THE RED PONY CURRICULUM MATERIALS
UNIT OVERVIEW
Growing up in the Salinas Valley: A Middle School Writing Unit Based on John Steinbeck’s The Red
Pony, offers middle school students across the country the opportunity to become stronger writers as
they study Steinbeck’s writing. Students are asked how a writer like Steinbeck gets his message across
to the reader.
In this unit based on Steinbeck's story “The Gift,” students are introduced to the main characters and
themes that reoccur in all four chapters of The Red Pony. Students are asked to consider how accepting
responsibility helps a young person become more of a man or a woman.
The Red Pony takes place on a small ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, at the base of the Gabilan
Mountains. Jody's coming of age unfolds during the last years of the Great Depression. To fully
understand the essence of the story, students are introduced to prerequisite background content and
vocabulary about ranch life, horses and the story's characters. Students then explore Steinbeck's
treatment of the relationship between accepting responsibility and coming of age, by establishing their
own definition of "responsibility."
After introducing these concepts, teachers have over a dozen activities and lessons to guide students
through the text, including language study, journal writing, a simulation, newspaper work, and an
examination of symbolism. Each lesson addresses one or more language arts Content Standards,
includes student handouts, a teaching sequence and activities, and suggested assessments. Each activity
builds students’ capacity to write a compelling and well-crafted essay on the theme of responsibility. In
addition, students are challenged to write through varying levels of revision, and in a variety of genres,
by choosing from among 20 prompts listed in the Multiple Genre Prompt Bank. Ultimately, students
write a coherent essay of 500-700 words which demonstrates their understanding of their own and Jody's
"coming of age" process. Their essay also provides students an opportunity to demonstrate how they
have grown as a writer through the course of examining how a writer like Steinbeck hooks and holds the
attention of the reader.
The objectives, essential questions, enduring understandings, and assessments for this unit derive from
the California State English Language Arts Content Standards.
OBJECTIVES
Drawing upon reading, discussion and activities pertaining to John Steinbeck's “The Gift,” students will
be able to:
 Evaluate the relationship between accepting responsibility and maturation
 Analyze Steinbeck's development of contrasting characters using appropriate academic language
 Analyze the significance of setting
 Identify literary symbolism
 Demonstrate their improved ability as writers, as evidenced by progress shown on unit rubric
assessments applied to a variety of student writings, including entry-level and culminating
essays.
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ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING STUDENT PROGRESS
This unit is designed to help students become better writers. A writing rubric is included to provide
students with criteria for good writing. This rubric will guide student writing from the opening lesson,
when students write a brief “entry level assessment” essay, through all of the activities meant to build
their skills as writers, to the final essay which will be assessed for both the quality of their writing and
their improvement as writers. In addition, writing rubrics for each genre of writing is included in
teacher resources.
Students compile a Red Pony Writer’s Portfolio that includes the multiple activities from this unit or
the assignments selected by each teacher. Each activity stresses the importance of including textual
evidence to support one’s theses or opinions. To assess each assignment, teachers evaluate students'
performance in relation to the specified content standard focus. Students are assessed on the completed
activity sheets, and on several short essays covering a variety of genres as part of the writing process. A
portfolio assessment checklist is included for both students and teachers to use for evaluation. In
addition, students write pre- and post-essays of 500-700 words that address their textual and personal
understanding of the unit's essential question regarding the relationship between taking responsibility
and growing up.
Entry Level Assessment is explained in detail in Lesson Plans 1-3.
Students monitor their own progress by using the Writer’s Portfolio Checklist (Handout A) to record
completion of required activities, with teacher corroboration. To monitor student writing, both teachers
and students use the Writing Rubric for The Red Pony provided (Handout B). For the unit
assignments, teachers monitor students’ progress by observing their participation in class discussions
and group work and by assessing their work according to guidelines provided with each lesson. Check
for accurate and appropriate use of target vocabulary during discussions. To determine students' progress
in meeting the unit's objectives, determine if they:





Use textual evidence to support their statements
Address the relationship between accepting responsibility and coming of age
Draw original conclusions
Identify symbolism
Show an understanding of setting
Culminating Assessment is described in Lesson 16.
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RELEVANT CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS
This unit meets the overall spirit and intent of the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Language Arts Content
Standards and Framework for California Public Schools. It specifically aligns to the following content standards:
Writing
1.0 Writing Strategies
Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits students' awareness of audience and
purpose. Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress
through the stages of the writing process as needed.
2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)
Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive essays of at least 500 to 700 words in each
genre. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research,
organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.
2.1 Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer's attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description,
background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
2.2 Write responses to literature:
a. Exhibit careful reading and insight in their interpretations.
b. Connect the student's own responses to the writer's techniques and to specific textual references.
c. Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary work on its audience.
d. Support judgments through references to the text, other works, other authors, or to personal knowledge.
Reading
Literary Response and Analysis
3.0 Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance
their studies of history and social science. They clarify the ideas and connect them to other works.
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text
3.4 Analyze the relevance of the setting (e.g., place, time, and customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the
text.
3.6 Identify significant literary devices (e.g., metaphor, symbolism, dialect, and irony) that define a writer's style
and use those elements to interpret the work.
Literary Criticism
3.7 Analyze a work of literature, showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions, attitudes, and beliefs of its
author.
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PACING CHART
This unit provides the teacher with an array of instructional tools to draw from. Teachers can use the
unit in its entirety, or they can selectively draw from the lessons to best suit their instructional goals.
Time devoted to the unit can span between ten and twenty 50-minute class sessions. Factors determining
the length of time devoted hinge on several variables: each teacher's assessment of students' background
knowledge, the level of English language development, instructional choices such as whether to assign
reading as homework or to read exclusively in the classroom, as well as the quantity of writing activities
ultimately assigned. Although this may seem time intensive, teachers will find the time well justified by
the thorough integration and teaching of key Language Arts standards to which students and teachers are
held accountable.
The Pacing Chart below offers a suggested time frame for the implementation of the unit. The activities
are separated below into pre-reading (into), during reading (through), or post-reading (beyond).
Teachers are encouraged to vary the time frame according to the needs of their students. It is
recommended you begin the unit no later than January in order to meet all student nomination deadlines.
Activities to do prior to reading The Red Pony
Lesson #
Handouts
Suggested
Timeframe
Connects with
Writing Activity &
Prompt Bank #
Introduction to the Unit
A, B
Day 1
(Set up Writing
Portfolio)
#1 Rubric, Graphic Organizer for
Personal Responsibility
B, C
Day 1-2
Entry level Assessment
Essay
#2, 3 Historical Context
#4, 5 Pre-Teaching Language
F, G
D, E, E1
Day 3
Day 3-4
Prompt #3
Activities to do during the reading
Connects with
Writing Activity &
Prompt Bank #
Prompt #15
Lesson #
Handouts
Suggested
Timeframe
#6 Reading “The Gift,” Reciprocal
Reading, Chrono-Log
H, J
Intro on
Day 5, then ongoing
#7 Sears, Roebuck & Company
Catalog & Shopping List for the
Tiflins
I
Day 5
K
Day 6
Prompt #1 & #16
L1, L2, L3, L4
Day 7
#4, 5, 8, 10
#8 Symbolism
#9 Compare / Contrast Character
Study
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Writers’ Workshop Day
Review Rubrics
Mini-lessons, as
needed
Day 8
Student selected
#10 Responsibility Quote Bank
M
Day 9
#19
#11 Veterinarian Report
P
#13, 14, 17
#12 Multiple Genre Prompt Bank
N, B, N2
Day 10
Introduce after Day 5,
then incorporate
throughout
#13 Multi-Modal Activities Bank
P
Writers’ Workshop Day
Review Rubric
Mini-lessons, as
needed
Mini-lessons, as
needed
Writers’ Workshop Day
20 prompts total
Introduce after Day 5,
then incorporate
throughout
#2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 18
Day 11
Student selected
Day 12
Student selected
Activities to do after reading the whole story
Lesson #
Handouts
Suggested
Timeframe
Connects with
Writing Activity &
Prompt Bank #
#14 Responsibility Report Cards
Q1 & Q2
Day 13
#6, 7
R1 & R2
Day 14
#18, 20
Day 15
Student selected
Day 16
Student selected
Final Essay
#15 Persuasive Letter
Writers’ Workshop Day
Review Rubric
Writers’ Workshop Day
Mini-lessons, as
needed
Mini-lessons, as
needed
#16 Culminating Essay
B
Day 17
Collect Writer’s Portfolios for
Assessment
Submit Names (Best Writer &
Most Improved)
Completed
Checklist
Day 20
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LESSON PLANS
GETTING STARTED: INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO THE
STEINBECK YOUNG AUTHORS PROGRAM
Objectives
The Steinbeck Young Authors Program is a collaborative effort between five county entities to support
middle school students’ writing skills. By demonstrating for students the high value the community
places on their writing success, the program will increase student motivation to achieve. Emphasis will
also be placed on writing as a process.
Relevant Content Standard:
 1.0 Students progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.
Materials
 Handout A: Writer’s Portfolio Assessment Checklist
 Handout B: The Red Pony Unit Writing Rubric for the Unit
Procedures
Give students a broad overview of the project’s excitement, expectations, and assessments.
The Excitement
Begin the project by informing your students that they are part of an exciting county-wide program to
help middle school students improve their writing. Tell them that students in schools across the county
will be learning together about John Steinbeck’s novel, The Red Pony, and that each student in the
program will be honored for participating. In addition, each teacher will select two student
representatives for the Day of Writing held in the spring. Stress to them that the community has chosen
to invest a great deal of resources into the Steinbeck Young Authors Project because they want students
to be successful and they understand how important writing is for success.
The Expectations
Explain to students that The Red Pony unit will focus intensively on John Steinbeck’s exemplary writing
as well as their own writing skills and that each student’s writing is expected to improve by the end of
the unit, as measured by progress on the unit rubric. Students will keep a Red Pony Writer’s Portfolio (a
manila folder will do) to document their writing process. By the end of the unit, each student’s portfolio
will contain an entry-level assessment essay, a variety of completed worksheets, and, finally, a
culminating essay that you will use (alongside the entry level essay) to select the two school
representatives. (The exact quantity of worksheets completed, and number of essays written and revised
for assessment purposes, is left up to the individual teacher to determine.)
The Assessment
Once students have a designated Writer’s Portfolio folder set up, distribute Handout A: Portfolio
Assessment Checklist, so they can see explicitly the work expected of them and the manner in which
they will be evaluated. Providing this checklist early in the unit will increase student accountability as
students track their own progress and completion of activities. (An electronic version of the Portfolio
Checklist will be available for teachers wishing to modify the form.)
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HANDOUT A
THE RED PONY WRITER’S PORTFOLIO
ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST
Activity / Worksheet
Check
Off
When
Done
Possible
Points /
Score
Student
Assessment
Teacher’s
Assessment
Handout B: Unit Writing Rubric
Keep in
folder
N/A
N/A
N/A
Keep in
folder
N/A
N/A
N/A
Keep in
folder
N/A
N/A
N/A
Keep in
folder
N/A
N/A
N/A
Keep in
folder
N/A
N/A
N/A
_________
________
________
Handout C: Graphic Organizer for Personal
Responsibility
Handout D: Vocabulary Sort
Handout E: Unit Vocabulary
Handout E1: Vocabulary Definitions
Template
Handout F: Interviews with Thom
Steinbeck and Dr. F. Torres-Gil
Handout G: The Ranching Life
Handout H: Reciprocal Reading
Handout I: Sears, Roebuck & Company
Catalog and a Shopping List for the Tiflins
Handout J: Creating a Chrono-Log
Handout K: Symbolism
Handout L1: Compare and Contrast
Character Study, Venn Diagram
Handout L2: Character Study Matrix
Handout L3: Compare and Contrast
Character Study - Venn
Handout L4: Compare and Contrast
Character Study - Matrix
Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank
Handout N: Multiple Genre Prompt Bank
Handout N2: Transition Word and Phrase
Bank
Handout O: Multi-Modal Activity Options
Handout P: Preparing a Vet’s Report
Handout Q1 & Q2: Responsibility Report
Card
Handout R1 & R2: Writing a Persuasive
Letter: Thought Processor
Keep in
folder
Score / Points
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HANDOUT B
WRITING RUBRIC FOR THE RED PONY
Student
Component
Overall, the
Writing…
Teacher
4
-clearly addresses
all parts of the
writing task.
-demonstrates a
clear understanding
of purpose and
audience.
3
-addresses all parts
of the writing task.
2
-addresses only parts of
the writing task.
-demonstrates little
understanding of
purpose and audience.
Organization &
Consistency
-maintains a
consistent point of
view, focus, and
organizational
structure, including
the effective use of
transitions.
-demonstrates a
general
understanding of
purpose and
audience.
-maintains a mostly
consistent point of
view, focus, and
organizational
structure, including
the effective use of
some transitions.
Idea + Details
-includes a clearly
presented central
idea with relevant
facts, details, and/or
explanations.
-presents a central
idea with mostly
relevant facts,
details, and/or
explanations.
Sentence
Variety
Conventions
-includes a variety
of sentence types.
- includes a variety
of sentence types.
-includes little variety
in sentence types.
-contains few, if
any, errors in the
conventions/grammar, punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These
errors do not
interfere with the
reader’s
understanding of the
writing.
-contains some
errors in the
conventions
(grammar,
punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These
errors do not
interfere with the
reader’s
understanding of
the writing.
-contains several errors
in the
conventions/grammar,
punctuation,
capitalization, spelling).
These errors may
interfere with the
reader’s understanding
of the writing.
Purpose +
Audience
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-maintains an
inconsistent point of
view, focus, and/or
organizational structure,
which may include
ineffective or awkward
transitions that do not
unify important ideas.
-suggests a central idea
with limited facts,
details, and/or
explanations.
1
-addresses only one
part of the writing
task.
-demonstrates no
understanding of
purpose and
audience.
-lacks a point of
view, focus,
organizational
structure, and
transitions that
unify important
ideas.
-lacks a central
idea but may
contain marginally
related facts,
details, and/or
explanations.
-includes no
sentence variety.
-contains serious
errors in the
conventions
(grammar,
punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These
errors interfere
with the reader’s
understanding of
the writing.
Growing Up in the Salinas Valley
www.steinbeck.org
LESSON 1: ENTRY LEVEL ASSESSMENT
Objectives
One of the primary objectives of the Steinbeck Young Authors Program is to stimulate and develop
middle school students’ writing ability by providing students with necessary instruction and assessment
to guide this development. To show growth, a baseline assessment is required.
Relevant Content Standard:
 Writing 2.1 Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives.
