The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Lesson plans and teaching resources

Hat Trick
After reading a brief, but insightful description from The Pearl of how and why men wear their hats the way they do, writers will brainstorm ideas about pieces of clothing people wear to identify themselves. By using the charts provided, students will analyze Steinbeck's organizational style in this passage and begin to experiment with their own. Finally, students will attempt a powerful or emotive closing sentence for their piece — one that reflects a truth about their own world views in relation to their chosen topics. This lesson focuses on idea development and organization.

The Pearl
This reading group guide includes background and 10 questions for discussion and/or writing.

The Pearl
A variety of reading strategies, including an anticipation guide, a found poem, and a Venn diagram.

The Pearl
How might students use storyboards to demonstrate and to extend their learning? Check the resources here. Students work with vocabulary, plot diagrams, themes, symbols, motifs, more. Note: Storyboard That helps sponsor this site.

The Pearl
A variety of post-reading activities, organized by level of difficulty.

The Pearl Digital Booktalk
This short video (1:18) can serve as a prereading activity.

Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature
A list of songs that were inspired by reading literature. Organized by the last name of the author (e.g. Chinua Achebe, William Butler Yeats), the list includes song title, performer, year of release, and more. The list includes 14 titles inspired by The Pearl.

Teacher's Guide to The Pearl
Summary, analysis, and teaching suggestions. Requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Vocabulary from The Pearl
Words are presented in context and with definitions. Click on a word for pronunciation, examples of recent use, more.