All scripts match the primary source. All of the information provided is accurate.
News Article Scripts From Of Mice and Men
(1-10,10-20,20-30) / Two or fewer scripts turned in. News scripts do not follow the story line, describe characters, or theme. / Some news scripts follow the story line, describe characters, or theme of story. / All news scripts follow the story line, describe the characters, or the theme of the story.
Creativity and Presentation
(1-3, 4-6, 7-10) / Stories are not engaging for the audience. / Some stories are engaging, energetic, and interesting. Others are not. / All stories are engaging, energetic, and interesting.
Organization
(1-3, 4-6, 7-10) / News presentation is not organized. / News presentation is partially organized. / News presentation is organized.
Total: ______/ 100
Comments:
Handouts
Back to Navigation Bar
News: ______
Breaking News: Migrant Workers in Town
You have just finished reading Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck’s fictional story about migrant workers during the Great Depression. Now you should use the Library of Congress website to find primary sources with information about real Americans and their hardships during the 1930’s.
A primary source is an original document, audio file, video, or image from history. You will be searching through multiple files in the Library of Congress to find three different types of primary sources that best portray the struggles of a migrant worker. You will analyze these primary sources using the analysis sheets provided. From these primary sources, you will create a script for a story that would be on the news in the 1930’s; your scripts will be turned in on the day of your project presentation. You should think about what kind of story should be created out of each particular primary source. Is it a headlining story, an on-site interview, an opinion piece, pop culture piece, advertisement, etc.? You will be using your research for these news segments.
Your next step is to create three more news stories with fictional events from Of Mice and Men.. Your news stories should portray a major event in the story, describe main characters, and tie into major themes of the novel.
The final step in your project is to act out and video tape your news stories. When you are creating your video, think about voice inflection, costume, and setting. Be creative , energetic, and informative. You may want to watch your current local news for inspiration.
The rubric for this project is attached. You will turn in all there analysis sheets at the time of your project presentation. Your project is due on ______, but in the meantime - Lights, Camera, Action!
Name: ______
Primary Source Analysis Sheet
When you are researching migrant workers during the Great Depression, you should be analyzing each of the sources you look at. When you have chosen the final three sources that you will use for your project, closely study the source and fill in the following chart.
Source Title and Type: ______
Citation Information: ______
Observation(Describe what you see. What do you notice about the source at first glance?, What key words do you see?, What are the expressions on faces in the pictures or video files?, What is the tone of voice in audio files, etc?) / Reflect
(Think about and answer questions that start with how or why. Example: Why is the person in the picture not smiling – because she has been walking all day). / Question
(Ask any unanswered questions that you have left. Start statements with, “How do you I feel about…”
Further Thinking:
What kind of news stories could you come up with using this primary source? Will it be a head line story with facts, an opinion piece, an on-site interview, an advertisement, a pop culture piece, etc.
Name: ______
Of Mice and Men vs. Primary Sources
Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions with your group. Be prepared to discuss your answers with the class.
1. What did you learn about the 1930’s from your peers during their news segments?
2. Give one example of a story that matches Steinbeck’s version of migrant workers. Compare the primary source to Of Mice and Men with specific examples.
3. Give one example of a story that does not match Steinbeck’s version of migrant workers. What are the major differences? Use specific examples.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University