Materials
 Handout A: The Red Pony Writer’s Portfolio Assessment Checklist
 Handout B: Red Pony Unit Writing Rubric
 Handout C: Graphic Organizer for Personal Responsibility
Procedures
A. To discern what students know about the text's theme and setting, ask questions like:
 What does the term "responsibility" mean?
 How do you define a responsible person?
 What do you think a child in the 1930s would have done on a ranch?
 What do you already know about Steinbeck's childhood and the Salinas Valley?
B. Review with students Handout B: Writing Rubric, which will be the tool used to measure that
growth. Walk them through the components and the scoring scale. Explain that they will use the
rubric to assess their own and their classmates’ writing, and that you will also use it for final
evaluation. This will be the second item to be stored in The Red Pony portfolio (after the
Portfolio Checklist).
C. Make overheads or copies of selected student anchor papers, which are provided. With the class,
identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of each paper (as highlighted on the rubric), and
brainstorm strategies for improving each paper. This can be a recurring mini-lesson as you focus
on different components of the rubric.
D. Distribute Handout C: Graphic Organizer for Personal Responsibility. Read the essay
prompt at the top of the page: How has accepting responsibility helped you to grow up? Write
an essay of 500-700 words in which you describe how new or additional responsibilities have
impacted your changing identity as a young adult. As a pre-writing strategy, have students add
and delete bubbles on the organizer to reflect on their personal level of responsibility.
E. Have students write the essay in response to the prompt. Explain that this essay will enable you
to establish a baseline assessment of students' writing skills prior to beginning the unit.
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Assessment
Using the unit rubric, highlight student’s writing level for each component, on a scale of 1-4. Tally up
each of the six components on page one of the rubric (for a total possible 24 points) and record the
scores for this entry level assessment essay for later comparison to the culminating essay score. These
scores will be important in the ultimate selection of your Day of Writing participants and reveal the
progress your students have made in writing throughout the unit.
Optional Scoring Sheet to Compare Entry Level to Culminating
Student Name ________________________
Entry Level Assessment
Component
Score (scale
of 1-4)
Addresses the prompt
Purpose + audience
Organization, consistency
Idea + details
Sentence Variety
Conventions
4
4
4
4
4
4
Total score
________/ 24
Culminating Assessment
Component
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
Score (scale
of 1-4)
Addresses the prompt
Purpose + audience
Organization, consistency
Idea + details
Sentence Variety
Conventions
4
4
4
4
4
4
Total score
________/ 24
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© National Steinbeck Center
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
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HANDOUT B
THE RED PONY WRITER’S PORTFOLIO
ASSESSMENT ORGANIZER
Writer’s Workshop
Component
Due
Date
Check
Off When
Done
Possible
Points /
Score
Student
Assessment
Teacher’s
Assessment
1. Entry-level Essay
2. 1st draft essay for Prompt
Bank prompt # ____
3. 1st draft essay, prompt #__
4. 1st draft essay, prompt #__
5a. 1st draft essay, prompt
#__
5b. 2nd draft of essay #5a
6a. 1st draft essay, prompt
#___
6b. 2nd draft of essay #6a
7. Persuasive Letter,
Handout R
8. Culminating Essay
All notes, graphic organizers
used as part of your writing
process.
Score/Points
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_________ ________
11
________
Growing Up in the Salinas Valley
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HANDOUT C
ENTRY LEVEL ASSESSMENT
Graphic Organizer for the Personal Responsibility Essay
Essay prompt: How has accepting responsibility helped you to grow up?
Write an essay of 500-700 words in which you describe how new or additional responsibilities have
impacted your changing identity as a young adult.
Before you begin writing, use this graphic organizer to help you identify the many responsibilities in
your life today. Bubble in as many details as you can think of. This will help you organize your essay. It
might help you to think about how different this chart would look if you had filled it out when you were
5 years old, or even 10 years old. Imagine how many more responsibilities you will have when you are
18, or 40.
Reflection moment: Do you think you have more or fewer responsibilities than your peers?
chores
money $
school
Being a
responsible
adolescent
sports /
clubs
pet care
family
reliable and
trust-worthy
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LESSON 2: BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH
TWO INTERVIEWS
Objectives
Students will deepen their understanding of the story’s plot, setting, theme and character development
through interviews, historical accounts and thematic explorations.
Relevant Content Standard:
 Reading 3.7 Analyze a work of literature, showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions,
attitudes, and beliefs of its author.
Materials
 “Growing Up in the Salinas Housing Projects in the 1950s and 1960s,” by Fernando Torres Gil
 “Growing Up on the Steinbeck and Hamilton Ranches in the 1920s and 1930s,” by Thom
Steinbeck
 Handout F: Interviews with Thom Steinbeck and Fernando Torres-Gil
Procedures
Introduce the interviews with Thom Steinbeck and Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil by asking students if they
know of anyone who lived in the Salinas Valley in the 1930s. What have they heard from their family
members about life seventy years ago? Ask students what they know about how the region has changed.
As a class, compile a list of possible questions for someone who lived in the Salinas Valley in the 1930s.
Predict together what responses might arise. For example, do students think that girls went to school
"back then"?
As a whole class or in small groups, read aloud “Growing Up in the Salinas Housing Projects in the
1950s and 1960s” and “Growing Up on the Steinbeck and Hamilton Ranches in the 1920s and
1930s.” Discuss how students' perceptions of ranch life in the 1930s has been enhanced by these two
differing accounts. Speculate together about how “The Gift” might reflect the heritage of John
Steinbeck.
Assessment
Evaluate the completed student handouts. Assess whether students have analyzed the historical setting
and thematic content of “The Gift.” Give students feedback on their responses individually and with the
group.
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Growing Up in the Salinas Housing Projects in the 1950s and 1960s
An Interview with Fernando Torres-Gil
Fernando Torres-Gil was born in Salinas in 1948 and raised in a part of town he calls “the projects.” His
grandparents and parents followed the agricultural crops throughout California as migrant farmworkers.
His father was from Mexico and worked in the fields as part of the Bracero program, which brought men
from Mexico to work in the fields in the United States. Fernando’s mother raised him, his five brothers,
and three sisters as a single mother after his father died at a young age.
When Fernando was 12-14 years old, his typical day included school, chores, music lessons, and
homework. Fernando remembers that one of the greatest challenges he faced every morning was waiting
to use the one bathroom in his family’s unit as he and his siblings got ready for school. After school,
Fernando did chores, attended music classes, and played with other kids—but only after he had
completed his homework.
Fernando contracted polio when he was six months old. He and his mother made regular trips to San
Francisco for surgeries and treatment. They traveled by Greyhound bus or risked driving in an old,
unreliable car. His mother relied on her neighbors and friends to watch her children while she took
Fernando to San Francisco. The polio left Fernando with a lifelong disability.
Fernando’s family did not have much money. His mother received monthly welfare payments from the
government and made that small amount of money last until the next payment. Fernando explains,
“Mom was extraordinarily thrifty and able to make clothes, buy at Goodwill, find discount merchandise,
buy day-old bread and find creative ways to give us what we needed at very little cost.” Sometimes, this
was not enough and his mother would need to work in the agricultural fields or the orchards during the
summer to make ends meet. She also relied on the kindness of four brothers who owned the nearest
grocery store called Chin Brothers. The Chin family allowed his mother to take groceries on credit when
she was short on money. Fernando said, “They were always gracious and good to us kids when my
mother would send us to the store to buy an item. For years, we wondered how we could go into that
store and not have to pay!” His mother was always able to pay off her debt to the Chin brothers.
Fernando and his siblings earned money for the family by doing odd jobs. Fernando’s brothers would
work in the fields during their summers and weekends. He worked as a dishwasher in a local restaurant
since his disability kept him from working in the fields. Fernando and his older sister also made money
selling greeting cards.
Fernando and his siblings spent time at Schneider Park and the Christ the King Church, both of which
were located next to the projects. The children participated in games, dances, and the church choir, and
attended festivals. The Jaycees, Kiwanis clubs, and other service organizations organized special events
for low-income families during the holidays and his family would receive special packages of food and
gifts. “The thing that made our growing up years bearable, enjoyable and even wonderful,” said
Fernando, “was the kindness of others.”
Fernando now teaches at a university in Los Angeles and is a volunteer for the National Steinbeck
Center and other organizations. When he visits Salinas, he often sees other people he grew up with in the
Salinas projects. Fernando said, “There was pride and honor growing up in the housing projects of
Salinas. Though we were poor, we had a sense of community.”
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Growing Up on the Steinbeck and Hamilton Ranches
in the 1920s and 1930s
An Interview with Thomas Steinbeck
Thomas Steinbeck, the son of John Steinbeck, provided the following information about his father and
the family ranch.
John Steinbeck’s grandparents owned ranches in the King City area and in Hollister. Samuel and Eliza
Hamilton, his mother’s parents, owned a ranch in the hills east of King City, the southern part of the
Salinas Valley. John Steinbeck spent a part of every summer at this ranch, doing chores, taking care of
the animals, and exploring the land—just like Jody from The Red Pony. In his book East of Eden, John
Steinbeck wrote that his grandfather “built his house with his own hands, and he built a barn and a
blacksmith shop.”
A typical day for ranch children began at 5:00 AM. Certain chores needed to be completed before the
family and ranch hands had breakfast, including hauling water from the well, feeding the horses, and
collecting wood for the stove. The children then walked to school. Some attended a one-room
schoolhouse with a teacher, while others gathered at a neighboring ranch to be taught by mothers and
relatives. The children were at school for about four hours before returning home to work on the ranch.
The younger children fed and cared for the chickens, goats, or pigs. Older children, about 14 years or
older, worked with the adults to harvest the crops or herd the cows. Older girls usually took care of their
younger siblings while the adults worked in the fields or with the livestock.
Ranch families would travel to the nearest town to purchase supplies and tools, go to church, and visit
family members. The frequency of these trips depended on how far away they were from town. For
example, ranchers in Big Sur would only go to town once every three to six months, depending on the
weather and their needs. For many families, this trip took an entire day or longer. Ranchers also received
supplies from traveling salesman, livestock traders, migrant labor, and veterinarians. John Steinbeck
wrote about a traveling salesman in his short story, “Chrysanthemums.”
According to Thomas Steinbeck, his father used to call the Hamilton ranch “old starvation ranch”
because of the hard work involved in making enough money to feed the family. When the ranchers did
not make enough money, the men worked in town for a few months while the wives ran the ranch. John
Steinbeck’s parents left their family ranches to work in town where the job opportunities were more
stable. His father had a variety of jobs in Salinas. He worked as a sugar beet factory worker, flour mill
manager, and, later, the treasurer of Monterey County. Steinbeck’s mother became a teacher. Despite the
hardships, it was important to keep the ranches in the family because only male landowners could vote.
When Steinbeck visited his grandfather’s ranch near King City, he must have learned about the
hardships of running a family ranch and caring for livestock. He used this experience to write The Red
Pony and bring the characters in the book to life.
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HANDOUT F
INTERVIEWS WITH THOM STEINBECK
AND DR. FERNANDO TORRES-GIL
My questions about life in the Salinas Valley in the 1930s:
1.
2.
3.
What I learned from the interview with Thom Steinbeck:
What I learned from the interview with Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil:
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LESSON 3: BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE (RANCH
LIFE)
Objectives
Students will deepen their understanding of the story’s plot, setting, theme and character development
through interviews, historical accounts and thematic explorations.
Relevant Content Standard:
 Reading 3.7 Analyze a work of literature, showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions,
attitudes, and beliefs of its author.
Materials
 Handout G: The Ranching Life
Procedures
Introduce the idea that there were different types of ranches in the 1930s, and that students'
understanding of this variety will enhance their appreciation of “The Gift.” Distribute Handout G: The
Ranching Life. Depending on your class configuration, you may want to use the comprehension
strategy of "tell-backs" or read the handout in small groups. Complete the included chart that contrasts
hill, valley and contemporary ranch life. Note: cross reference this activity with prompt #14 from
Handout N: Multiple Genre Prompt Bank.
Assessment
Evaluate the student handout. Assess whether students have analyzed the historical setting and thematic
content of “The Gift.” Give students feedback on their responses individually and with the group.
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HANDOUT G
THE RANCHING LIFE
There were two types of ranches that existed in the Salinas Valley in the 1920s. These ranches could be
distinguished from each other by their location in the valley. The first type was located low on the green
fertile valley floor. Hill ranches, the second type, were usually nestled up higher in the rocky and dusty
terrain of the foothills of the surrounding mountains.
The ranches on the valley floor were characteristically agricultural since they had more water. The rich
soil and mild year-round climate lent itself to raising the lettuce and vegetables that the Salinas Valley is
famous for. The ranch in The Red Pony was modeled after the second type of ranch, the hill ranch. Hill
ranches were primarily interested in the cattle industry. Since there was often a shortage of water at the
higher elevations, the hill-ranchers raised cattle instead of the thirsty crops that lined the valley floor.
These ranches were usually quite a bit further from town than the valley floor ranches, and this added to
the hardships brought on by drought years and supply shortages.
The families living on these hill ranches were very resourceful. Though raising cattle was their main
source of income, they would also engage in a great amount of subsistence farming in order to put food
on their tables. These families usually had their own blacksmith shop to shoe horses, fix wagons, and
fabricate random necessary parts around the ranch. Many of them also had a milk cow or two, some
chickens and hens for eggs, pigs for pork, and a small vegetable garden. These were all things that
would minimize the need for traveling into town for supplies, tools and other necessities. In fact,
someone living on a hill ranch in the 1920s might not make the journey into town more than once a
month since the trip would take the entire day. A hill-rancher would need to begin the journey at 5 a.m.
just to make it back home by 10 p.m. Families living on hill ranches were reliant on supplies that could
only be acquired in town, so they had to carefully plan what items to buy—and when—in order to make
ends meet and maximize their infrequent journeys into town.
1920s Valley Ranches
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LESSONS 4 & 5: PRE-TEACHING LANGUAGE IN PREPARATION
FOR READING “THE GIFT”
Objectives
Target concept/skill of the upcoming lesson
Prerequisite Language Arts Standards (Reading/Literary Response & Analysis):
 Distinguish settings (time and place) and characters
Teach Language function(s) used to communicate about this concept/skill (describe, compare, retell,
etc.)
 Understand and use descriptions of people, places and objects using vocabulary essential to
understanding the reading.
Materials






Transparencies of Steinbeck and Hamilton Ranches
Laminated visuals/photographs for words on the vocabulary list
Chart paper and markers
Handout D: Vocabulary Sort
Handout E: Unit Vocabulary
Handout E1: Vocabulary Definitions Template
Procedures
Determine what to Teach:
Necessary background knowledge about the content
●
Western ranch life in the 30s, including animals, people and their work, buildings and
landscape.
