Project Ideas for The Grapes of Wrath
1. Read another novel about The Great Depression.
2. View the 1940 movie version of the book which starred Henry Fonda.
Compare/contrast the two versions.
3. Work with two or three classmates to act out a scene from the book. Wear
appropriate costumes and use props as needed.
4. Use books and the Internet to research the Great Depression. Use the information to
create a Powerpoint presentation.
5. A Name Poem, or Acrostic Poem, tells about the word, or in this case, person. It uses
the letters of the character's name for the first letter of each line. Create a name poem
for one of the characters in The Grapes of Wrath. Use a computer program to publish it
with fitting graphics and then display it in the classroom or hallway.
6. Read another book by John Steinbeck. Some of novels include: The Red Pony, Of Mice
and Men, The Pearl, and East of Eden;.
7. Imagine a major motion picture company had decided to remake the original movie,
The Grapes of Wrath;. List the cast of characters and who should play each role.
8. Present your modern cast list to the class.
9. Use a map of United States and trace the Joad family's journey from Sallisaw,
Oklahoma, to Tulane, California. Identify and label important stops along their travels.
10. Reread Chapter twenty-five and consider the title of the novel. When does the
chapter make reference to "the grapes of wrath."