Of Mice and Men
The 1930’s Class Research Mosaic
Full Name:
Hour:
Project Purpose
1: Novel Background
We are going to be reading the novel Of Mice and Men. The story takes place during the 1930’s and
it is important to understand the time period so we can truly understand the novel. As you know,
students who have prior knowledge of topics in a text comprehend and retain more as they read!
Instead of individually researching the whole 1930’s decade, we are going to piece the decade
together through mini research projects. In other words, each of you will be researching one
particular piece of the 1930’s and sharing your findings with the class. Once everyone has shared
his/her area of 1930’s expertise, our class should have a strong understanding of the decade as a
whole.
2: Research Skills
In addition, you will be engaging in important research activities. This project serves many
purposes and will allow you to demonstrate your ability to find, select, analyze, paraphrase, record,
quote, compile, organize, and cite researched information.
Project Products:
Because research is a process, you will receive a grade for each step. You will be graded on the
following components:
1. Source Selection
a. Finding and copying (xeroxing) an appropriate book source.
2. Processing of Information
a. Creating a bibliography card for your book source
b. Annotating your book source for key summary information: Who? What? Where?
When? Why? How? Main idea?
c. Taking notes on note cards (minimum of 10)
3. Creation of Final Product: Poster + Works Cited
a. Creation of poster which displays between four and six essential facts on your topic
with correct parenthetical citations
b. Creation of a Works Cited page
4. Presentation of Final Product: Poster
a. Presenting your key facts in a short speech (approximately 2 minutes)
5. Absorption of 1930s Information
a. Listen to your classmates present information and take notes on your listening grid
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KWL: 1930’s Research Mosaic Project
First, we need to determine what you already know about this time period.
What Do You Know about the
1930’s? At least 3 guesses.
Consider: historical events,
technological advances,
changes in civil rights, famous
people, etc. +1.5
What do you want to learn
about the 1930’s? Ask at least
3 specific questions.
AFTER RESEARCH: What have
you learned about the 1930’s?
At least three new facts.
+1.5
+1.5
Now, choose three topics from the list that you would be interested in studying. Ask two questions
about each. Focus on WHY and HOW questions. +1.5 for each
Topic 1:
Topic 2:
Topic 3:
___________________________________________________________
a.
______________________________________________________
b.
______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
a.
______________________________________________________
b.
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
a.
______________________________________________________
b.
______________________________________________________
STOP!! You have completed the first step in researching-----asking questions!
Give this sheet to Ms. Foy, and she will do her best to honor your topic interest.
On Day Two, we will meet in the library.
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TOPIC:_____________________________________________________
Day Two
1. ______Find a book that will be helpful to you.
2. ______Look in the index or table of contents for your topic.
3. ______Turn to the page(s) indicated.
4. ______Preview the title and subtitles.
a. Even if the title does not seem to address your topic exactly, it may relate.
i. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
ii. When you find a section that you think looks like it might provide you with new
information, read it carefully.
5. ______If this looks like a selection that will help you, record all information for your
bibliography card (+5) and then you may photocopy your information.
6. ______Annotating—take notes on your book source for key summary information: Who?
What? Where? When? Why? How? Main idea? +5
7. ______Now, take notes on your information. Follow the directions exactly. Create 10 note
cards. (+20)
a. I recommend using 4 x 6 note cards. If your note cards are smaller or larger, it will
still work.
b. Put ONE quote on each note card! (We will discuss why later.)
c. Before you take notes, make sure the notes will help you with your assigned topic!
Don’t take random notes on unrelated and/or unimportant information!
 Remember, you should be focusing on answering the following questions: Who?
What? Where? When? Why? How? These questions should ultimately help you
support your claim which states WHY your topic was so important to the 1930’s.
d. Make sure you put your subtopic (which question it answers) on each note card.
e. If you take words directly from a text, you must put quotation marks around them and
parenthetically cite it or else it is considered plagiarism.
f. Follow the format (below) exactly! My model note card is about 1920’s architecture.
Slug/Subtopic for
paper—Who, What,
When, Where , Why,
How
What?
(What was popular in
1920’s architecture?)