Essential content-related vocabulary
Places & their objects:
 Bunkhouse – Billy Buck, cot, wash basin, porch
 Barn – stalls, rail, currycomb, brush, saddle horses
 Ranch house – low, whitewashed, iron triangle, dining room, sink, stove, long table, oilcloth, oil
lamp
 Ranch – farm buildings, corrals, lower corral, dogs (Doubletree Mutt, Smasher – a Shepard),
chicken yard, sagebrush, spring, pipe, wooden tub, kettle, wood-box
 Vegetable patch – green corn, cow-pumpkins, muskmelon
 Beyond the ranch - places (crown of the ridge, crossroads, Salinas), animals (coyote, buzzards,
carrion, quail, hoot-owls), objects (quartz)
People & their work, appearance:
 Billy Buck – ranch hand, cow-hand, lives in bunkhouse. Stetson hat, blue jeans, broad, bandy
legged, walrus mustache
 Mrs. Tiflin - grey (gray) hair, mends
 Mr. Carl Tiflin – stern, boots, flat-heeled shoes
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
Jody – dusty yellow (blonde), nightgown, overalls, twenty-two rifle, cartridges, chores (fill wood
box, gather eggs)
Language structures needed to comprehend and express target concept or skill
Simple and complex sentences describing people, places and things on the ranch, such as:
Billy Buck was a cowhand. He was (wore, had) _________ and __________.
He stood on the porch of the bunkhouse.
Jody’s twenty-two rifle didn’t have a cartridge.
The barn had stalls for the horses.
Vocabulary for use in above structures
Verbs, such as: stood, curried, brushed, sat down, ringing, has, uses.
Prepositions, such as: from the ___, up at the ___, down to the ____, at the___, etc.
How to Teach & Assess It
Instruction: Explanation, Demonstration, Modeling
Note: As you think this through, you may find this should be combined into several lessons – each
following the sequence of; teach, model, guided practice, and independent practice. Include listening,
speaking, reading and writing.
a. Create a visual, contextualized dictionary of essential vocabulary on a bulletin board, using
pictures of a ranch. Have students help you label the nouns (barn, stalls, rails, corrals, ranch
house, bunkhouse, vegetable patch, and so on). Provide the words they do not volunteer. Be
sure to include specific vocabulary you know will be in the reading (rails, for example).
To assure that students have plenty of opportunity for output, weave practice activities throughout
instruction. See suggestions in part 4 below. Adapt as needed.
b. Discuss activities for each. For example: “horses are curried and brushed in their stalls;
there are rails to keep them in; the cowhand(s) stay in the bunkhouse; the water tub in the
yard is used to,” and so on. Record this by writing “curry and brush the horses” next to
“stalls.” Use a different color label or marker for the activities (verbs/verb phrases) to help
organize the large amount of new vocabulary for reference.
c. Introduce the characters of the story and their roles on the ranch. Give Jody his yellow hair,
chores, and 22 rifle; Mrs. Tiflin: gray hair and an iron triangle, etc. Use specific vocabulary
from the book. Put them each in the context of the ranch so students are familiar with the
characters and (generally) the way the author describes them.
Have students brainstorm ranch animals and their purpose and create a chart as you go. This will
be helpful for future reference. Supply both vocabulary and clarification as needed.
For example, if student offers “dogs to control animals, like sheep, make them go where they are
supposed to go,” restate as, “OK, dogs help the rancher to herd others animals, to keep them
together so they don’t get lost.” On the chart you might write: “Dog: protect and herd livestock.”
Be sure to name Doubletree Mutt and Smasher. Adding a quick sketch of unfamiliar animals (or
inviting an artistic student to do this) is added support if many of the words are new to students.
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Guided & Independent Practice: Output to develop accuracy. How will students listen, speak, read
and write to communicate about this concept?
1. Throughout the lesson, invite students to offer additional, appropriate language – do not limit the
visual dictionary to vocabulary in the book, but do be sure to include essential words listed in
Parts 1 & 2 above.
2. Drawing on the visual dictionary you have collectively created, in addition to their own ideas.
Have students work in dyads or triads to generate sentences describing:
a. Activities in each of the settings on the ranch: in the house, bunkhouse, barn, corral, and
yard.
b. A comparison of working dogs and pet dogs. Extend this to differences between
domesticated (cow, chicken) and wild (quail, coyote) animals.
Circulate the prompt: encourage and assure accurate use. Use individual groups and have
students share with the larger group.
3. Vocabulary Sort: (See Handout D) In groups of three or four, students sort to connect the place
to its objects, people to their work, and so on. Have students create sentences to explain their
groupings.
4. As part of any of these activities, assign students to select three sentences from their group
discussion to record. This can be a group decision, but each student is required to write, then read
his or her sentences to a student from another group. (“Find a #1 from another group and
alternate reading your sentences to each other”).
5. Have students complete the definitions for the vocabulary using Handout E1.
Ongoing ASSESSMENT: How will students demonstrate growing competence in using the language
you are teaching?
1. Check for accurate and appropriate use of target vocabulary during discussion.
2. During small group activities, circulate, listen and note (+ √ -) effective use of target vocabulary
in appropriate sentences.
3. Writing: Paragraph describing the main places, people and things on a ranch.
4. Evidence of comprehension of the setting of The Red Pony during reading.
On page 29, you will find a planning template for Pre-Teaching Language in Preparation for Reading
“The Gift,” to guide you in meeting the needs of your English Language Learners.
Adapted by Susana Dutro, based on her previously copyrighted work. Used by permission.
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HANDOUT D
VOCABULARY SORT
Directions: Cut the following chart into cards. Sort the words in one or more ways. Possible sorts: 1) by
category (animals, buildings, people); 2) connecting one category to another (places to objects, people to
places and work; 3) to create sentences – add verbs.
ranch house
barn
corral
stall
crossroads
bunkhouse
yard
vegetable patch
porch
ridge
iron triangle
oil lamp
oilcloth
long table
Billy Buck
Jody
Mrs. Tiflin
Mr. Carl Tiflin
Salinas
Stetson hat
currycomb
rail
saddle horses
cow
cow-hand
rancher
overalls
quail
chicken
wood-box
fields
twenty-two rifle
cartridge
quartz
boots
walrus mustache
cot
wash basin
hoot owls
barn owls
buzzards
turkey vultures
black kettle
wooden tub
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HANDOUT E
UNIT VOCABULARY
Listed below are some challenging words which John Steinbeck uses in “The Gift.” As you read the
story, first use this “dictionary” if you are not sure of a particular word’s meaning. By the end of the
story, you may be able to match many of these words with a particular character or event.
1. contemplative – (adj.): describes someone who thinks frequently or deeply
2. carrion – (noun): decaying flesh
3. saunter – (verb): to stroll or walk slowly
4. hampered – (adj.): bothered or weighed down
5. disparage – (verb): to put down or criticize
6. self-induced – (adjective): caused by yourself
7. reproachfully – (adverb): accusingly
8. fallible – (adjective): capable of making mistakes
9. contempt – (noun): anger or scorn
10. coddling – (verb): pampering
11. constricted – (adjective): tightened
12. listless – (adjective): lacking energy
13. incensed – (adjective): angry or enraged
14. scalded – (adjective): boiled or burned
15. delineate – (verb): to describe accurately
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HANDOUT E1
RED PONY VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS TEMPLATE
Word /
Term
Synonym / Definition /
Meaning
Showing Sentence
p.1
Emerge (v.)
At daybreak Billy Buck emerged from the bunkhouse and stood for a
moment on the porch looking up at the sky.
p.1
Protrude (v.)
His eyes were a contemplative, watery gray and the hair which protruded from under
his Stetson hat was spiky and weathered.
p.1
Curry (v.)
He curried and brushed two saddle horses in the stalls, talking quietly to them all the
time; and he had hardly finished when the iron triangle started ringing at the ranch
house.
p.2
Tangle
(adj./v.)
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p.4
Frenzied
(adj.)
After the frenzied greeting the dogs lowered their noses to the ground in a businesslike
way and went ahead, looking back now and then to make sure that the boy was
coming.
p.5
Carrion (n.)
Some animal had died in the vicinity…Jody hated them (buzzards) as all decent things
hate them, but they could not be hurt because they made away with carrion.
p.23
Coddling (v.)
Carl Tiflin hated weakness and sickness, and he held a violent contempt for
helplessness. Carl Tiflin grumbled about weakness put into animals and men by too
much coddling.
p.26
Dread (n./v.)
And when school was finally out he started home in dread…He wished he might
continue walking and never arrive at the ranch.
p.32
Plunge (v.)
The pony plunged weakly away and then stood still, trembling violently.
p.36
Jody leaped forward and plunged down the hill.
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade ELD Collaborative
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LESSON 6: READING “THE GIFT”
Objective
Careful class reading and discussion allows students to exhibit insight and interpretation of characters'
decisions, actions and responses in “The Gift.”
Relevant Content Standard:
 Reading 2.2a Students exhibit careful reading and insight in their interpretations.
Materials
 Handout H: Reciprocal Reading Strategies
 Handout J: Creating a Chrono-Log
Procedures
Depending on your classroom configuration, you may want to assign “The Gift” as homework, read the
story aloud, listen to an audio version, assign partners to read the text together, or work with a small
group of readers who need additional assistance. In many classrooms, brief retellings or "tell-backs" of
the important information in a section of “The Gift” will encourage students to make sense out of what
they read. There are several steps to teach the“tell-back” as a self-monitoring strategy. Retellings also
can serve as informal assessments of reading comprehension.
First introduce "tell-backs" as a whole-class activity. Model how to read a paragraph of “The Gift.” Ask
yourself (aloud) the question, “What will I learn from this paragraph?” Read the paragraph aloud and
ask yourself the question, “What did I learn from this?” Have students volunteer the important ideas
from the paragraph. Discuss which are important points and which are less important details. Model
“tell-backs” with several paragraphs so that students receive reinforcement.
Then, if possible, work with a small group. Using a paragraph of “The Gift,” ask students to read the
selection, stop, and retell what the paragraph was about to a partner. Listen to the retelling and help
students recognize the most salient points of information, noting the less important details that may be
dropped. The students should have the opportunity to practice several paragraphs in your presence.
Next assign students partners with whom they can practice. Use “tell-backs” for ten minutes each day as
students begin to read a section of “The Gift.” Then encourage class members to read on their own.
Students may also practice paragraph “tell-backs” with parents and siblings at home. Ultimately,
encourage students to stop after a paragraph and tell themselves what they have just read.
Another reading strategy that is effective for small group instruction is the Reciprocal Reading
approach. Distribute to students Handout H: Reciprocal Reading Strategies. Review the five roles
with students (read, question, clarify, summarize, and predict.) Advise them (if applicable) of any notes
or worksheets you will require them to include in their Writing Portfolios as a part of their roles.
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As students are reading “The Gift,” explain that the characters face many challenging situations and
decisions. Ask students to keep track of and describe these critical incidents while using the Handout J:
Creating a Chrono-Log. Students may fill out the log individually, in small groups, or as a whole class.
Teachers may choose to maintain a chart version of the Chrono-Log on display in the classroom. Asking
students to draw or dramatize key events listed in the Chrono-Log will enhance access to this activity.
To ensure that students relate well-chosen details, stress that their responses should answer the questions
of "what, why, how and when." The first entry is completed for students, to model the use of specific
text-based vocabulary. Model acceptable and unacceptable examples. In sentence #1, an incomplete
response would be "Carl Tiflin gives a pony."
This activity can also be a helpful springboard for structuring a written summary of the story using vivid
language. See prompt #15 in Handout N: Prompt Bank.
Assessment
Monitor group discussions to ensure that all students understand their roles and that they are all
participating. If desired, have students include their notes for each discussion in their Writing Portfolios.
Evaluate Chrono-Logs to determine if students are exhibiting careful reading. Monitor student progress
and give students individual and group feedback.
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HANDOUT H
RECIPROCAL READING STRATEGIES
Each time you meet in your reading groups, you will divide and rotate the following roles between you.
These roles will help guide you through the readings and through your group discussions. Each person
will be expected to carry his/her own weight. You will find that you will have a much better
understanding of what you are reading and discussing together as a group than you would by yourself.
Roles
Read
Your job is to read the section out loud to the rest of the group. Modify your tone and expression to keep
the reading lively!
Question
Your job, as Discussion Leader, is to challenge your group members with at least two on-the-surface
questions (where the answers can be found right in the readings) and at least two under-the-surface
questions (where you have to dig deeper for the answer). All of your questions should require more than
a one-word answer, and should engage your group in a lively discussion.
Clarify
Your job is to help clarify any words or ideas that aren’t clear in the reading, so check your own and the
group’s understanding of what the reading is about.
Summarize
As summarizer, your job is to summarize the reading. Remember, you are to provide a summary, NOT a
paraphrase. Only the most important information should be included.
Predict
Your job is to predict what is going to happen next, based on certain evidence from the reading. The rest
of the group may agree or disagree with your prediction, depending on how persuasive you are!
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HANDOUT J
CREATING A CHRONO-LOG
“The Gift” is a story in which the characters make decisions which have consequences. As you read the
story, complete the following sentences. The first sentence is completed for you.
Carl Tiflin gives his eager son Jody responsibility for his very own pony.
Jody trains___________________________________________________________.
Billy Buck assures_____________________________________________________.
Gabilan catches________________________________________________________.
Billy Buck promises____________________________________________________.
Jody falls____________________________________________________________.
Billy Buck opens______________________________________________________
Jody kills____________________________________________________________.
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LESSON 7: SEARS, ROEBUCK & COMPANY CATALOG SHOPPING
LIST
Objective
This activity reinforces the vocabulary and historical concepts introduced at the beginning of the unit.
Relevant Content Standard:
 Reading 3.4 Analyze the relevance of the setting (e.g., place, time, and customs) to the mood,
tone and meaning of “The Gift.”
Materials
 Handout I: Reading the Sears, Roebuck & Company Catalog and Preparing a Shopping List for
the Tiflins
 Sears, Roebuck & Company Catalog Pages
Procedure
Reading the Sears, Roebuck & Company Catalog and Preparing a Shopping List for the Tiflins
focuses on the setting of “The Gift.” Use the copies from the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog to locate at
least 10 items the Tiflins could use on the ranch. Students may work individually or with partners. Ask
students to list the item and its cost, and then justify the expenditure. Complete one model together as a
class. Focus class discussion on the relationship between the ranch setting and the meaning of “The
Gift.”
