A Webquest
Introduction
We will soon begin reading John Steinbeck’s
novel, Of Mice and Men. The novel takes
the reader on a journey through the lives of
two men, Lennie and George. These
two men become
best friends and
make big plans
for the future.
Introduction
Today, each of you will be researching some of the
background information about the novel. There is
much to learn about the time period, setting, author,
and other information important to the novel.
 Step 1: After you receive your topic, you will
answer the questions ON YOUR OWN and will be
turned in the day the group project is due (typed).
 Step 2: After everyone has individually answered
the questions for their section, you will get together
with your partner(s) and create a group
presentation.

The Quest:

Each group will be responsible
for presenting information on
one topic. The topics include the
Dust Bowl; the Great Depression;
migrant workers; 1930’s culture;
the New Deal; Salinas Valley and
Soledad; John Steinbeck; and
mental illness.
The Process and Presentation:
After everyone has completed
their individual quest, the group
will get together to prepare and
present the information they
found to the class in powerpoint
form. (8 slide minimum.)
 Each member will be expected to
participate in the oral
presentation.

The Resources/Grading
You will use the websites provided to find the
information you need. Just click on the URL
address, and the computer will go right to it.
 When you get to the websites, read over your
information and answer the questions as
completely as possible.
 Your individual answers that you turn in will be
a minor grade.
 Your oral presentation and powerpoint will
count as a major grade (group grade).

The Great Depression
Use the following links to answer the following
questions:
1.
What lead up to the stock market crash?
2.
Explain “Black Thursday” and “Black Tuesday.”
3.
What was the impact of the Crash?
4.
How and by whom was the term “depression“ coined?
5.
What were some social problems during The Great
Depression?
6.
How did the depression affect children?
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/wall_street_crash.htm
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpmech5.htm
http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture18.html
http://newdeal.feri.org/eleanor/er2a.htm

The Dust Bowl
Use the links below to answer the following questions:
1. What kind of severe weather conditions did the nation
experience between 1935-1936?
2.
What caused the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma?
3.
What was “Black Sunday?”
4.
What is a “snuster?”
5.
How were students affected during a dust storm?
6.
What did the Dust Bowl era teach farmers?

http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html
http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/dustbowlpics.html
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_06.html
Farmers/Migrant Workers

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Use the links below to answer the following questions:
Why were the farmers forced to migrate to California? What
were some of the benefits for farmers living in California?
What were the migrants called and why?
How many migrants would enter California each month?
Was California the “promised land” of the migrant’s dreams?
Why or why not?
What did the migrants do to maintain a steady income?
How did WWII help the working conditions of some of the
migrants?
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_06.html
The American Culture in the 1930’s










Use the links below to find one interesting fact
on the following topics:
Famous people
Education
Art and architecture
Fads and fashions
Literature
Music
Radio
Science/Technology
Theater and film
Also, how much did
the following items cost?
* milk
* bread
* steak
* car
* house
Also, what was the average income?
http://www.geocities.com/bettye_sutton/greatdepression.html
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1930s.html
The New Deal

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use the links below to answer the following questions:
Who was the president at the beginning of the Great
Depression? Who beat him in the 1932 election?
Why?
What line did the president say in his inaugural
address that quickly became a famous quote?
What was the president’s first act when he got into
office?
What was the “Hundred Days?”
Explain how the president created jobs for the
unemployed. Include at least three specific examples.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USARnewdeal.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0835397.html
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/
John Steinbeck

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Use the links to answer the following questions:
When and where was John Steinbeck born? When and
where did he die?
Where did Steinbeck go to college? When did he graduate?
What experience helped Steinbeck portray the lives of
workers?
What was Steinbeck’s first successful work?
What two important awards did Steinbeck receive for his
writings?
When was Of Mice and Men published?
Which works were made into a play and/or movie?
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9069547/John-Steinbeck
http://americanwriters.org/writers/steinbeck.asp
Salinas Valley/Soledad, California

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use the links below to answer the following
questions:
Where is the Salinas Valley located?
What county is it a part of?
What does Soledad mean?
What are some of the agricultural productw
produced in Soledad?
What makes the Salinas River so special?
http://www.mtycounty.com/pgs-misc/salinas-river.html
http://salinaschamber.com/living_here.asp
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/soled.html
Mental Illness

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use the links below to answer the following questions:
What are the causes of mental retardation?
What are four signs of mental retardation?
By what is a person’s level (moderate to severe) of
mental retardation defined?
How common is mental retardation?
What challenges might someone who is mentally
retarded face when learning?
http://www.prevention-news.com/1997/causes.htm
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/m/mentalretardation.htm
http://www.onestops.info/article.php?article_id=54
Good Luck on your Quest!