Lesson 3: Chapter 2
Duration of Days: 4
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Students will be able to determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Students will be able to analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Students will be able to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
How does the description of the bunkhouse contribute to the overall atmosphere of the novel?
What details about the ranch hands' living conditions reveal about their lives and the social hierarchy on the ranch?
How does the setting of the bunkhouse contrast with George and Lennie's dream of owning their own land?
How does the introduction of Crooks highlight the theme of loneliness and isolation?
What does the interaction between Crooks and Lennie reveal about the power dynamics and prejudice on the ranch?
How does the theme of the American Dream continue to be explored in this chapter, both in terms of its allure and its unattainability?
indicate (verb)
skeptically (adverb)
relish (noun)
calculating (noun)
pugnacious (adjective)
ominously (adverb)
dousing (noun)
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.3
L.9-10.4.A
RL.9-10.3W.9-10.2
Reading for information
DOK 1-3
Visual glossary
Annotation guide
Complete Independent Read: Of Mice and Men (Chapter 2)
Complete Chapter 2 Think Questions for Close Reading