Assessment
Evaluate students' completion of the shopping list. Does the justification for each expenditure reveal
student comprehension of the significance of the setting of “The Gift”? Give students individual and
group feedback.
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HANDOUT I
READING THE SEARS, ROEBUCK & COMPANY CATALOG AND
PREPARING A SHOPPING LIST FOR THE TIFLINS
What does it take to run the Tiflin Ranch? Use the attached pages from an old Sears, Roebuck &
Company catalog to locate at least ten items the Tiflins could use on their ranch. List the item by name
and cost. Then explain each choice in the last column.
Item
1.
Cost
Justification
2.
3,
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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LESSON 8: IDENTIFYING SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM
Objective
“The Gift” is a story rich with symbolic imagery. Handout K: Identifying Symbols and Symbolism
draws students' attention to the many possible interpretations of the story's symbols.
Relevant Content Standard:
 Reading 3.6 Identify significant literary devices (e.g., metaphor, symbolism, dialect, and irony)
that define a writer's style and use those elements to interpret the work.
Materials
 Handout K: Identifying Symbols and Symbolism
Procedures
To begin the lesson, use the first page of Handout K: Identifying Symbols and Symbolism to activate
students’ prior knowledge of symbols used in contemporary culture. Discuss symbols with which
students are familiar, such as the American flag, school colors and team logos. Link this activity to other
literary symbols that may be familiar, including an author’s use of colors (red = angry, black = death.)
Explain to students that a symbol is a person, place, object, or action that represents something bigger
than itself. A literary symbol draws its meaning from the context of the work. In some works, a lamp
might represent hope or knowledge. In “The Gift,” when Carl Tiflin turns down the lamp (which he does
several times throughout the book), Steinbeck seems to be suggesting that Carl tightly controls his
emotions (warmth).
Often authors use descriptions of the natural world to reflect or mirror their character’s state of mind,
e.g., a cloudy, gloomy day may represent a character’s inner turmoil. Since setting is such an integral
part of Steinbeck’s craft, he frequently employs such symbolism. In “The Gift,” Steinbeck explores how
part of growing up involves coming to terms with death. One activity that might help illuminate for
students the concept of symbolism is to show how Steinbeck uses contrasting symbols to emphasize his
point. Draw a T-chart on the board and label one column “Life” and the other column “Death.” (Have
students copy this onto the back of their Handout K: Identifying Symbols and Symbolism worksheet.)
Read as a class the description of the ranch environs on page 4 at the beginning of “The Gift.” Guide
students to identify the cold spring (representing life) and the cypress tree (representing death) as key
elements in Steinbeck’s setting. Point out that the stark contrast between the two strengthens their power
as symbols of life and death. As you read further along in the story, have students add to the chart, e.g.,
Doubletree Mutt’s health vs. Gabilan’s sickness; the vegetable garden vs. the smashed muskmelon. The
third section of page 2 of Handout G focuses more closely on responsibility symbols for Jody. Guide
students in a discussion of how each of these items represent a specific component of being responsible,
e.g., the wood box represents doing things right and not cutting corners or ‘cheating.’ The iron triangle
represents being on time, etc.
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The first object on the student worksheet Identifying Symbols and Symbolism is completed as an
example. Ask students if they can locate additional symbols in the text, and suggest interpretations.
Encourage students to develop the use of symbolism in their own writing and poetry. Note: Prompt #1 &
#16 in the Multiple Genre Prompt Bank in Handout N will be useful in conjunction with this lesson.
Assessment
Evaluate student work by assessing students' ability to link text quotes with interpretation. Are students
able to identify the significance of each symbol?
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HANDOUT K
IDENTIFYING SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM
A symbol is a person, place, object, or action that represents something bigger than itself. Here are
some famous symbols you see regularly. Jot down what each one represents:
♥=__________________________
$ = _________________________
=____________________
Symbols can be a very powerful way to help people make connections. (That’s why Nike has spent
millions of dollars promoting their “swoosh” symbol.)
Directions: Think of five more symbols and draw them below. Be sure to write what each symbol
represents.
Symbol
Represents
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade ELD Collaborative 2007
Adapted from Steinbeck Young Authors/National Steinbeck Center
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A literary symbol draws its meaning from the context of the work. The author will describe someone or
something in the story which represents an idea or concept that he/she is trying to communicate. John
Steinbeck’s writing is especially rich in symbolism, and that’s one reason why people love to read his
work.
Directions: As you read the story, complete the chart below with information from the text. The first
object is filled in as an example for you. Continue to add symbols as they occur in the text. Ask yourself,
“Why might Steinbeck have included this symbol in his story?” Given what you know of the story’s
theme, look for patterns, and assert your idea of what the symbols represent.
Object
Buzzard
Page #
Represents
5
The buzzard stands for death. You can’t avoid death. It is part of life.
Iron triangle
1-2
The dogs
3-4
Turning off the oil
lamp
3
Responsibility
Symbols for Jody
Represents
1. Wood box
2. Iron triangle
3. Eggs
4. Rifle
5. Cartridges
6. Pony
7. Currycomb
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade ELD Collaborative 2007
Adapted from Steinbeck Young Authors/National Steinbeck Center
Steinbeck Young Authors
© National Steinbeck Center
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Growing Up in the Salinas Valley
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LESSON 9: COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHARACTER STUDY
(VENN DIAGRAM AND MATRIX)
Objective
The contrast between the characters Billy Buck and Carl Tiflin impacts Jody's maturation process. This
activity asks students to explore Steinbeck's characterization.
Relevant Content Standards:
 Writing 2.1c Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action,
physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
 Writing 2.2d Support judgments through references to the text, other works, other authors, or to
personal knowledge.
Materials




Handout L1: Character Descriptions
Handout L2: “The Gift” Characters
Handout L3: Compare and Contrast Character Study - Venn
Handout L4: Compare and Contrast Character Study - Matrix
Procedures
Explain to students that authors use description, dialogue, and actions to paint vivid “portraits” of
their characters. Handout L1 and L2 are designed to help students develop a sense of each of the
characters’ physical descriptions and personality. After reading the first pages of “The Gift” in
which all the characters have been introduced, guide students through the quotes on Handout L1.
In pairs, have the students record their “impressions” of each of the characters based on what
they understand so far from these collected quotes. It might be useful to explain that some
characters are dynamic, meaning they will change during the course of the story, whereas other
characters remain the same. Therefore, you will invite students to revisit their “first impressions”
after completing the book to see if they regard the characters differently at the end, and if so,
why.
Once they’ve complete their impression, have students fill in the portraits of the characters on
Handout L2. As a challenge task, students could create a portrait for Gabilan as well.
Handouts L3 and L4 use a compare/contrast structure to help students analyze how Steinbeck
has created two very different characters, Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck, both of whom are very
important to Jody. They each help shape Jody into the man he will become, but in very different
ways. Steinbeck creates considerable dramatic tension in his descriptions of Carl Tiflin and Billy
Buck. Students will contrast the behavior of each of these adults in relation to specific passages
in the text. Students will be encouraged to "draw conclusions" based on each character's
behavior. Depending on your classroom configuration, this assignment may be completed
individually, in small groups, or as a whole class. It is important to stress that students'
conclusions must be supported by textual evidence. Students will experience success with class
discussion and teacher modeling of expectations. For example, ask students, "What is your first
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impression of Carl Tiflin? What sentence in the story gave you that impression?" For additional
emphasis, ask students to dramatically "walk, talk and look" like each of the men. To extend this
lesson, ask students to dramatize each man's possible reactions to typical school events: a student
spilling milk, a recess dispute, or even extra homework.
To ensure that English Learners have the language skill needed to express the similarities and
differences between these two characters, teach, model and practice how to compare, using the Venn
Diagram on L3. The lesson is also useful to help all students develop more varied and complex sentence
structures. After students have generated examples of the characters’ similarities and differences and
discussed them, use the sentence frames listed on the Handout, such as, Carl is ____________, but Billy
Buck is __________ to express a difference between them. Invite students to contribute characteristics to
fill the blanks. Vary this by changing the verb is to has, can, lives, and talks. Point out that you can
express ways the men that have similar characteristics with frames such as: Both Carl and Billy are
self-sufficient outdoorsmen. Then replace the final phrase. Move to practicing with more complex and
varied sentence structures, such as:
While Carl ________, Billy Buck _________.
Billy Buck and Carl are similar because they both ________. They are different in that Billy Buck
_____, but Carl _________.
There are several major differences between Billy Buck and Carl. The most notable is ___________.
Modulate the level of difficulty in a comparison task by teaching comparison sentence structures at
levels of complexity appropriate to students' language skill, allowing students to engage in the work
regardless of their level of English proficiency. Post these sentence frames and encourage students to
refer to them as they write about the two characters or when they compare any two people or events in
the story.
Assessment
Evaluate the Compare and Contrast Character Study to determine if students have employed descriptive
strategies while comparing and contrasting the two characters, and if they have supported their
judgments through references to the text.
“Rethinking English Language Instruction,” S. Dutro and C. Moran, English Learners: Reaching the
Highest Level of Proficiency, Ed. Gil Garcia, 2003, IRA.
Adapted by Susana Dutro, based on her previously copyrighted work. Used by permission.
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HANDOUT L1
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Billy Buck p. 1
At daybreak Billy Buck emerged from the bunkhouse and stood for a moment on the porch looking
up at the sky. He was a broad, bandy-legged little man with a walrus mustache, with square hands,
puffed and muscled on the palms.
Impression:
His eyes were a contemplative, watery gray and the hair which protruded from under his Stetson hat
was spiky and weathered. Billy was still stuffing his shirt into his blue jeans as he stood on the
porch.
Impression:
He unbuckled his belt and tightened it again. The belt showed, by the worn shiny places opposite
each hole, the gradual increase of Billy’s middle over a period of years.
Impression:
When he had seen to the weather, Billy cleared each nostril by holding its mate closed with his
forefinger and blowing fiercely.
Impression:
Mrs. Tiflin p. 2
…Mrs. Tiflin was still ringing the triangle. She nodded her gray head to him and withdrew into the
kitchen.
Impression:
Back at the house his mother bent over his rough hands, inspecting his fingers and nails…She sighed
over the black cracks on his fingers, and then gave him his books and his lunch and started him on
the mile walk to school.
Impression:
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Jody p. 2
He was only a little boy, ten years old, with hair like dusty yellow grass and with shy polite gray
eyes, and with a mouth that worked when he thought.
Impression:
The triangle picked him up out of sleep. It didn’t occur to him to disobey the harsh note.
Impression:
He brushed the tangled hair out of his eyes and skinned his nightgown off. In a moment he was
dressed—blue chambray shirt and overalls. It was late in the summer, so of course there were no
shoes to bother with…Then he washed himself and brushed back his wet hair with his fingers. After
supper, Jody sat by the fireplace and his shy polite eyes sought the room corners.
Impression:
Mr. Tiflin p.3
Jody’s tall stern father came in then and Jody knew from the noise on the floor that he was wearing
boots, but he looked under the table anyway, to make sure…His father was a disciplinarian. Jody
obeyed him in everything without questions of any kind.
Impression:
Carl Tiflin hated weakness and sickness, and he held a violent contempt for helplessness…Carl
Tiflin grumbled about weakness put into animals and men by too much coddling.
Impression:
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade ELD Collaborative
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HANDOUT L2
“THE GIFT”
BY JOHN STEINBECK
CHARACTERS
Portraits - Sketch and color each person according to the way they are described in the story.
Also write descriptive words and phrases about each one's personality traits and physical description.
Characters
Physical Description
Personality Traits
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Jody Tiflin
Carl Tiflin
Mrs. Tiflin
Billy Buck
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade ELD Collaborative
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HANDOUT L3
COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHARACTER STUDY
VENN DIAGRAM
Carl Tiflin & Billy Buck
In this activity, you will study how Steinbeck has created two very different men, Carl Tiflin and Billy
Buck, both of whom are very important to Jody. They both help shape Jody into the man he will
become, but in very different ways. List characteristics in which Carl Tiflin is different from Billy Buck
in the A section of the circle, and ways that Billy is different from Carl in the B section. In the C section,
list characteristics that they have in common. Next, using the sentence frames below, create a variety of
sentences that help compare and contrast the two men.
A: Carl Tiflin
B: Billy Buck
C: Both
1. ____________
1. ____________
2. ____________
2. ____________
3. ____________
3. ____________
4. ____________
4. ____________
5. ____________
5. ____________
____________
Showing differences:
 Carl is _______________________, but Billy Buck is __________________________.
 Carl has/thinks __________________, but Billy Buck has/thinks __________________.
 While Carl _____________________, Billy Buck ______________________________.
There are several major differences between Billy Buck and Carl. The most notable is
_____________________________________________________________________.
Showing similarities:
 Both Carl and Billy are/have/live ____________________________________________.
 Billy Buck and Carl are similar because they both _______________________________.
Connecting the two using complex and varied sentences:
 Although Carl and Billy both ____________________, they ______________________.
 Carl and Billy are similar because they both _____________________, but they are different in
that Billy ________________________, while Carl ____________________.
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HANDOUT L4
COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHARACTER STUDY MATRIX
One of the elements that people admire the most about John Steinbeck’s writing is his ability to make
his characters seem so real and alive. He uses description, dialogue, and actions to paint these vivid
“portraits” of his characters. In this activity, you will study how Steinbeck uses these tools to reveal the
characters’ personalities. Contrast the ways in which the two men behave in the following scenes from
“The Gift.” Then, see what kinds of conclusions you can draw about both men.
Scene
Carl Tiflin
Billy Buck
When Carl
gives Gabilan to Jody
Communicating
to Jody (stories,
information, and
practical
instruction)
When they find
Jody killing the
buzzard
Other?
What conclusions might you draw about these two men?
Carl Tiflin: ____________________________________________________________________
Billy Buck: ____________________________________________________________________
Think of ways you could use description, dialogue, and action to make a character come alive.
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LESSON 10: RESPONSIBILITY QUOTE BANK
Objective
Students will explore the theme of responsibility by collecting a variety of quotes from the story that
reveal Jody’s varying levels of responsibility.
Relevant Content Standards:
 Writing 2.2a Exhibit careful reading and insight in their interpretations.
 Writing 2.2b Connect the student’s own responses to the writer’s techniques and to specific
textual references.
