Controlled Assessment: Curley’s Wife

Controlled Assessment: Curley’s Wife

Learning ObjectiveTo recap the key areas for development on our audit and use them to inform preparation for the controlled assessment

Why ‘Of Mice and Men’ Matters...

NOW: • Reading controlled assessment – 30 marks

available! Potential to completely change the grade on your folder!

SUMMER OF YR 11:• One of the two novels for your LITERATURE

EXAM

Year 10 Controlled Assessment Question 2013

• TASK• How does Steinbeck present Curley’s wife in

the novel: Of Mice and Men?

The author

How is she introduced?What words does he use to describe her?What do we think of her at the end?

Formal word you should use for a story book

Make sure you write mostly about her

Quick Fire Challenge

What makes an outstanding introduction?

Really, really important...

• Remember this is a FICTION novel (it’s all made up) – do not write about the characters as if they are real people.

• As a reader, what you think and feel about each character and their relationship with one another is because that’s EXACTLY what John Steinbeck (the author) wanted you to think and feel about them. He deliberately set the book out in this way and used certain words to make you think and feel as you do.

• Therefore you will need to write about HOW and WHY you think John Steinbeck presented/showed Curley’s wife and her relationships as he did.

What will I get marks

for?

• Writing about...• Understanding – show that you understand what happened in the novel and give reasons why

you think this.

• Steinbeck’s intentions: explain why you think he wrote about Curley’s wife in this way. What was the point he was trying to make about her? E.g. We only ever know her as Curley’s wife – she is never given a name – why?

• Structure: how she and her relationships are presented at the start, what she is/they are like in

the middle, what we think about her/the relationships are at the end.

• Language: what words and sentences does Steinbeck use to show this? Similes, italics, adjectives, adverbs, use of light and dark, dialogue between characters... AND WHY?

You will have 4 hours to complete the actual

assessment

Who is Curley’s Wife?

She is the young, attractive newly married wife of Curley, the Boss’s son.

Grade Booster

Steinbeck never provides a name for Curley’s wife and instead uses a possessive apostrophe to indicate she belongs to her husband.Starter? how do this affect our response to her?

Historical Context: How do these statements impact on Curley’s wife?

Historical/social context Impact on Curley’s wife

Her version of her ‘American Dream’ (all people can be successful if you are prepared to work for it).The film industry in the 1930’s was growing.

Uneducated women in rural (farmland) California had few opportunities and were not expected to have careers.

Women were not treated as equals or were taken seriously.

Women were expected to be motherly (like Aunt Clara) or to be used for sexual favours (like Suzy’s girls in the Brothel).

Group 1

Group members:1. 2. 3. 4.

You must remember...•This presentation is to support your preparation for the essay! •Include an example of PEE (including a quotation!)•Create a poster to support your presentation•Everyone needs a part in the presentation – you are being assessed for your Speaking and Listening

• How is Curley’s Wife introduced?• Candy’s comments about her

before we meet her – what did Steinbeck want us to think?

• Our first impression of her – appearance (is she attractive? Is she over-sexed or does she use it as weapon?

• Significance of George’s warning to Lennie

Initial Presentation

Group 2



Key points to consider

• Name she is called, who calls her it and what they mean...

• The words Steinbeck has chosen to present her: ‘a girl’ ‘Curley’s wife (possessive apostrophe) ‘a tart’ ‘jailbait’ ‘rattrap’ etc

• Shows her lowly status –like many women at that time (she was neither motherly or a prostitute). Men feared her because of Curley. Men’s double standards – they could sleep with prostitutes but she was a tart for talking to the men.

Words used to describe her

Group 3



• We see a nasty side to her in Crooks’s room?

• What does she do/say?

• Why do you think she says this?

Crooks’s Room

Group 4



Points to consider

• Lonely? Theme of the novel...

• Life for her on ranch – living with husband and his dad

• What does she think of Curley?

• Why is she always looking for him?

Key theme: loneliness

Group 5



Key points to consider

• Dreams – own version of American dream (1930’s film industry based in Hollywood was growing – influenced by stories of actresses going from rags to riches).

• Does Steinbeck want you to feel sorry for her?

American Dream

Group 6



Key Points to Consider

• Kindness to Lennie?• How she appears in death?

Did she deserve to die? Does her punishment outweigh her crimes?

• Is she killed by loneliness?• In death, still treated badly

by Candy. Why?

Her death

Presentations: Quality Audience

• What is a quality audience?

• What makes a quality English student?

Task: As the presentations are taking place you need to make notes for each of the sections. This will help to form a structure for an essay plan

Homework

• Use the notes you have made in today’s lesson to create an essay plan for the controlled assessment on Curley’s Wife You will be writing the essay in next week’s lessons.

This homework will provide support for your planning sheet.

Mark Scheme – Grade CWhat you need to show What this means

Sustained response to task and text

Write enough! Don’t stop after two paragraphs.

Effective use of details to support your explanations

Support your ideas with relevant quotes.

Explanation of the writers use of language, structure and the effect on readers.

You write about the writer’s use of these things.

Appropriate comments on characters, plot, themes, ideas and settings.

What you say is relevant.

Mark Scheme – Grade CThe first thing I notice about Crooks is that he lives in the harness room away from the other men. He has a whole variety of things in this space and the quote is “There was cans of saddle soap and a drippy can of tar with its paintbrush sticking over the edge?” this shows that he is put in the same place as the general tools that are used on the ranch.

Task: How would you change this section to make it into a B grade?

Mark Scheme – Grade AWhat you need to show What this means

Insightful, exploratory response to the text

You look beyond the obvious.

Close analysis and use of detail

If you are looking at the writer’s use of language , you comment on each word in a sentence, drawing out its distinctive effect on the reader

Convincing and imaginative interpretation

You viewpoint is likely to convince the examiner. You have fully engaged with the text and come up with your own ideas based on class discussions.

In the opening description of Crooks’ room Steinbeck indicates that “for being alone, Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men.” This reference is perhaps surprising to the reader as it presents his environment in a positive light with a clear emphasis on the fact he has a sense of stability on the ranch and does not have to worry about the theft of his possessions. However this could be seen as the only positive to come out of the isolated existence he is forced to live.

Controlled Assessment: Curley’s Wife

Documents

steinbeck present curleys

curleys wifeher version

married wife of curley

controlled assessment

grade booster steinbeck

uneducated women

herthe relationships

fiction novel