Controlled Assessment Tips: Of Mice And Men

How can I make sure I score points for writing about the SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT?

1 Put a note to remind yourself to do it (on the Planning sheet). 2 Make a short note of what bit you will write about. Here are some ideas: -the depressing/hard world of the Great Depression -hard times, hard to find work = men had to put up with cruelty from bosses. - men needed to have hope, a dream = Amercan Dream

TIP: try to say a bit about the S&H context in more than one paragraph of your answer BIG TIP: for top marks >LINK> the S&H context to the ideas in the book -the depressing world of the Great Depression >LINK> do some the characters get depressed/affected by it - do they become lonely, unkind? GIVE EXAMPLES -hard times and difficulty of finding work meant men had to put up with cruel treatment >LINK> do hard times make people cruel? GIVE EXAMPLES - the importance of hope and having a dream links to the Amercan Dream >LINK> do any of the characters have dreams that get crushed? Why do they get crushed? GIVE EXAMPLES

How can I make sure I don`t lose marks by re-telling the story in my answer?

1. Make a plan with numbered POINTS (PEE) to give you a `map` of how you will answer the question. One/two/three PEE = a paragraph. TIP: link two/three PEEs in the same paragraph = a higher mark because you are LINKING your ideas together. This shows you understand how the ideas/themes/characters in the book are connected. 2. Make sure EACH paragraph starts with a sentence that answers the question. TIP: include words from the question at the start of each new paragraph. It might feel a bit `obvious` but it works!

How can I make sure I get marks for language analysis?

1. pick a page from the book (you will have a OMAM book with you in the controlled assessment). TIP: make a note on your planning sheet of `important page numbers` to help you find them quicker. 2. Pick out some short quotations. TIP: good quotations = bits that show the theme / character/ relationship, or even ones that include words/ideas from the question 3. Now `zoom in` on key words from these quotations. Say what mood they create. Ominous, foreboding (bad things about to happen). Nice, nasty? Are opposite ideas mixed up together? Harsh words, kind thoughts? Gentle words, harsh actions? Are any ideas or words repeated? What idea/theme does this emphasise?

Explain how the words Steinbeck uses create the theme: BIG TIP: write `In this quotation, Steinbeck creates (or emphasises) the idea (or theme or mood) of.by describing.`

TIP: some themes in the book are, control, power, loneliness, togetherness, hard actions, soft words, kindness in a cruel world, caring for other people, dreams, hope, faith, trust, difficult (impossible) choices, being a mouse or a man (greatness of spirit). Can you think of any events from the book that show: trust? - Kindness in a cruel world? Write down the page numbers - Being a mouse or a man (greatness)? Write down the page numbers VERY BIG TIP: if you can`t find a quotation as evidence for the POINT you want to make, just explain it in your own words. YOU WILL GET MARKS FOR IT! Good Luck!