Materials
 Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank
Procedures
Review with students the entry level assessment activities you had on day one of the unit, in which
students discussed and wrote about taking responsibility. Advise students that for the final essay, they
will be writing not only about their own personal level of responsibility, but Jody’s as well. Explain that
when crafting a “Response to Literature” essay, all good writers make sure to cite specific textual
references to support their statements. Therefore, to assist them when they write the final essay, you are
providing them Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank worksheet to log appropriate quotes as they
come up in the reading. These quotes may reflect the wide range of both maturity and immaturity that
Jody exhibits throughout the story. They should use the quotes as a springboard to reflect on their own
level of maturity and sense of responsibility. Emphasize to students that they will be able to refer to this
worksheet (as well as to the book) while writing the essay, and that their essay will be much stronger as
a result. Furthermore, explain that the ability to cite specific evidence both from text as well as from
experience will enhance their ability to communicate persuasively—a skill that will help them both
academically and socially!
Additionally, they will need to use these quotes to help them complete a Responsibility Report Card
for Jody in Lesson 14, Handout Q1. Note: when completed, this lesson will also support student
response to Prompt #19 in Handout N: Prompt Bank.
Assessment
Monitor student writing to see that they regularly include textual references from “The Gift,” and that
students increasingly refer to direct quotes during class discussions.
Possible quotes to flag for students during the readings, in addition to the first example in Handout M:
1. “He went slowly, then, toward the afternoon chores” (page 6).
2. “Jody, tonight see you fill the wood-box clear full. Last night you crossed the sticks and it wasn’t
only about half full” (page 6).
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“Jody curried and brushed…until the pony’s coat had taken on a deep red shine” (page 12).
“Have you forgot the wood-box?”
“I forgot, ma’am.” (page 13). ‘
“Jody never waited for the triangle to get him out of bed after the coming of the pony” (page 13).
“He considered holding up one finger for permission to go to the outhouse and, once outside,
running home to put the pony in” (page 22).
8. “‘You said it wouldn’t rain,’ Jody accused him” (page 23).
9. “Doubletree Mutt looked into the barn…and Jody was so incensed at his health that he found a
hard black clod on the floor and deliberately threw it” (page 30).
10. “Jody, remembering how he had thrown the clod, put his arm about the dog’s neck and kissed
him on his wide black nose” (page 35).
11. “When Jody saw how dry and dead the hair looked, he knew at last that there was no hope for
the pony” (page 35).
12. “He struck again and again, until the buzzard lay dead…” (page 37).
13. “The buzzard didn’t kill the pony. Don’t you know that?” (page 37).
14. “I know it,” Jody said wearily (page 37).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Note: as with all literature, multiple interpretations are expected. When applying these quotes to Jody’s
Responsibility Report Card: Handout Q1 in Lesson 14, students will be encouraged to debate the
level of maturity that each quote reveals about Jody. Explain to students that it is OK to disagree, but to
be ready to back up their arguments with evidence.
Be sure to regularly ask students the question, “What do you think John Steinbeck himself would say
about Jody’s level of maturity here?”
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HANDOUT M
RESPONSIBILITY QUOTE BANK
When writing about a piece of literature, all good writers include quotes directly from the story that
support their points. Since the final essay you will be writing for this unit will be about your own level
of responsibility as well as Jody’s, you can begin to collect evidence of Jody’s sense of responsibility
now as it comes up in the reading. At the same time, you can use the quotes to reflect on your own level
of responsibility. You may refer to both this worksheet and the book while writing your essay. If you do
a thorough job on this worksheet, it will help you write a much stronger essay. The first line has been
filled in for you as an example.
Quotes about Jody’s different levels of
responsibility
Page
#
Example 1: “It didn’t occur to him to disobey
the harsh note. He never had: no one he knew
ever had.” (and…)
2
Example 2: Jody’s father “was a disciplinarian.
Jody obeyed him in everything without questions
of any kind.”
3
This quote shows me that . . .
Example 1: At the beginning of the story, Jody
isn’t necessarily choosing to be responsible.
Because his dad is so strict, Jody has learned to
just obey him.
Example 2: That isn’t the same as choosing to
be responsible.
Personal reflection: Do I get out of bed because
my mom makes me, or because I know I need
to?
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade ELD Collaborative 2007
Adapted from Steinbeck Young Authors/Steinbeck National Center
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LESSON 11: PREPARING A VETERINARIAN REPORT
Objective
Students will explore the theme of responsibility as illustrated by the decisions of the various characters
at the onset of Gabilan's illness.
Relevant Content Standards
 Writing 2.1c, 2.1b Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives that reveal the
significance of, or the writer's attitude about, the subject.
Materials
 Handout P: Preparing a Veterinarian Report
Procedures
Introduce the lesson by explaining that Gabilan's illness and each character's response are complex and
important aspects of the story. By carefully reviewing the events that transpired, students will be more
likely to appreciate Steinbeck's perspective. Assign cooperative groups responsibility for filling out part
or all of Handout P: Preparing a Veterinarian Report. Clarify the meaning of the categories:
symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and Billy’s promise to Jody at each point in Gabilan’s illness. You may
want to break down the time of each event according to your text's pagination. As a whole class, discuss
what students have learned about Steinbeck's treatment of the theme of "responsibility." What was
promised? Who was responsible? What did Jody learn? Discuss the course of events and decisions that
led to the pony's death. Note: Prompt #13 and #17 will work well with this lesson.
Assessment
Ask students to use their completed Veterinarian Reports as the basis for a class discussion of
Steinbeck's treatment of the concept of responsibility as it relates to Jody, his parents and Billy Buck.
What is Steinbeck's attitude about the subject? Why might the story be titled “The Gift”?
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HANDOUT P
PREPARING A VETERANARIAN REPORT
As a local veterinarian, you have been called to the Tiflin Ranch to inquire into the recent death of the
pony, Gabilan. In cooperative groups, fill in the chart below to determine the cause of Gabilan’s death.
Time
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Billy’s Promise
to Jody
Thursday PM
Friday AM
Friday PM
Saturday AM
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Sunday AM
Sunday PM
Summarize what your veterinarian has learned about Gabilan’s death:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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LESSON 12: MULTIPLE GENRE PROMPT BANK
Objective
Students will experiment with a variety of writing genres to further develop a grasp of audience,
purpose, organization, use of supporting details and evidence, and gain a greater appreciation of
Steinbeck’s skills as a writer.
Relevant Content Standards:
 Writing 1.0 Students progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.
 2.0 Write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive essays.
 2.1b, 2.1c Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives that reveal the
significance of, or the writer's attitude about, the subject. Employ narrative and descriptive
strategies (e.g., dialogue, action, description, comparison or contrast of characters).
Materials




Handout N: Multiple Genre Prompt Bank
Handout N2: Transition Word and Phrase Bank
Handout B: Unit Rubric
Handout A: Writer’s Portfolio Checklist
Procedures
Students have already been advised (in the Introduction to the Unit) that they will be required to write
five short essays, two of which they will refine into second drafts for you to assess. Once students are
settled into the reading of “The Gift,” distribute Handout N: Multiple Genre Prompt Bank and tell
students to keep it for easy reference in their Writer’s Portfolio. Briefly go over the 20 different prompts
which they will be able to choose from for their five mini-essays. Note that the prompts on the left side
are directly connected to the book, while the prompts on the right side are invitations to write from
personal experience and reflection. By giving them the freedom to choose (within certain parameters,
see #2 below), students will have more ownership of their writing. Also, by requiring students to log
their work when done in their Handout A: Portfolio Checklist, they will have increased accountability
as well as satisfaction as they monitor their own progress. Repeatedly assure students that the more and
varied their writing experiences are, the better their writing will become. Just ask John Steinbeck!
To assist students with organizing their responses and improve the flow between their ideas, give
students Handout N2: Transition Word and Phrase Bank. Demonstrate for students how they
can draw from the various columns to help structure and connect their topic or thesis sentences
and their supporting details. English Learners particularly benefit from the scaffolding structures
that these transitional words and phrases can provide. For example, in response to prompt #3,
you can guide students with the following paragraph frame:
There are numerous differences between living on a ranch and living in town. For
example,_______. In addition, _________. Furthermore, ________. Overall, ____________.
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You may opt to only read and assess some, not all of their essays (if you teach 155 students, this will be
understandable!) but it’s best to decide this prior to assigning the writing to students.
In the Pacing Chart and throughout the lessons guides, those prompts which complement the activities
are cross-referenced. As these prompts surface, redirect students to the Prompt Bank, and allow for
some class discussion of the specific prompt, with particular attention to organizational approaches for
each one. Several times a week, set aside some class time for students to work on their essays, and to
enable you to monitor their progress towards each deadline, and to provide support as needed. Although
this piece may seem to take a lot of instructional time, teachers can be assured that the time invested will
help students gain mastery in the state standards by which they will be measured.
Student-driven selection and assessment is a very important part of this piece because it empowers the
student to direct their own writing process and progress. After students have completed all five first
drafts, set aside a writer’s workshop day dedicated to peer editing and assessment. Direct students to
pick for further development their two strongest essays. Working in pairs, have students assess each of
the essays by highlighting strengths and weaknesses on their copies of Handout B: Unit Rubric.
Option: they can use two different colored highlighters to distinguish between each piece. (You can
model this process using one of the sample student papers provided and highlight the rubric on an
overhead transparency.) Using the rubric to evaluate four essays will help increase students’ familiarity
with the rubric components and guide them to improve their writing. Remind students that you will be
using the same rubric to determine the contest winners at the end of the unit. Regularly remind students
that even a well-thought-out essay will fail to communicate if the paper is full of mechanical errors. You
may want to conduct several mini-lessons during this time frame to help students with recurring patterns
of problems in the writing mechanics.
When all drafts and revisions are complete, direct students to organize all essays, including notes, rough
drafts and final drafts into the same order as listed in Handout A: Portfolio Checklist. This will save
you time when evaluating their essays and portfolios.
Assessment
Monitor students’ Portfolio Checklist for timely completion of writing tasks. Observe student pairs
during peer editing sessions for competent application of the rubric components. When scoring the final
essays, use the students’ own rubric copy to record your own evaluation (in a different color) so the
student can visually track their own progress from the first draft to the second (and note any
discrepancies, if applicable).
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HANDOUT N
MULTIPLE GENRE PROMPT BANK
RED PONY WRITING PORTFOLIO
In the Prompt Bank below, you will find 20 different prompts covering several different kinds of genres.
Select _____ of the 20 prompts to write short essays for your Red Pony Writer’s Portfolio. ____ must be
from the left column, and ____ must be from the right column. Remember, for each essay on “The
Gift,” be sure to include quotes and examples from the book. For each essay beyond the book, be sure to
include examples, details, and/or anecdotes to support what you are explaining.
Purpose: Generally, your purpose as you write these essays will be to inform, explain, entertain, share
your opinion, or persuade us. Each genre will determine the specific purpose for each essay. If the genre
is narrative, then the purpose is to tell a story. If the genre is persuasive, then the purpose is to convince
your reader that your opinion is correct. If descriptive, then your goal is to help your reader “see” what
you, the writer, sees.
Audience: Your classmates and teacher will read your essays. Make sure you include enough details and
information so that your reader can clearly understand you. In essays for “The Gift,” always include
quotes straight from the book to support your thesis.
Assessment: You and your classmates will use the rubric on the next page to grade your own and each
other’s drafts. Using that information, you will choose _____ of the strongest essays to revise and
improve. The final draft will be scored for part of your final Portfolio grade. Keep ALL your notes,
rough drafts and final drafts together in your Writing Portfolio. It is important to document your writing
process, not only for the teacher, but to demonstrate your own growth as a writer.
Prompts for “The Gift”
Prompts beyond “The Gift”
Descriptive Prompt #1
Descriptive Prompt #2
Whenever Jody wants to be by himself to think
When you feel the need to be by yourself to think or
or daydream, he goes to his special place at the
daydream, where do you go? It might be a physical
“cold spring by the brush line” (see page 4, 6,
place, or it might be an imaginary place in your mind.
34, 40 and 68). Using quotes from these pages,
Describe for us your special place, being sure to
describe what Jody’s special place looks like. Be include sensory details. Your goal is to make us feel
sure to use as many sensory details as you can
like we are there with you. Include details about the
(sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing). (Lesson 8)
way you feel when you are there. (Lesson 13)
Compare / Contrast Prompt #3
Review the information about “The Ranching
Life” in Lesson 4, and the interview with Thom
Steinbeck in Lesson 5. Using the details
provided in both lessons, as well as your own
knowledge, write an essay in which you explain
the differences between living on a ranch and
living in the town of Salinas, either in the 1920s
or in the present. You may want to create a Venn
diagram to help you organize the details before
you begin writing. (Lesson 4 & 5)
Compare / Contrast Prompt #5
Think about how your parents, aunts & uncles,
cousins, and grandparents are different from each
other. Pick any two of your relatives and write an
essay in which you describe each one. Explain how
they are similar to each other, and then explain the
ways in which they are different. Compare the
different ways they have influenced you.
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Compare / Contrast Prompt #4
John Steinbeck does a good job helping us see
the differences between Billy Buck and Carl
Tiflin by the way they treat Jody. Pick a scene
from the book that shows how differently the
two men behave toward him. Include quotes to
back up what you are explaining. (Lesson 9 &
13, drama activity 2 & 3)
Compare / Contrast Prompt #6
Think about how you behaved when you were
younger compared to how you are now. How are you
the same, and how are you different? Write an essay
in which you explain how you’ve changed over the
past few years. Be sure to include evidence that you
have become more responsible and mature. (Lesson
14)
Narrative w/ Dialogue Prompt #8
When Carl Tiflin is explaining to his wife that he
bought the pony for Jody, Jody lays in bed trying
to “make words out of the murmurs in the other
room.” He only hears his father protest, “But,
Ruth, I didn’t give much for him” (page 7).Write
a dialogue between Mr. and Mrs. Tiflin that you
imagine took place in this scene. Be sure to
include the quote above, and use correct
punctuation for dialogue and quotations. Also
make sure the tone of their words matches up
with their personalities. (Lesson 9 & 13, drama
activity 3)
Experimenting with P.O.V Prompt #10
John Steinbeck wrote The Red Pony in 3rd person
omniscient point of view, meaning the narrator is
outside the story, knows what the characters are
thinking and feeling, and uses pronouns like he,
she, they. Pick a scene from the story, and
rewrite it in the 1st person point of view, either
from the perspective of Jody himself, or Billy
Buck or Carl Tiflin. You will use pronouns like
I, me, we. Option: with 2 other classmates, pick
the same scene from the story, but each of you
write it from a different character’s point of
view. As a trio, read your stories to the class and
see if they agree that you have accurately
represented your character’s perspective. (Lesson
9 &13, drama activity 3)
Expository Prompt #13
Billy Buck is an experienced horse doctor. List
the various treatments, in chronological order,
that Billy gives to Gabilan. Keep your tone
factual, like a veterinarian giving a report. Use
transition words like first, next, afterwards, and
finally to show the order of events. (Lesson 11)
Narrative w/ Dialogue Prompt #9
Think about a disagreement you had with someone
recently. Write a dialogue between yourself and that
person (it’s OK to make it up, if you can’t think of a
real event) about your argument. Your dialogue could
end with the person still disagreeing with you, or
with the argument resolved. Optional: write both
endings to the argument. Be sure to include correct
punctuation for dialogue. Choose words that will give
the reader a sense of the personality of both the
people in your dialogue and the tone of your
argument. (Lesson 13)
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Compare / Contrast #7
Write an essay about yourself set ten years in the
future. Describe how you were back in middle
school, then compare that to the young man or
woman you have become. (Lesson 14)
Expository Prompt #14
Do a little research into the steps it takes to become a
veterinarian. Then write an essay briefly explaining
each requirement, and the time it takes to complete
the steps. Write it as if you were a counselor advising
a young person who is interested in becoming a vet
for a career. (Lesson 11)
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Narrative / Summarizing Prompt #15
Write a summary of the story, beginning when
Gabilan first gets sick, through the end of the
story. Be sure to include quotes from the story
that tell us how Jody is feeling at various points
in the story (for example: worried, moping,
bitter, hopeless, angry.) (Lesson 6)
Narrative / Summarizing Prompt #16
Write about a time when you lost someone or
something important to you. Tell us what happened,
and how you felt about this loss. If you feel you
learned something from this experience, be sure to
include that in your essay. Challenge: include
symbolism to help represent what you have lost.