Source note is from For citing purposes!
“Architecture” – no author
“Another historical style that continued to be popular in the 1920’s was the Gothic,
based on medieval architecture” (“Architecture” 21).
Put ONE piece of quoted information on each note
card. Use appropriate parenthetical (in text) citation.
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Day Three:
1. Topic Sentence:
a. This must include your assigned research topic and a claim.
b. NOTE: Your claim will be the main idea of your research. In other words, why is your
topic important to understanding the 1930’s time period?
c. Remember, you may NOT use “I” or “me” in your topic sentence!
d. Topic Sentence: +3
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Evidence:
a. ______You must include between four and six researched quotes which best support
your claim. These quotes should answer the key summarizing questions: Who?
What? Where? When? Why? How?
b. ______Type each fact, using quotation marks and citations.
c. ______Size 40 plain font.
d. ______Separate each piece of information with a double space.
e. ______Organize your information in logical order.
f. ______Paste neatly onto your construction paper.
3. ______ Type up your works cited page using your bibliography card. Follow the directions
exactly. (Look in: ________________________________) +10
4. ______Staple your works cited to the poster.
5. ______Symbol: In addition to your topic sentence and supporting quotes, you should add at
least one symbol which will represent your research topic. Remember, a symbol represents
more than itself. This symbol should add visual interest to your poster.
Supplies: I will have large paper and glue sticks for your use. If you want any other supplies, it’s up
to you to bring them!
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Bibliography Cards:
The Link Between Accurate Parenthetical Citations
and your Works Cited page
What is a bibliography card?
A bibliography card is an index card where you record all necessary citation information.
o This information will allow you to accurately cite your source within your paper
parenthetically (in-text citation) and record it on your Works Cited page.
o Essentially, it is a Works Cited entry that is written and punctuated exactly on an index card.
o Here is a helpful link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/.
Once my bibliography card is done, what should I do with it?
1. Your bibliography card should be directly and securely stapled to your source copy.
2. You will refer back to them while you are writing in order to properly parenthetically cite
your research within your paper and when you create your Works Cited card.
3. Stay organized and be successful!
Bibliography Card + Citation Activity – 1920’s Topics – Various Models
Source #
#1
Bibliography Card
Walch, Timothy. “Harding, Warren
Gamaliel.” World Book. Vol. H 9.
Topic –
Chicago: World Book, Inc. 2006. 56-
President
Harding
58.
Parenthetical Citation
NOTE: This quote was found on page 56.
“Historians almost unanimously rank
Harding as one of the weakest presidents.
But these historians have recognized that
the very qualities that made him weak
also made him appealing in 1920. He
failed because he was weak-willed and a
poor judge of character”
(Walch 56).
NOTE: This quote was found on page 166
#2
Topic –
Ruth
Snyder
“Ruth Snyder Trial.” 1920’s: Popular Music— “Seeing that Ruth was only the second
woman in Sing Sing’s history to have gone
Sports. Vol. 5. Danbury, CT.: Grolier, to the electric chair, he knew a
sensational story when he had one. He
2005. 165-166.
secretly strapped a camera to his ankle
and was able to take a photo at the
moment the current entered Ruth”
(“Ruth Snyder Trial” 166).
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An Edition of a Book
There are two types of editions in book publishing: a book that has been published more than once in different editions and a book that is
prepared by someone other than the author (typically an editor).
A Subsequent Edition
Cite the book as you normally would, but add the number of the edition after the title.
Crowley, Sharon and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed. New York:
Pearson/Longman, 2004.
A Work Prepared by an Editor
Cite the book as you normally would, but add the editor after the title.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Margaret Smith. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.
A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection
Book parts include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is:
Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year. Pages.
Some actual examples:
Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to
One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34.
Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University
and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer. Ed. Steven Heller. New York:
Allworth Press, 1998. 13-24.
A Multivolume Work
When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, include the volume number after the work's title, or after the
work's editor or translator.
Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Trans. H. E. Butler. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------Book citation information from:
The Purdue OWL. 9 April 2008. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 4 August 2008.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu>.
