Of Mice and Men: Chapters Five and Six

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

We make decisions all the time.

Some decisions we make almost unconsciously.

• For example, how much do you think about the way you brush your teeth?

Other decisions can be made quickly with just a little thought put into them, such as what you are going to eat for breakfast or what shoes you are going to wear. However, some decisions can be difficult or take a long time to process.

• For example, have you ever had to choose what to name a pet or what color you wanted to decorate your room?

These can be harder decisions because more factors have to be considered, and the outcome of these decisions can be more permanent. For instance, it wouldn't be a good idea to change the name of a pet every couple of days because you couldn't decide on a name.

Although there is no one correct way of making a decision, there are some reliable steps you can take to help you make informed decisions and organize the decision-making process.

1. Think about a recent decision you made.

2. On a separate sheet of paper, write down the steps you took to make that decision.
   • What did you do from the time you had to consider your options to the time you made your decision?
   • For example, if you went for frozen yogurt, how did you decide which flavor or flavors to get?
   • How did you decide on a topping or toppings?

3. After you write down the steps you took, think about the outcome of the decision.
   • Were you happy with the final decision you made?
   • Was there anything you would have changed, looking back on that decision?

4. Write down the outcome and your reaction to it.
   • Looking at the process you went through to make your decision, do you think you were efficient in the decision-making process, or did it take you a long time to make up your mind?

Read the following article that explains helpful steps a person can take for making a decision. Note that a person doesn't always need to do all four steps, but they can be used together or separately. On a separate sheet of paper, write down each of the four steps and the benefits of each step. Read Four Tricks to Help You Make Any Difficult Decision, by Thorin Klosowski (lifehacker). After reading the article, answer the following questions on the same sheet of paper on which you reflected on a recent decision you made:

• Did you use any of these steps to help you make your recent decision?
• How would using one or more of these steps have influenced your decision-making process?
• Which of these steps have you used in the past to help you make a decision?

Share your thoughts and your reflection with your parent or teacher. After you have shared this information, you are then ready to work on the final two chapters of Of Mice and Men. First, there are several vocabulary words that you will need to define. Use a print dictionary or Dictionary.com (Dictionary.com, LLC) to look up the definitions for each of the following words and write them on a separate sheet of paper. Then, write a sentence for each word, using it correctly in the sentence's context:

• jeering
• sniveled
• mottled
• retorted
• complacently
• bewildered
• belligerently

After you have completed your sentences and definitions, share them with your parent or teacher. Then, take out your reading log for Of Mice and Men that you have been keeping since the first lesson in this series, and the copy of the novel you have been reading for this series.* You can find the Of Mice and Men Reading Log in Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar. Answer the questions for Chapters Five and Six on the reading log as you read the final two chapters of the novel.

When you've finished the novel and answered all of the questions, move on to the Got It? section to check your answers.

*If you missed or need a refresher on any of the previous lessons, they are listed under Related Lessons in the right-hand sidebar.