(Lesson 8, also see prompt 11)
Persuasive Prompt #17
Persuasive Prompt #18
Jody seems convinced that Billy Buck is to
You really want a special kind of pet, but so far your
blame for Gabilan getting sick, but Carl Tiflin
parents have told you, “No way.” Write an essay
says (later in the book), “Don’t you go blaming
explaining to them why it is so important to you to
that on him…If Billy can’t save a horse, it can’t
have this pet. Explain how having this pet would help
be saved” (page 76). Decide if you think Billy is you become more mature and responsible. Think
at fault or not, and write an essay persuading us
about 2-3 different reasons why they would say no
to agree with you. Be sure to include quotes from and address each of their concerns. Avoid sounding
the book to support your claims. (Lesson 11)
whiney. A respectful tone is always more persuasive!
(Lesson #13 D, 15)
Response to Lit., (Analys, Synth) Prompt #19
Response to Lit., (Analys, Synth) Prompt #20
At the very beginning of “The Gift,” Steinbeck
Think about a big change in your life. Perhaps when
writes that Jody, “felt an uncertainty in the air, a a sibling was born, or you moved to a new home, or
feeling of change and of loss and of the gain of
when you came to a new school, such as your first
new and unfamiliar things” (page 4). This quote day at middle school—any time when you felt
foreshadows (gives us a hint of what’s going to
uncertain, and when everything seemed new. Explain
happen) the changes Jody experiences as a result what it was you lost, and what it was you gained
of caring for Gabilan. Using quotes from the
through these changes. Challenge: try to include a
book, explain both what Jody loses as well as
sentence or a symbol in the beginning of your story
what he gains through these experiences and
that foreshadows for the reader that your life is about
how it changes Jody.
to change.
Your own prompt ideas (get teacher’s OK before
writing):
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TRANSITION WORD AND PHRASE BANK
Topic
Sentence
Definition
Example
Listing /
Sequence
several
multiple
refers to
For example,
in other words, For instance,
First,
Second,
numerous
consists of
such as
a variety of
is equal to
a plethora of
various
Compare
Contrast
Cause / Effect
Conclusion
although
while
As a result,
Consequently,
In conclusion,
In brief,
Next,
Similarly,
In the same
way,
just like
In contrast,
Overall,
is like
Then,
just as
means
including
Also,
Likewise,
On the other
hand,
However
For this
reason,
Since
synonymous
with
to illustrate
another
both
whereas
causing
In order to
many
In addition,
but
Therefore,
a few
three important
ways, reasons, etc.
numerous ways,
reasons, etc.
some
Furthermore,
Before
yet
Conversely,
And so
thus
Later
Alternatively,
may be due to
quite a few
Finally,
Since
a multitude of
a range of
Words to facilitate the transition of ideas and to show the relationships between them
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To sum it up,
LESSON 13: MULTI-MODAL ACTIVITIES BANK
Objective
Using elements of drama, art, and music, students will explore in greater depth the richness of
Steinbeck’s descriptive settings and three-dimensional characters.
Relevant Content Standards:
 Reading 3.4 Analyze the relevance of the setting to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text.
 Reading 3.6 Identify significant literary devices that define a writer’s style and use those
elements to interpret the work.
 Writing 2.1c., 2.1b Write short stories or narratives that reveal the significance of, or the writer's
attitude about, the subject.
Materials
 Handout O: Multi-Modal Activities Bank
Procedures
Throughout the reading of The Gift incorporate any or all of the suggestions in Handout O: MultiModal Activities Bank to access students multiple intelligences as an enriching pathway to deeper
understanding.
Assessment
Display students’ art projects publicly and invite discussion of the different interpretations revealed.
Have students critique each other’s dramatic representations for “faithfulness” to Steinbeck’s
characterization, tone, and style.
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HANDOUT O
MULTI-MODAL ACTIVITIES BANK
Listed below are several great activities that will help you interpret Steinbeck’s writing through drama,
art, and music. Enjoy!
Dramatic Possibilities:
1. “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” Students read out lines of dialogue which they have copied from
the book, and classmates have to figure out which character said it.
2. Vignettes: Two or three students pick a scene from the book to act out. Audience decides if the
actors are “true” to Steinbeck’s description of the characters. Scenes might include: when Carl
Tiflin presents Gabilan to Jody (page 9), when Jody confronts Billy Buck for leaving Gabilan out
in the rain (page 23), when Carl Tiflin tries to cheer Jody up by telling him stories after dinner
(page 28).
3. Students who have chosen to write to Prompt #4 (which contrasts how Carl & Billy treat Jody),
#8 (when Carl justifies buying the pony to his wife), #9 (an argument you had, with 2 different
endings), and #10 (a scene written from 3 different points of view: Jody, Billy Buck, & Carl) can
perform their vignettes for the class (and perhaps negotiate for some extra credit points?)
4. Students can role-play trying to persuade their parents to let them get a special pet. Use in
conjunction with Prompt #18.
Artistic Expressions:
1. Students should decorate the front cover of their Writing Portfolio folder. Covers should include
student’s name and “The Red Pony (or “The Gift”) by John Steinbeck.” Add a quote from the
story that captures the tone and style of The Red Pony.
2. Draw a picture of your own special place where you like to go to think and sort things out. (See
Prompt #2). Include a picture of yourself and a few thought balloons showing what you might be
thinking about.
3. Select a symbol that has special importance to you. In your drawing, help us see what your
symbol represents to you.
Musical Notes:
1. While the students are reading or working on assignments, play The Red Pony Suite by Aaron
Copland. Discuss how the music reflects the characters, the plot and the emotions from the book.
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LESSON 14: RESPONSIBILITY REPORT CARD
Objective
Students will explore the theme of responsibility in connection with both Jody and themselves, using a
graphic illustration to evaluate their relative levels of maturity.
Relevant Content Standards:
 Writing 2.2b Connect the student’s own responses to the writer’s techniques and to specific
textual references.
 2.2d Support judgments through references to the text, other works, other authors, or to personal
knowledge.
Materials
 Handout Q1: Responsibility Report Card
 Handout Q2: Responsibility Report Card for Myself
 Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank
Procedures
Have students review their Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank. Invite a discussion (either wholeclass, small group, or pair and share) on any patterns or progress they can see in Jody’s level of maturity
and responsibility. Remind students that Steinbeck is telling a story about a boy who experiences a "gift"
which has a tremendous impact on his life and growing sense of responsibility. In addition, students are
asked to explore this theme as it relates to their own lives. The Responsibility Report Card handout
has two sides: one for Jody and one for themselves. Guide students to define, in their own words, the
terms Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. Have them take notes as you go into the
“Attributes” section. Check to be sure they are comfortable with the terminology. In small groups, pairs,
or individually, have students refer to the quotes garnered in their Handout M: Responsibility Quote
Bank, and decide where in the matrix to place the quote relative to Jody’s level of maturity. For
example, when Jody crushes the muskmelon, students may decide that belongs in the “Below Basic”
category, but when Jody brushes and curries Gabilan each day (without being nagged!) that behavior
would fit under the “Advanced” category. After they have placed 4+ quotes within the matrix, have
students evaluate Jody’s strengths and weakness in a one-paragraph summary. You may want to have a
class vote to see the level in which the majority of students place Jody.
Next, students are to repeat the process, using Handout Q2: Responsibility Report Card for Myself,
to evaluate their own progress towards maturity. Review areas where young people can demonstrate that
they are mature and responsible (e.g., getting up on time, doing chores, caring for pets and/or family
members, respect for other people and property, ability to delay gratification, etc.) Have them list
evidence from their own lives of their level of responsibility for these areas in very specific, concrete
ways. For example, “Last Thursday, I took the trash out to the sidewalk without having to be asked.”
“This past week, I was missing two out of three homework assignments.” Then have them locate these
pieces of evidence within the matrix. Their one-paragraph summaries should refer to specific evidence
to back up their assertions. (You might point out to students that these concrete examples can be
extremely persuasive, both pro and con, when asking parents for an increase in allowance, etc.) Note:
Prompts #6 and #18 complement the reflective work required for this activity.
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Assessment
During class discussions, check to see that students are able to support their assessment of Jody with
evidence from the text. Evaluate students’ one-paragraph summaries on Handout Q1: Responsibility
Report Card for evidence of synthesizing, since Jody’s behavior exhibits a broad range of maturity
levels (the boy who smashed the muskmelon is the same boy who tenderly curried and brushed Gabilan
daily).
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HANDOUT Q1
RESPONSIBILITY REPORT CARD
One of the important steps in growing up is being more responsible. Evaluate Jody’s strengths and
weaknesses in the area of responsibility. With your class, discuss what the terms “Advanced, Proficient,
Basic, and Below Basic” mean when applied to responsible behavior. Make notes of your own
definitions in the box below each term.
Next, refer to the quotes you collected in the Responsibility Prompt Bank, Handout M. Select at least
four quotes and place them in the matrix at the level of maturity you think the quote reveals.
Student: Jody Tiflin
Evaluator: _______________
Levels
4 - Advanced
This means:
3 - Proficient
This means:
2 - Basic
This means:
1 - Below Basic
This means:
My
Notes
Quote 1
Quote 2
Quote 3
Quote 4
After reading “The Gift,” write one paragraph summarizing your evaluation of Jody’s strengths and
weaknesses. Cite specific evidence from above to support your claims:
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Now it is your turn to be “graded!” See Handout Q2: Responsibility Report Card for Myself.
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HANDOUT Q2
RESPONSIBILITY REPORT CARD FOR MYSELF
Using the definitions of proficiency that you chose for Jody’s report card, score yourself on you own
level of maturity and responsibility by citing specific examples of your recent behavior (e.g., getting
homework done on time this past week, taking out the garbage, etc.).
Student: ______________
Levels
My
Notes
4 - Advanced
This means:
Evaluator: __Self__
3 - Proficient
This means:
2 - Basic
This means:
1 - Below Basic
This means:
Doing
chores
School
work
Caring
for others
(pets or
people)
Other:
After reviewing the results of your self-analysis, write a summary evaluating your personal strengths
and weakness. Citing specific examples will strengthen your claims!
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
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LESSON 15: WRITING A PERSUASIVE LETTER
Objective
This activity provides students with the opportunity to share their opinion and interpretation of “The
Gift,” following advice provided by John Steinbeck
Relevant Content Standards
 Writing 1.0 Writing Strategies. Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing
exhibits students' awareness of audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions,
supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through the stages of the writing
process as needed.
 Reading 3.7 Analyze a work of literature, showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions,
attitudes, and beliefs of its author.
Materials
 Handout R1: Writing a Persuasive Letter
 Handout R2: Thinking It Through
Procedures
Read aloud John Steinbeck's advice at the top of Handout R1: Writing a Persuasive Letter, and
discuss Steinbeck's suggestion.What advice does he give to other writers to help them write more easily?
Next, list some of the requirements of persuasion in order to be effective: takes a firm stance one way or
the other, addresses the audience’s potential concerns, contains precise evidence with textual support.
Next, discuss with the class what they think Steinbeck’s attitude is toward loss and suffering as a part of
growing up. Have them cite evidence to back up their statements. Given that the goal of this letter is for
students to persuade their audience that Jody has received a valuable gift (and by extension, that loss is
an integral part of gain), students will want to review their portfolio assignments to determine the nature
and extent of this gift. During a class discussion, brainstorm the benefits of Jody's experience in terms of
gain/loss. How did the events of the story help Jody to grow up? For each of Jody's realizations, change
in behavior, or new learning, require students to recall textual evidence.
Lastly, force them to commit one way or the other, to agree or disagree with Steinbeck (because good
readers always question and evaluate the author’s message), and then be ready to back this up with
supporting evidence.
As you explore the assignment's requirements, discuss with students how different their letters might be
if they were writing to an adult or to someone who has already read the story. Check that students have
understood the parameters of audience and purpose for this assignment. As an optional organizational
tool, Handout R2: Thinking It Through walks students through the meta-cognitive process of
identifying the author’s purpose and their own personal response.
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During preparation for this writing activity, also reinforce the conventions and organization of a friendly
letter. Review the use of accurate transitions. Correct usage of phrases such as after a while, then, next,
even though, meanwhile, although, since, and before will add consistency and organization to the essay.
Base your lesson pacing and degree of attentiveness to writing skills on assessment data gained from the
pre-essay rubric scores.
Consider this assignment as guided practice for the culminating assessment. Conference with students as
they draft their letters. You may need to reproduce and share sample essays and/or focus on particular
isolated skills which require reinforcement for students. In conjunction with the Handout N: Multiple
Genre Prompt Bank activities, provide each student with a formative assessment of his or her writing,
based upon the unit writing rubric.
When appropriate, provide whole or small group mini-lessons on topics which may arise, such as:

Punctuating dialogue

Organizing paragraphs

Varying sentence structure

Citing textual evidence
When you feel that students have had sufficient practice with the writing tools they will need for their
culminating essay, go on to Lesson 16.
