Introduction:
The unit that I have planned here is a unit that focuses around the text of The
Great Gatsby and that introduces students into the way that that novel comments on
the American dream and the 1920s. The units that will precede this one will be a
transcendentalism unit and a world war one unit. These will have given students
background knowledge for what American society and literature was like before the
1920s, so that they can understand how influential that time period was and how
America changed. The students that will be studying this unit will be in the 11th
grade, between the ages of sixteen and seventeen. The class will meet three days a
week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and they are 60 minute class periods. The
overall theme for the year is to have students travel through the literature of
America’s past, starting with Puritan literature and ending with modern novels such
as the graphic novel American Born Chinese. Therefore this unit fits into the plan by
showing the students what the 1920s were like, since it was such an important time
in American history. This unit will be focusing on one text, since The Great Gatsby is
such an important text. However, it will also include a couple of articles as well as a
“found poem” by L. H. Anderson. I will be using the Colorado Standards for Reading,
Writing, and Communicating in order to assess my students’ learning.
The class size will be about 31 students
The ratio of boys to girls will be approximately 51%-49%, which would create a
classroom of 16 boys and 15 girls.
It will be an 11th grade classroom, but the reading and writing skills may range from 912th grade.
Based on the demographics of the school, the racial breakdown of the classroom will
be approximately:
22 white students
5 Hispanic students
1 African American student
2 Asian students
1 Indian student
Rationale:
James Truslow Adams defined the American Dream as, “life should be better and
richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or
achievement.”
The Great Gatsby is a text that manages to encompass an entire generation of
American history in one novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald discusses the American dream, but
I have to wonder if students in today’s society even know what the American dream
was. Sure, they’ve probably learned about it in history class, but do they know what
the American really meant to people that lived in a time that revolved around it?
Many students now are already living this dream, or assume that they will have
access to this dream when they grow up. Very few students in the class that I am
teaching will have to work their way up from the bottom of society to have to gain
success. The American dream ensures that will freedom comes prosperity and
success, but how many of my students will even know what it is like to struggle to
get that success? The community I am teaching is one where 98% graduate high
school and 93% go on to pursue secondary education. Most of them are well on their
way to achieving this dream and they do not even know it.
In this unit, I hope that the students can better understand what this dream
was and how hard it was to achieve in American history. This dream essentially
drove Gatsby to his demise, because all he could focus on ensuring that his life
encompassed this dream. He rose from a dismal past to gain wealth, popularity, and
success. The only other thing he needed was the perfect woman to share his life
with, and that pursuit ended up causing him to lose his life altogether. I hope that by
the end of this unit students will be able to come to better terms with the
importance of the American dream in society.
I believe that this novel deals with so many important aspects of literature
that it is capable of being the sole foundation of a unit. It has recurring themes,
symbolism, shows the importance of setting and characters, it deals with class and
sexual politics, and deals with an unreliable narrator. Due to all of this, it is
imperative that students spend a good amount of time focusing on only this novel so
that they can pick up on all of these things with in its pages.
My main focus for this unit is going to be on the characters themselves and
exploring the student’s creativity. Through various activities every day they will
explore a different aspect of The Great Gatsby and dig into the novel a little deeper
into the themes. I will start them off with an introduction into the 1920s because it
is imperative that they understand this time before they read the book. Without an
understanding of what life was like in the roaring 20s, they will not be able to fully
appreciate the themes in the novel. There will be a lot of group work in this unit
because I really believe that students get the most from their learning and gain the
most knowledge if they are able to collaborate together and bounce ideas off of one
another.
I believe that the most important part of my unit plan is the two Socratic
seminars that take place half-way through the unit and at the end. I think these are
essential to enhance student learning because it allows them to discuss with each
other their thoughts and ideas on the novel and really dig into the text. I also think it
is so helpful because it is led by the students themselves and allows me to truly
assess what they are discussing and make sure that they are getting the right
understanding of the novel.
Another important aspect of this unit is the daily silent journals. I will
provide a topic to write about every class period in their journals and give them 5
minutes at the beginning of class to respond to it. I will not grade these, however, I
will collect them at the end of the unit to make sure that they have responded. I will
read them to gauge how their understanding increased or develop over the course
of the unit, but I will not share or grade any aspect of them.
Through this unit students will have an opportunity to explore The Great
Gatsby both individually and as a group. I will assess their learning using the
Colorado Core State Standards. Reading and writing is essential to any English
course, which is why this unit has a lot of both of those things. Students will be
reading the novel as well as some poetry and critical articles. They will have
multiple opportunities throughout the unit to improve their writing skills through
projects such as the final assessment essay, journal activities, random responses due
to me, and other minor assessments. The main goal of this unit is to improve the
students understanding of a text and the components within it, as well as improve
their understanding about a specific time period that was so influential to literature.
