Lesson Plan - "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck

Lesson Plan from the year 2010 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,3, University of Marburg (Anglistik), course: Second Language Acquisition, language: English, abstract: 1. General Overview

The Hessian Curriculum(1) demands that the English lesson in the Oberstufe has to improve the pupils' language skills as well as enlarge their knowledge about English literature and different cultures. Correspondingly, the pupils should gain experiences with a variety of texts and different media. By this, they develop critical media literacy which is an essential prerequisite for working independently. Ideally, these main objectives should be combined
in every teaching unit.
The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was published in 1939. It reports the story of the farmer family Joad which has, like hundred thousands of other families, to leave their home Oklahoma to start a new life in California. By this, Steinbeck exemplifies the fate
of migrant workers in the USA during the 1930's. The novel should be motivating for the pupils as it constitutes an authentic documentation of the social circumstances during the time of the Great Depression.(2) Furthermore, the dramatic story of the family Joad is gripping and arouses empathy. The novel, moreover, refers to central topics, like work ethnic and inequality, which can be connected to the current problems of globalization.
In The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck makes use of the migrants' authentic language. That is why the reading might be a challenge for the pupils. Besides, Steinbeck's literary techniques are note-worthy. He, for instance, adds so-called intercalary chapters, which evaluate the plot and provide further information on the historical context.
Moreover, the controversy(3) of the novel led to various reactions of artists and film adaptations. So the novel is an appropriate starting point for the comparison of different media, like for instance songs, photographs and film adaptations. Correspondingly, this teaching unit aims at combining knowledge about literature and history with the
development of language awareness and media competence.
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(1)Lehrplan Englisch, Gymnasialer Bildungsgang: Jahrgangsstufen 10G bis 12G, Hessisches Kultusministerium
2010 (Entwurf).
(2) John Steinbeck has accompanied migrant families on their way to California.
(3) At first, the novel was abolished in California, later it won the Pulitzer Prize (1940).

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