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HANDOUT R1
WRITING A PERSUASIVE LETTER
Audience & Purpose
“Make your point and make it angrily…. “
“It is usual that the moment you write for publication - I mean one of course - one stiffens in exactly
the same way one is being photographed. The simplest way to overcome this is to write it to
someone, like me. Write it as a letter aimed at one person. This removes the vague terror of
addressing the large and faceless audience and it also, you will find, will give a sense of freedom and
a lack of self-consciousness.” From John Steinbeck: A Study of the Short Fiction, edited by RS
Hughes.
Perhaps you have heard these two aphorisms before:
“No pain, no gain.”
“It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”
Taken together, these two expressions seem to be saying that you have to suffer to make progress, and
that even if you lose in the end, what you’ve gained makes it worth it.
Does your class agree or disagree with these statements?
In “The Gift,” Jody is given a gift that has a big impact on his life: he gains a tremendous amount (love
for Gabilan, increased maturity), but he loses something precious too (Gabilan, his innocent trust in
adults). Decide whether you think Steinbeck feels that the suffering Jody went through as a result of his
loss was worth it or not. Does Steinbeck think that Jody is a more mature and responsible person at the
end of the story than he was at the beginning?
Now decide if you agree or disagree with Steinbeck. If Jody’s experience was valuable, explain why. If
you think it wasn’t worth it, and all the story proved was that life’s not fair, well then, explain why you
believe that. In either case, you must be able to quote evidence from the text to support your claims.
Once you’ve decided where you stand on this issue, you are now ready to “make your point and make it
angrily.” Write a letter to a student in the grade below you who will be reading “The Gift” next year.
Your job is to persuade that student that Jody either has or has not received a valuable gift or lesson as a
result of his experience with Gabilan. Since the reader of this letter has not yet read “The Gift,” you will
have to provide some summary information about the story so that he/she will be able to understand
what happens. Then you will need to provide quotes and evidence from the story to back you up.
Although one purpose of this letter is to persuade the reader of your opinion, another purpose is to help
you reflect about the nature of loss and gain as a part of growing up. After all, sooner or later all of us
will have experiences of gain and loss like Jody. Perhaps you already have. This letter will be a good
way for you to process your attitude about this very important issue.
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HANDOUT R2
THINKING IT THROUGH
A THOUGHT PROCESSING GUIDE FOR THE
PERSUASIVE LETTER WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Consider:
“No pain, no gain.”
“It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”
Do I agree or disagree with the above, and why? ________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
The Gift of Gabilan
Jody gains:
________________________
________________________
________________________
Jody loses:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
What point is Steinbeck trying to make here? _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Do I agree or disagree with him and why? _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Okay, I’m ready now to make my point and make it angrily!








Who’s my audience? A student who hasn’t read the story yet.
What’s my purpose? To persuade the student that the gift of Gabilan was a good / bad
experience for Jody.
Follow the friendly letter format (date, salutation, indentation, etc.)
Start with a summary: “The Gift,” by John Steinbeck, is a story about…”
State my opinion: “I believe that the gift of Gabilan was a good / bad experience for Jody
because...”
Use quotes from the book to support my opinion: “Here’s some evidence from the book that
supports what I am saying…”
Optional: Refer to your own personal experience. “I can connect to how Jody felt through this
experience because I also…”
Conclusion: Wrap up your letter with a concluding statement that neatly finishes what you have
been saying. (Perhaps refer back to one of the quotes at the top of the page?)
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LESSON 16: CULMINATING ASSESSMENT
Objective
Students will demonstrate their growth as writers by writing a culminating essay that demonstrates their
understanding of the relationship between taking responsibility and growing up, both in the case of Jody
in The Red Pony and in their own lives.
Materials
 Handout U: Culminating Assessment Prompt
 Handout S: The Red Pony Organizer
Direct Students to refer to the following Handouts in their portfolios:
 Handout B: Unit Rubric
 Handout C: Graphic Organizer for the Personal Responsibility Essay
 Handout N2: Transition Word and Phrases Bank
 Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank
 Handout Q1 & Q2: Responsibility Report Card
Procedures
Draw students’ attention back to the essential questions with which you began the unit:
 “How does accepting responsibility help a young person become more of a man or a
woman?”
 “How do good writers get their message across to their readers?”
Guide students to go back through their portfolio of work they’ve accumulated, beginning with
Handout C: Graphic Organizer for the Personal Responsibility Essay. Invite students to modify the
Graphic Organizer to reflect their new insights into what responsibility entails.
Next, refer back to Handout M: Responsibility Quote Bank and Handout Q1 & Q2:
Responsibility Report Card. Discuss Jody’s strengths, challenges and new
understandings. Ask students to compare their own experience with accepting
responsibility to Jody's situation in “The Gift.”
To clarify expectations, review again the unit rubric with students. In addition, encourage
them to draw from the Transition Word and Phrase Bank on Handout N2.
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Give students Handout U with the following culminating essay prompt:
Jody, the main character in “The Gift,” by John Steinbeck, is given the gift of a pony to care for
and raise. As the story progresses, Jody learns to accept this responsibility, and as a result, he
begins to show signs of maturity.
Think about your own responsibilities at school, at home, and in your community. Identify ways
in which accepting responsibilities help you to mature or grow up.
Writing Task
Write an essay explaining how taking on the responsibility of caring for Gabilan helped Jody
become more mature. Cite evidence from the story to support your position, and be sure to
include how you have matured and learned to accept responsibility. Provide examples from your
own life to illustrate your point.
Draw from the Responsibility Quote Bank and the Report Cards handouts to help you find strong
examples and evidence to support your points.
Refer to the Transition Word and Phrase Bank to help you strengthen the flow of ideas in your writing.
Lastly, use the Rubric as a reminder of the essential components of your essay.
Discuss with students various organizational approaches to responding to this prompt.
Note: it is possible that some students may opt to write about how they have not been accepting
responsibility and the effect that is having on their lives.
Remind students that when writing to a Response to Literature prompt, they must always reference the
text’s title and author. Providing a short summary to provide context is appropriate, but then they must
go on to address all parts of the prompt.
The student who writes the best essay and the student who has made the most improvement in his/her
writing since their pre-essay will be chosen to represent the school at the county-wide Day of Writing to
be held in the spring. ALL students in the program will receive special recognition for their
participation.
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HANDOUT U
CULMINATING ASSESSMENT PROMPT
Jody, the main character in “The Gift,” by John Steinbeck, is given the gift of a pony to care for
and raise. As the story progresses, Jody learns to accept this responsibility, and as a result, he
begins to show signs of maturity.
Think about your own responsibilities at school, at home, and in your community. Identify ways
in which accepting responsibilities help you to mature or grow up.
Writing Task
Write an essay explaining how taking on the responsibility of caring for Gabilan helped Jody
become more mature. Cite evidence from the story to support your position, and be sure to
include how you have matured and learned to accept responsibility. Provide examples from your
own life to illustrate your point.
Draw from the Responsibility Quote Bank and the Report Cards handoust to help you find strong
examples and evidence to support your points.
Refer to the Transition Word and Phrase Bank to help you strengthen the flow of ideas in your writing.
Lastly, use the Rubric as a reminder of the essential components of your essay.
Pre-writing page
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HANDOUT S
CULMINATING ESSAY ORGANIZER
Directions: Use the following organizer as a checklist to help you write your 500 - 700-word essay. To
aide you, you may use transitions from the Transition Word and Phrase Bank.
Introduction Paragraph
 Title of “Short Story”
 Author
 Background
 Thesis
Body Paragraph #1
 (Transition), Topic Sentence
 Red Pony Example #1
 Quote #1
 Explanation of Quote
 My Example
 Explanation of My Example
 (Transition), Concluding Sentence
Body Paragraph #2
 (Transition), Topic Sentence
 Red Pony Example #2
 Quote #2
 Explanation of Quote
 My Example
 Explanation of My Example
 (Transition), Concluding Sentence
Body Paragraph #3
 (Transition), Topic Sentence
 Red Pony Example #3
 Quote #3
 Explanation of Quote
 My Example
 Explanation of My Example
 (Transition), Concluding Sentence
Conclusion Paragraph
 (Transition), Thesis
 Reflection
La Paz Middle School 8th Grade Collaborative 2007
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RESOURCES
STEINBECK INTERNET WORKSHOP
Answer the questions below by going to any of the three listed sites. Your answers MUST BE IN
COMPLETE SENTENCES.
1. National Steinbeck Center: John Steinbeck, (2004). American Author. www.steinbeck.org
2. Wikipedia web site http://www.wikipedia.com. Use “John Steinbeck” as your search term.
3. Trosow, E. (2004). John Steinbeck Pacific Grove http://www.93950.com/steinbeck/
1. Where and when was John Steinbeck born?
2. Did John Steinbeck have brothers and sisters? If so, how many?
3. What high school did John Steinbeck graduate from? What year did he graduate? Did he attend
college? If so, where?
4. Name two of John Steinbeck’s novels and the years they were published.
a.
b.
5. What did his parents do for work?
6. How do you think his mother’s job may have influenced his life choices? Why?
7. How do you think this influenced his career choice as an adult? Why?
8. How many children did he have?
9. One of his best friends from Monterey that became a central character in some of his books. Who
was this person?
10. What major international award did he win, and for what novel did he win that award?
11. When did John Steinbeck die? Where is he buried?
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STEINBECK INTERNET RESOURCES
These websites are listed for the teacher’s reference only. Teachers should always preview the sites
before directing students to visit them. The content and website links listed are subject to change
without notice. The views presented in these websites do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Steinbeck Center, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial products and
organizations imply endorsement of them by the National Steinbeck Center.
WEBSITES ABOUT JOHN STEINBECK
John Steinbeck: The California Novels
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/
This site links visitors to web sites about Steinbeck's California novels. Each California novel web site
provides chapter summaries, character lists, and a printing history of each book.
SJSU - Center for Steinbeck Studies
http://steinbeck.sjsu.edu/fellows/
This site offers visitors a chance to explore Steinbeck's life and work. It also provides links to other web
sites about Steinbeck.
John Steinbeck
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Steinbeck,+John
This site offers an eclectic list of links to biographical information and a writer’s filmography of
Steinbeck's work.
Biography of John Steinbeck
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/
This site contains brief biographical information about John Steinbeck.
John Steinbeck
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm
This site offers visitors brief biographical information on John Steinbeck as well as a selected
bibliography of his work.
The Steinbeck House Menu
http://www.infopoint.com/mry/orgs/steinbeck/menu.html
This web site is the updated menu of the restaurant in the Steinbeck House, the house in which
Steinbeck was born and raised. The site also contains information on how to make a reservation, average
cost and hours of operation. The Steinbeck House is a convenient two-block walk from the National
Steinbeck Center.
John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove
http://www.93950.com/steinbeck/
This site provides detailed information, photographs, and links to the landmarks of Steinbeck's Pacific
Grove.
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WEBSITES FOR TEACHERS
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1985/3/85.03.04.x.html
This site contains the article, “Steinbeck: Biography as Tool in Teaching Reading and Writing Skills,” by
Maureen C. Howard. Created by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute and a link to Curriculum Units.
EAST OF EDEN / LOCAL HISTORY
Monterey County Historical Society, Local Pages - History Menu
A Short History of Salinas
http://www.mchsmuseum.com/steinbeck.html
This site is "not intended to be a written history of the development of the City of Salinas, but merely a
guide to its development in order to gain some perspective of the past." You can follow the history of
the Salinas area, birthplace of John Steinbeck and the setting of most of his books, from the Indians that
lived here in the early 1800's to the Salinas of the early 1940's.
The Harvey Baker House
http://www.mchsmuseum.com/harveybaker.html
This site provides a brief introduction to Isaac Julian Harvey, the first mayor of Salinas and the house
that he built and in which he lived in late 1868.
City of Salinas California - Our History
A Brief History of the City of Salinas
http://www.salinas.com/history/index.html
This site is good as an introduction to the different historical events that made Salinas what it is today.
Salinas Valley Steinbeck Country - Pelican Network
http://www.pelicannetwork.net/salinas.valley.htm
This web site provides visitors with photographs of the Salinas Valley, plus a map of the area and links
to Monterey, Pacific Grove and Big Sur.
IN DUBIOUS BATTLE / LABOR RELATIONS
In Dubious Battle
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/dubious.html
Includes chapter descriptions, a printing history, a list of main characters, and notes and links about
Steinbeck's novel, In Dubious Battle.
What Are Good Labor Relations?, G76-312-A
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/FarmMgt/g312.htm
"Farmers who employ hired labor also rate 'good labor relations' as an important factor." From answers
received from employees, this site explores the different parts that make up good labor relations.
UFW History
http://www.ufw.org/
This web site offers an excellent historical introduction to the struggle of the United Farm Workers
(UFW).
THE RED PONY
The Red Pony
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/pony.html
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This site provides visitors with chapter summaries, character lists, and a printing history of The Red
Pony. It also has a map of the Central California Coast and a photograph of John and his sister Mary on
their pony, Jill. Students will see this photograph when they visit the Center.
OF MICE AND MEN
Of Mice and Men
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/mice.html
This site has chapter summaries, suggestions for the classroom, notes and links and a list of film
adaptations based on the book.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE GRAPES OF WRATH
"The Grapes of Wrath" - Topics: U.S./1929 - 1939, Oklahoma & California; Lit…/U.S.
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/grapes-of-wrath.html
This site contains some helpful suggestions, background information, and possible discussion questions
on how to teach Grapes of Wrath, using the 1940 movie.
The Grapes of Wrath
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/grapes.html
This site provides a comprehensive look at the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. It includes chapter
summaries, a list of main characters, a printing history, a book blurb, a map of California with places
mentioned in the book, quotes from Ecclesiastes 4, notes and links, and the complete lyrics to Julia
Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic.
But migrant families do not gather…
http://newdeal.feri.org/misc/carey.htm
This site contains an excerpt from Ill Fares the Land: Migrants and Migratory Labor in the United
States (1941). The passage is particularly about Mexican migrant labor families.
New Deal Network
http://newdeal.feri.org
This educational guide to the Great Depression is sponsored by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
Institute and the Institute for Learning Technologies at Columbia University. It includes lesson plans,
web projects and bibliographic materials.
CANNERY ROW
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/row.html
This web site offers chapter summaries, printing history, a map of Cannery Row indicating site locations
with text descriptions, and notes and links to other sites related to Cannery Row.
Cannery Row History
http://www.cannery-row.com/heritage/index.html
This excellent site offers a brief history of Cannery Row by Cannery Row historian Michael K. Hemp.
It also provides access to historical photos of the area, courtesy of the Pat Hathaway Collection.