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Research Quotations: Citation & Plagiarism Activity
Activity #1: F. Scott Fitzgerald (Topic)
Directions:
o Put a “X” next to the quotations which are cited incorrectly and a “C” next to the quotations
which are correctly cited.
o In addition, add a “P” to any quotations which are plagiarized.
o If you mark “X” and/or “P” for a quotation, you must note WHY it is incorrect and/or
plagiarized.
1. ____ Fitzgerald’s work is valuable for its depiction of American life between the two world
wars (81).
2. ____ With the stock market crash of 1929, the decadent 1920s ended, as did much of
Fitzgerald’s career. His wife had begun to suffer from mental illness, and Fitzgerald paid for
her medical treatment by writing short stories.
3. ____ “In 1925 he published The Great Gatsby, a story about a self-made American
businessman who cannot find true happiness.”
4. ____ “He sacrificed quality for quantity, needing more and more money during the
Depression” (80 Grolier).
5. ____ He spent a lot of money, drank alcohol in public despite the Prohibition laws, and
traveled across the country and in Europe (North American Biographies: Volume 10 Writers).
Activity #2: Ruth Snyder (Topic)
6. ____ The article about Ruth Snyder explains, “As Ruth’s relationship with Judd grew more
intense, so did her loathing of her husband.”
7. ____ After months of relentless persuasion from Ruth, Judd finally agreed to help murder
Albert (“Ruth Snyder”).
8. ____ “Ruth Snyder Trial” explains Snyder and Judd’s murderous plan: “Before leaving for
the party, Ruth would unlock the back door of her house and leave a…weight, rubber gloves,
and chloroform in the spare room” (166).
9. ____
“The blow did not kill Albert but woke him” (1920s Popular).
10. ____ “Her blows were more effective…and when Albert was almost knocked out, Ruth held
chloroform over his mouth to finish the job. Once he was unconscious, Ruth strangled him
with picture wire” (“Ruth Snyder” 166).
Total Score: ______/ _______
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Name:
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1930’s Research Project
Topic Sentence
5
3-4
1-2
Topic sentence includes
research topic and clear claim
(why the topic was important
to the 1930’s). It is smooth and
logical.
Topic sentence includes
research topic and clear claim,
but it is choppy.
Topic sentence is missing
one required element or is
confusing/not logical.
9-10
7-8
5-6
Student includes 4 – 6 quality
research quotations that
support the claim AND are
cited correctly.
Student includes 4 – 6 quality
research quotations that
support the claim. There is one
minor citation error.
Student includes 4 – 6
quality research quotations
but makes multiple citation
errors or has fewer than 46 quotations
5
3-4
1–2
Poster includes all required
elements (title, topic sentence,
4 – 6 quotations, symbol) and
is neat / easy to read.
Poster includes all required
elements but it’s not neat/easy
to read.
Poster is missing a required
element.
5
3-4
1-2
All elements included and are
perfectly correct
All elements included. 1 – 2
errors
Missing any parts or has
major problems with
correct citation
5
3-4
1-2
Full article is annotated and
clearly labeled for all required
questions.
Full article is annotated, but
one question went unlabeled.
Article is partially
annotated for some
required information, but
multiple questions are
unlabeled.
20
16-19
12-15
Student has all required note
cards in quotation form which
are perfectly cited.
Student has all required note
cards in quotation form which
have one minor citation error.
Student is missing note
cards and/or they are not
in quotation form and/or
are note cited correctly.
10
7-9
3–6
Works Cited is perfectly
formatted.
Works Cited has one-two minor
error.
Works Cited has multiple
errors.
9-10
7-8
5-6
Appropriate volume, tone;
attempts at eye contact, proper
posture.
One element needs
improvement:
Speaking skills interfered
with understanding of
topic.
Research Quotations
Poster Organization
Bibliography Card


Correct citation
Stapled to
source
Annotated Research
Article

Annotations
clearly label:
Who? What?
Where? When?
Why? How?
Note Cards
 8 - 12 properly
formatted note cards.
All note cards are in
quotation form and
demonstrate proper
parenthetical citation.
Works Cited
Speaking:
Total: ____________/70
One thing you did well was:
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