It feels wrong to say that I’ve ever found joy in making high school students cry, but when it comes to teaching Of Mice and Men, that’s the truth. Though I’m always tearing up too, there’s a certain amount of pride that comes from seeing their faces turn to understanding at the end and knowing you’ve assigned a book they will never forget. It’s one of those books that will never leave them, especially when you approach your Of Mice and Men unit plan with depth, heart, and meaning.
If you are ready to help students dig deeper into Steinbeck’s classic, keep reading for Of Mice and Men activities that will spark debate, build empathy, and make the shortest book in their curriculum leave the biggest impact.
Of Mice and Men Pre-Reading Activities
Like with every unit, it’s important to hook students from the start with engaging pre-reading activities! Here are some Of Mice and Men introduction ideas that will spark their curiosity and help set the tone:
Of Mice and Men Introduction Stations
One of the best ways to pique students’ interest in Of Mice and Men is through introduction stations. This approach gets students up and moving while building the background knowledge they’ll need to understand the setting and themes of the novel.
Set the mood by playing some classic 1930s Depression-era music as students walk in the door. Then, group students and have them rotate through each station, filling out their record sheet as they go.
These stations cover:
- Predicting with cover art
- Previewing with Bookish BINGO
- Evaluating with a Of Mice and Men movie trailer
- Inferencing with a real-world article on hurtful language
- Visualizing with symbolism
Of Mice and Men Novel Themes
When a book has been breaking hearts and causing classroom outrage for nearly 90 years, you know the themes run deep. Students connect with these timeless Of Mice and Men themes:
- Friendship and Loyalty
- Dreams and the American Dream
- Loneliness and Belonging
- Power and Powerlessness
A fun way to introduce these themes and other topics is with the Of Mice and Men BINGO board. Students use the board to see how well they relate to topics, try to guess how they might all be connected, and get a visual general overview of the novel. Would you like a copy? You can grab this FREE Of Mice and Men activity by signing up for my Building Book Love Letter!
Of Mice and Men Unit Plan Activities by Chapters
Now that students have a feel for the context, it’s time to dig into the novel itself. Here are some ideas to keep students thinking critically (and creatively!) from the first page of your Of Mice and Men unit plan to the last.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 1 Lesson Plans
In chapter one, students meet George and Lennie at the Salinas River and get a glimpse into their dynamic. It’s clear they are running from something, but we also learn they are running to something too— an American dream that will drive the rest of the novella. This chapter does a lot of heavy lifting by establishing character, setting, tone, and the hope they have for the future. Here are some Of Mice and Men teaching ideas for Chapter 1:
- Play riverside ambience as students walk in the door to set the mood.
- Use novel notes to visualize, annotate, and analyze the setting and the dynamic between George and Lennie.
- After reading, use the Chapter 1 Language Activity to prepare students for the harsh language and racial slurs they will encounter throughout the rest of the novel.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 2 Activities
In chapter two, George and Lennie arrive at the bunkhouse, and we meet the motley crew of additional characters. We also gain insight into what it would have been like to be a migrant worker during the Depression era, where you slept in a bunkhouse with strangers, owned almost nothing, and had to read the room fast just to survive. Here are some Of Mice and Men unit plan ideas for Chapter 2:
- Hook students by having them look for red flags on the ranch. Which characters should Lennie and George watch out for?
- Use novel notes to summarize, infer, and examine the power dynamics and first impressions on the ranch.
- After reading, host your first Card Game Conversation which uses the different suits as symbols (For example, the heart suit asks discussion questions related to love, empathy, and human connection).
Of Mice and Men Chapter 3 Lesson Plans
Chapter three is a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s also the longest chapter of this short book, and students might get a little lost during some of the unimportant bunkhouse conversations. But these novel notes work wonders in keeping them focused on the essential parts. Here are some Of Mice and Men teaching ideas for Chapter 1:
- Hook students by showing this short clip of the world’s most expensive working dog, then ask: what value does each dog in this novel provide, and what does that tell us about how we assign worth to living things?
- Use novel notes to quote, evaluate, and reflect on the poignant moments in this chapter.
- After reading, do a little cross-curricular activity by adding up the cost of the American Dream for homesteaders. How does Candy help make the dream a reality? How much would this dream cost today?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 4 Activities
In chapter four we get to know Crooks better and gain insight into what it might have felt like to be the only Black employee during segregation. The ending scene is arguably the most important chapter in the novel for understanding what Steinbeck is really saying about power, loneliness, and who gets left out. Here are some Of Mice and Men activities for Chapter 4:
- Hook students by having them rank the characters from most to least lonely and defend their ranking.
- Use novel notes to paraphrase, annotate, and analyze how race, age, and gender create a hierarchy of loneliness on the ranch.
- After reading, host your second Card Game Conversation. This time you can mix it up by having small groups draw cards and discuss their suit.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5 Lesson Plans
Chapter 5 is the beginning of the end of their American dream. This is the chapter where students realize that every soft thing Lennie has ever loved has been foreshadowing this moment, and then reality strikes. Here are some Of Mice and Men teaching ideas for Chapter 5:
- Hook students by putting a bag of soft things at the front of the room. Think faux fur, silk, and a stuffed animal. Ask students to reach in and feel without looking. Which item would Lennie like most? Why is he so drawn to soft things?
- Use novel notes to infer, explain, and examine the choices and consequences that make the ending feel both shocking and inevitable.
- After reading, play this Scottish reading of “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. Then use the Chapter 5 Poetry Connection Activity to help students connect the poem’s themes to what just happened in the barn.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 6 Activities
In Chapter 6, Steinbeck brings us back to where it all began — the riverbank. It is a short chapter, but it makes a tremendous impact. In fact, students will never forget it. Have the tissues ready. Here are some Of Mice and Men teaching ideas for Chapter 6:
- Hook students by playing the same riverside ambience and ask them if it feels different now than it did at the beginning.
- Use novel notes to quote, conclude, and reflect on what Steinbeck’s final pages reveal about friendship, mercy, and fate
- After reading, host your final Card Game Conversation. This time you might use the four card suits (hearts, clubs, spades, and covers) to create a four corners activity in your classroom.
Of Mice and Men: After Reading Ideas
This novella is short, but its impact is anything but. Here are some ways to close out your Of Mice and Men unit.
Of Mice and Men Movie Guide
Finally, the movie! Whether you’ve shown scenes along the way to scaffold understanding or saved it for the end, watching the 1992 film adaptation is a fantastic way to close out the unit. Comparing the film to the novel makes for rich discussion about what gets kept, what gets cut, and what the camera can and cannot do that Steinbeck’s prose can. Use the movie guide included in this unit to keep students accountable and let them experience the story one last time through a different lens.
Of Mice and Men TED Talk Pairing
For a bridge between the novel and the real world, this unit includes a TED Talk pairing that focuses on optimism and whether or not it’s good for us. It makes students think more deeply about hope, fate, and self-deception using a real-world lens. This works beautifully as a standalone culminating activity or as a launching pad into the essay.
Of Mice and Men Essays and Test
To help students dig deeper into the themes of Of Mice and Men, this unit includes three research-based essay prompts that ask students to synthesize the novel with articles from Psychology Today. Prompts explore the psychology of loneliness, hope, and human dignity, giving every student an entry point that connects to something they felt while reading.
The unit also includes a multiple-choice test with questions that mirror standardized test formats, making sure students are thinking critically all the way through to the very last page.
However you choose to close it, I hope this Of Mice and Men unit plan gives your students something they carry long after the last page. Thank you for teaching books that ask hard questions and remind us that the most important stories are the ones that break your heart a little.
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