Roger Powers Realty: Harvest Stories: The Philosophy of Doc Ricketts
http://www.rogerpowers.com/harv11-1.htm
This web site discusses the influence of Doc Ricketts on John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell.
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TORTILLA FLAT
Tortilla Flat
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/tortilla.html
This web site has chapter summaries, character lists, a printing history and maps of the Monterey
Peninsula and the area of Monterey about which Steinbeck wrote in his novel Tortilla Flat.
THE PEARL
TrackStar: Background Information for Steinbeck's "The Pearl"
http://scrtec.org/track/tracks/s01419.html
This site offers students a chance to participate in an activity where they look for answers to questions
about Steinbeck's The Pearl by searching through other web sites.
LOG FROM THE SEA OF CORTEZ
Steinbeck's Log from the Sea of Cortez, book review
http://ecotopia.org/about/cortez.html
This web site contains a review of Steinbeck's book by Don Weiss. In it he explores Steinbeck's interest
in marine biology and includes an excerpt from Log From the Sea of Cortez. This site could function as
an introduction to the Log.
Cruise the Sea of Cortez - Sailing, cruising and diving in Mexico's Gulf of California
http://www.cruisecortez.com/
This site offers a variety of links to text and pictures of exotic locations throughout the Sea, categorized
pictures of marine wildlife, cruising tales by people who have traveled there, and printed charts and
guides to the Gulf.
SeaWatch is dedicated to a healthy Sea of Cortez
http://www.seawatch.org/
"SeaWatch is an organization of private citizens dedicated to a healthy Sea of Cortez." This
organization monitors destructive activities throughout the region and then communicates what they find
to others. Here, students can see photographs of ecological dangers that are occurring in the Sea of
Cortez.
MARINE BIOLOGY
Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University
http://www-marine.stanford.edu/
This web site provides visitors with a description and history of Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific
Grove, pictures of Hopkins, directions to the station and information on flora and fauna.
NOBEL PRIZE
Steinbeck's 1962 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/nobel.html
This site contains Steinbeck's 1962 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, one of the few speeches Steinbeck
ever made.
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Map here
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John Steinbeck Biography
John Ernst Steinbeck, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner, was born in Salinas, California on February 27,
1902. His father, John Steinbeck, served as Monterey County Treasurer for many years. His mother,
Olive Hamilton, was a former school teacher who developed in him a love of literature. Young
Steinbeck came to know the Salinas Valley well, working as a hired hand on nearby ranches in
Monterey County. In 1919 he graduated from Salinas High School as president of his class and entered
Stanford University, majoring in English. Stanford did not claim his undivided attention. During this
time he attended only sporadically while working at a variety of jobs, including one with the Big Sur
highway project, and one at Spreckels Sugar Company near Salinas.
Steinbeck left Stanford permanently in 1925 to pursue a career in writing in New York City. He was
unsuccessful and returned, disappointed, to California the following year. Though his first novel, Cup of
Gold, was published in 1929, it attracted little literary attention. Two subsequent novels, The Pastures of
Heaven and To A God Unknown, met with the same fate.
After moving to the Monterey Peninsula in 1930, Steinbeck and his new wife, Carol Henning, made
their home in Pacific Grove. Here, not far from famed Cannery Row, heart of the California sardine
industry, Steinbeck found material he would later use for two more works, Tortilla Flat and Cannery
Row.
With Tortilla Flat (1935), Steinbeck’s career took a decidedly positive turn, receiving the California
Commonwealth Club’s Gold Medal. He felt encouraged to continue writing, relying on extensive
research and personal observation of the human drama for his stories. In 1937, Of Mice and Men was
published. Two years later, the novel was produced on Broadway and made into a movie. In 1940,
Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Grapes of Wrath, bringing to public attention the
plight of dispossessed farmers.
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After Steinbeck and Henning divorced in 1942, he married Gwyndolyn Conger. The couple moved to
New York City and had two sons: Thomas, and two years later, John. During the war years, Steinbeck
served as a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune. Some of his dispatches reappeared in
Once There Was A War. In 1945, Steinbeck published Cannery Row and continued to write prolifically,
producing plays, short stories and film scripts. In 1950, he married Elaine Anderson Scott and they
remained together until his death.
Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 “…for his realistic as well as imaginative
writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humor and keen social perception.” In his acceptance speech,
Steinbeck summarized what he sought to achieve through his works:
…Literature is as old as speech. It grew out of human need for it and it has not changed
except to become more needed. The skalds, the bards, the writers are not separate and
exclusive. From the beginning, their functions, their duties, their responsibilities have
been decreed by our species…Furthermore, the writer is delegated to declare and to
celebrate man’s proven capacity of greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat,
for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair,
these are the bright rally flags of hope and emulation. I hold that a writer who does not
passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in
literature…
Steinbeck remained a private person, shunning publicity and moving frequently in his search for
privacy. He died on December 20, 1968 in New York City, where he and his family made a home. But
his final resting place was the valley he had written about with such passion. At his request, his ashes
were interred in the Garden of Memories cemetery in Salinas. He is survived by his son, Thomas.
***
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John Steinbeck’s Works
Cup of Gold (1929)
The Pastures of Heaven (1932)
To a God Unknown (1933)
Tortilla Flat (1935 – First book published by Covici-Friede)
In Dubious Battle (1936)
Of Mice and Men (1937)
The Red Pony (1933)
The Long Valley (1938)
Their Blood is Strong (1938)
The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
Sea of Cortez (1941 – With Edward F. Ricketts)
The Moon is Down (1942)
Bombs Away (1942)
Cannery Row (1945)
The Pearl (1947)
The Wayward Bus (1947)
A Russian Journal (1948)
Burning Bright (1950)
The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1951)
East of Eden (1952)
Sweet Thursday (1954)
The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication (1957)
Once There Was a War (1958)
The Winter of Our Discontent (1961)
Travels with Charley in Search of America (1962)
America and Americans (1966)
Journal of a Novel: The “East of Eden” Letters (1969 – published after his death)
Viva Zapata (1975)
The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights (1976)
Working Days: The Journals of “The Grapes of Wrath” (1989)
Zapata: A Narrative in Dramatic Form on the Life of Emiliano Zapata (1993)
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Filmography
Of Mice and Men (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Forgotten Village (1941)
Tortilla Flat (1942)
The Moon is Down (1943)
Lifeboat (1944 – story)
A Medal for Benny (1945 – story)
La Perla (1947 – script)
The Red Pony (1949 – script)
Viva Zapata (1952 – script)
O. Henry’s Full House (narrator)
Light’s Diamond Jubilee (1954 – story – TV)
East of Eden (1955 – uncredited script work)
The Wayward Bus (1957)
Burning Bright (1959 – TV)
The Harness (1971 – story – TV)
Des Souris et Des Hommes (1971 – TV – French adaptation of “Of Mice and Men”)
Topoli (1972 – Italian adaptation of “Of Mice and Men”)
The Red Pony (1973 – TV)
Fareler Ve Insanlar (1975 – TV – Turkish adaptation “Of Mice and Men”)
Moss Och Manniskor (1977 – TV – Swedish adaptation “Of Mice and Men”)
East of Eden (1981 – TV mini-series)
Of Mice and Men (1981 – TV)
Cannery Row (1982 – TV – combines novels “Cannery Row” and “Sweet Thursday”)
The Winter of Our Discontent (1983 – TV)
The Grapes of Wrath (1991 – TV)
Of Mice and Men (1992)
The Pearl (2001)
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WRITING RUBRIC FOR THE RED PONY
Student
Component
Overall, the
Writing…
Teacher
4
-clearly addresses
all parts of the
writing task.
-demonstrates a
clear understanding
of purpose and
audience.
3
-addresses all parts
of the writing task.
2
-addresses only parts of
the writing task.
-demonstrates little
understanding of
purpose and audience.
Organization &
Consistency
-maintains a
consistent point of
view, focus, and
organizational
structure, including
the effective use of
transitions.
-demonstrates a
general
understanding of
purpose and
audience.
-maintains a mostly
consistent point of
view, focus, and
organizational
structure, including
the effective use of
some transitions.
Idea + Details
-includes a clearly
presented central
idea with relevant
facts, details, and/or
explanations.
-presents a central
idea with mostly
relevant facts,
details, and/or
explanations.
Sentence
Variety
Conventions
-includes a variety
of sentence types.
- includes a variety
of sentence types.
-includes little variety
in sentence types.
-contains few, if
any, errors in the
conventions/grammar, punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These
errors do not
interfere with the
reader’s
understanding of the
writing.
-contains some
errors in the
conventions
(grammar,
punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These
errors do not
interfere with the
reader’s
understanding of the
writing.
-contains several
errors in the
conventions/grammar,
punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These errors
may interfere with the
reader’s understanding
of the writing.
Purpose +
Audience
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-maintains an
inconsistent point of
view, focus, and/or
organizational
structure, which may
include ineffective or
awkward transitions
that do not unify
important ideas.
-suggests a central idea
with limited facts,
details, and/or
explanations.
1
-addresses only one
part of the writing
task.
-demonstrates no
understanding of
purpose and
audience.
-lacks a point of
view, focus,
organizational
structure, and
transitions that
unify important
ideas.
-lacks a central
idea but may
contain marginally
related facts,
details, and/or
explanations.
-includes no
sentence variety.
-contains serious
errors in the
conventions
(grammar,
punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling). These
errors interfere
with the reader’s
understanding of
the writing.
Growing Up in the Salinas Valley
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RUBRIC FOR SPECIFIC GENRES
Writing Rubric: Genre Specific for Narrative, Response to Literature, Persuasive, Expository and Summary
Fictional or
autobiograph
ical narrative
writing
Plot +
Character
Narrative
Strategies
-provides a
thoroughly developed
plot line, including
major and minor
characters and a
definite setting.
-provides an
adequately developed
plot line, including
major and minor
characters and a
definite setting.
-provides a minimally
developed plot line,
including characters
and a setting.
-includes appropriate
strategies (e.g.,
dialogue, suspense,
narrative action).
-includes appropriate
strategies (e.g.,
dialogue, suspense,
narrative action).
-attempts to use
strategies but with
minimal effectiveness
(e.g., dialogue,
suspense, narrative
action).
-fails to use strategies
(e.g., dialogue,
suspense, narrative
action).
Response to
Literature:
Interpretation
-develops
interpretations that
demonstrate a
thoughtful,
comprehensive grasp
of the text.
-organizes accurate
and coherent
interpretations
around clear ideas,
premises, or images
from the literary
work.
-develops
interpretations that
demonstrate a
comprehensive grasp
of the text.
-develops
interpretations that
demonstrate a limited
grasp of the text.
-demonstrates little
grasp of the text.
-includes
interpretations that
lack accuracy or
coherence as related
to ideas, premises, or
images from the
literary work.
-lacks an
interpretation, or
may be a simple
retelling of the
passage.
-provides few, if any
textual examples and
details to support the
interpretations.
-lacks textual
examples and details.
-lacks a developed
plot line.
Detail
-provides specific
textual examples and
details to support the
interpretations.
-organizes accurate
and reasonably
coherent
interpretations
around clear ideas,
premises or images
from the literary
work.
-provides textual
examples and details
to support the
interpretations.
Persuasive
Evidence +
Sense of
Audience
-authoritatively
defends a position
-Uses precise and
relevant evidence.
-Convincingly
addresses the reader’s
concerns, biases, and
expectations.
-generally defends a
position
-uses relevant
evidence
-addresses the
reader’s concerns,
biases, and
expectations.
-defends a position
with little, if any,
evidence and may
address the reader’s
concerns, biases, and
expectations.
-fails to defend a
position with any
evidence and fails to
address the reader’s
concerns, biases, and
expectations.
Summary
Writing
-characterized by
paraphrasing of the
main idea(s) and
significant details.
-characterized by
paraphrasing of the
main idea(s) and
significant details.
-characterized by
substantial copying
of key phrases and
minimal
paraphrasing.
-characterized by
substantial copying
of indiscriminately
selected phrases or
sentences.
Expository
Writing
-provides a welldeveloped thesis with
specific supporting
details and examples.
-has tight
organization.
-provides a thesis
with supporting
details and examples
-shows organization.
-may provide a thesis
with limited, if any,
supporting details
and examples.
-little, if any
organization.
-essay may be too
short or
-may provide a weak,
if any thesis with no
supporting details
and examples.
Organization
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…Like Captured Fireflies
By John Steinbeck
My eleven-year-old son came to me recently and in a tone of patient suffering, asked, “How much longer do I
have to go to school?”
“About fifteen years, “I said.
“Oh! Lord,” he said despondently. “Do I have to?”
“I’m afraid so. It’s terrible and I’m not going to try to tell you it isn’t. But I can tell you this – if you are very
lucky, you may find a teacher and that is a wonderful thing,”
“Did you find one?”
“I found three.” I said.
It is customary for adults to forget how hard and dull and long school is. The learning by memory all the
basic things one must know is the most incredible and unending effort. Learning to read is probably the most
difficult and revolutionary thing that happens to the human brain and if you don’t believe that, watch an illiterate
adult try to do it. School is not easy and it is not for the most part very fun, but then, if you are very lucky, you
may find a teacher. Three real teachers in a lifetime is the very best of luck. My first was a science and math
teacher in high school, my second a professor of creative writing at Stanford and my third was my friend and
partner, Ed Ricketts.
I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great
artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.
My three had these things in common – they all loved what they were doing. They did not tell – they
catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the
unknown become knowable. But most important of all, the truth, that dangerous stuff, became beautiful and very
precious.
I shall speak only of my first teacher because in addition to the other things, she brought discovery.
She aroused us to shouting, book waving discussions. She had the noisiest class in school and she didn’t
even seem to know it. We could never stick to the subject, geometry or the chanted recitation of the memorized
phyla. Our speculation ranged the world. She breathed curiosity into us so that we brought in facts or truths
shielded in our hands like captured fireflies.
She was fired and perhaps rightly so, for failing to teach the fundamentals. Such things must be learned.
But she left a passion in us for the pure knowable world and me she inflamed with a curiosity which has never left
me. I could not do simple arithmetic but through her I sensed that abstract mathematics was very like music.
When she was removed, a sadness came over us but the light did not go out. She left her signature on us, the
literature of the teacher who writes on minds. I have had many teachers who told me soon-forgotten facts but
only three who created I me a new thing, a new attitude and a new hunger. I suppose that to a large extent I am
the unsigned manuscript of that high school teacher. What a deathless power lies in the hands of such a person.
I can tell my son who looks forward with horror to fifteen years of drudgery that somewhere in the dusty
dark a magic may happen that will light up the years….if he is very lucky.
CTA Journal, November 1955
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