Standards Addressed:
1. Oral Expression and Listening
a. Verbal and nonverbal cues impact the intent of communication
b. Validity of a message is determined by its accuracy and relevance
2. Reading for all purposes
a. Complex literary texts require critical reading approaches to effectively
interpret and evaluate meaning.
b. Ideas synthesized from informational texts serve a specific purpose
c. Knowledge of language, including syntax and grammar, influence the
understanding of literary, persuasive, and informational texts
3. Writing and composition
a. Writing demands ongoing revisions and refinements for grammar, usage,
mechanics, and clarity.
4. Research and reasoning
a. Self-designed research provides insightful information, conclusions, and
possible solutions.
FURTHER EXPLANATION OF HOW THESE STANDARDS ARE ADDRESSED
ARE INCLUDED IN THE LESSON PLANS.
Title:
Standards Addressed
Goal:
Process:
Introductory Lesson – 2 day lesson
This will address the NCTE 21st century
skills that are required because it has the
students complete a webquest that requires
internet research. The WebQuest itself is on
Google sites and I created it. It is a 21st
century skill that they will want to become
familiar with
Researching the history of the 1920s and
uncovering background knowledge about the
era.
(10 min): Students will meet in the computer
lab and I will read the directions for the
activity to them out loud.
www.sites.google.com/site/gatsbywebquest1
(50 min) For the remainder of the class the
students will complete the lesson. The
objective for this assignment is to have
students dip into their background
knowledge of the 1920s, as well as do some
research inot that time period. By doing this,
students will be able to have a firm
foundtaion to stand on before they begin
reading The Great Gatsby. I want the
students to understand the era that this book
is set in and to realize that it is an extremely
culture-filled time in American history. The
goal for the end of this assignment will
present their research that discusses the
history of the late 1920s New York and
biographical information about F. Scott
Fitzgerald.
Materials
Resources:
(60 min on second day): Students will have
the entire day to work on their webquest.
Anything that they do not finish they can do
as homework and turn into me tomorrow. If
they are finished then they can turn it into me
at the end of class.
I will need to arrange two days in the
computer lab. Students will not need any
specific materials
Students will have access to the WebQuest
that I created at
www.sites.google.com/site/gatsbywebquest1/
Assessment:
For the next class:
The assessment will be the final project
where they create a brochure that reflects
their knowledge of the 1920s and F. Scott
Fitzgerald. Rubric is attached to the end of
this webquest.
The goal for end is to create a brochure that
discusses the history of the late 1920s a New
York and biographical information about F.
Scott Fitzgerald. The students are assuming
the role of a publisher who has realized that
the sales of the book are declining and has
decided to try to inform people about the
history of the time to boost sales. They must
create a fun, eye-catching, informative
brochure that will be able to spark the
interest of American to read more about this
influential period of time and this iconic
book.
Students need to bring their silent journals
and their books. If they did not finish their
brochure then they need to finish it at home
and turn it into me tomorrow.
Title:
Standards Addressed:
Goal of the day:
Procedure:
Introduction into the 1920’s era
4.1.b
The goal of this lesson is to introduce the
1920s era through a PowerPoint slide show
and by having them listen to some popular
music of the time. Since they have already
done some of research on the 1920s in the
introductory lesson, they will be familiar
with some of the information on the slides,
and they will be given time to share any
information that they found and was not
included in the PowerPoint.
(5 min): The first five minutes of class will
be dedicated to silent writing in their
journals. The prompt today will be “What
was the thing that surprised you the most
about your research of the 1920s and why”
(25 min): Show the PowerPoint that I have
already prepared with information about
the 1920s (attached on next page). Allow
time for questions after every slide.
(25 min) Open discussion about the slides
and the information on them. Allow
students to offer any information that they
found in their research from the previous
day. This is the link from their last lesson.
If there is not a lot of discussion, ask the
students to share what the most interesting
thing that they learned in their research that
they talked about in their journal entry.
How the standard is addressed in this
activity: (evidence outcomes)
Materials:
4.1.b is addressed because the students will
be gathering relevant information from
multiple sources when they compare the
research projects that they did for the
opening lesson to the PowerPoint that I
have provided for this lesson. Their
research projects will assess the strengths
and limitations of sources that they have
had to look up online.
Each student needs their daily journals; I
Assessment:
For Next Class:
will have the PowerPoint
For this activity my assessment will mostly
come from listening to the discussion that
the class has. I want to make sure that they
ask questions but also understand the
culture of the 1920s because it is such a
large influence on the book.
Have students read the first chapter of The
Great Gatsby
Title:
Standards Addressed:
Goal of the Day
Process:
Literary Circles and reading activity.
1.2.a
The goal for the day is to get students
started reading The Great Gatsby together
in class so that everyone begins on the
same page and any initial questions can be
answered in class. Then they will get into
groups and discuss the reading together.
(5 min): Silent Journal writing. Today’s
prompt will be, “What is the American
Dream? What does it mean to you?”
(20-30 min): I will begin reading the first
chapter of The Great Gatsby out loud. After
I have read a couple paragraphs, I will have
a student begin to read it aloud. The
students will continue to read the chapter in
order going down the rows. Students can
opt to pass if necessary, but I will strongly
encourage them to read out loud. Once we
finish the first chapter we will stop reading.
(5 min): I will divide the students into
groups of 5 by counting off numbers down
the rows. They will group their desks
together and I will hand out a sheet with
discussion questions. (see next page)
(20-30 min): Students will discuss the
questions on the page with amongst
themselves. Each student will have a job to
do and they will turn in their work to me at
the end of the class
How the standards are addressed:
Materials
1.2.a is addressed because students will be
in their groups and discussing the topic at
hand. They will come prepared because
they will have all read the chapter together,
they will be both listening critically to each
other as well as responding thoughtfully
and speaking themselves.
Every student will need a copy of The
Great Gatsby and their daily journal. I will
Assessment
For the next class:
also have copies of the group discussion
question and job descriptions for the group
part of the activity
I will assess their understanding by reading
their group discussion answers to the
questions and putting any comments or
concerns for the students and return it to
them next class.
Students will read chapter 2 and 3 of The
Great Gatsby
Group Discussion of Chapter 1
Group Discussion Jobs:
Discussion Leader: Start the discussion by asking the questions and making sure
everyone is on topic and participating.
Researcher: Any time that you can use textual evidence to support your answers, find the
page number and give it to the scribe to take note of.
Scribe: Write down the general answers to the questions to turn in at the end of the
period.
Illustrator: Choose one question to create a visual representation of
Questions to discuss based on the reading of chapter one:
• Notice how many times Fitzgerald uses the words hope, or dream. Why does he do this?
• Nick starts the novel by relaying his father's advice "Whenever you feel like criticizing
anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that
you've had." List Nick's advantages. Does he reserve judgment in the novel?
• Describe Nick. What facts do you know about him, and what do you infer about him?
What kind of a narrator do you think he will be?
• What image does the Fitzgerald use to describe Jordan Baker? What does it mean?
• How does Nick react to Jordan?
• What does Tom's behavior reveal about his character?
Title:
Standards Addressed:
Goal:
Process:
Trouble Slips
2.1.a.iii
2.2.a.i
The goal of this lesson is to start tracking
the problems that are unfolding and are
shaping the plot of the book. I am hoping
they will recognize the big troubles in the
book so far such as Tom and Myrtle’s
drunken confrontation, Rumors that are told
about each other, Tom’s affair, etc.
(5 min): Silent journal entry. The prompt
for today will be: What do you think of
Nick’s narration? Do you think you can
trust him as a narrator?
(10 min): I will use this time to describe
what a trouble slip is and how each student
is expected to create one. I will verbally
explain it, but also put a projection of a
written description on the board so that
they can reference it as they make their
slips. I will explain that a trouble slip is a
half sheet of paper that explains a part of
the text where a problem arises. The slip
must have a title for the “trouble” that the
slip is for. Then it has a description of the
trouble. This should be about a paragraph
long and include who is involved in the
situation and a detailed description of it.
Finally, it will include a section that
predicts what could happen because of this
problem. Is it foreshadowing anything?
They must also include page numbers and
textual evidence for why their chosen
situation is causing trouble. I will then open
it up for any questions from the students.
(25 min): Students will create two trouble
slips silently on their own. I will walk
around and make sure that everyone is on
task, understands the activity, and help
anyone who has questions.
(20 min or until end of class): Students will
do a think, pair, share to discuss their
trouble slips. The think was already done
How the Standards are Addressed:
(evidence outcomes)
Materials Needed:
Assessment
For the Next Class
when they made the slips. They will pair up
with someone close to them and compare
their slips. Did they discuss any of the same
incidents? After about 7 minutes of
pairing, I will bring them back to a class
discussion to talk about what they thought
the most important “troubles” were that
they wrote down, why, and what their
predictions were for what the troubles
would do for the plot of the novel. They
will turn in their slips as their ticket out the
door.
2.1.a.iii will be addressed because students
will be analyzing the author’s choice
regarding the plot and how action is
unfolding and ordered. They will also be
analyzing character choices.
2.2.1.i will be addressed because students
will have to give textual evidence in their
trouble slips to support their analysis of
what the text explicitly says.
Students will need their daily journals. A
projection device to put the instructions on
the screen. A copy of the instructions to put
on the screen. I will provide two half sheets
of printer paper for every student.
The assessment for this unit will be turning
in their slips to me at the end of the class. I
will read and grade the slips. I will also
tally the troubles that the students come up
with and the most frequent trouble will fuel
the journal entry for the next class
Read chapter 4
Trouble Slips
Trouble: Give a title for the “trouble” that you have chosen to make a slip for. This will
be an incident in the text that you have read so far that has created trouble between any of
the characters.
Persons involved: List the people who are directly involved in the trouble and explain
how. Also list anyone that this trouble might directly affect.
Description of Offense: Give a paragraph long description of the trouble. Give a detailed
account of what happened and why it is a trouble. Include page numbers and textual
evidence for your trouble. Include a quote if you need it.
Title:
Standards Addressed:
Goal:
Process
Character Posters
4.3: evalutating quality reasoning includes the
value of intellectual character such as humility,
empathy, and confidence
The goal for this lesson is to get students to
focus on a main character in the novel and find
out important traits about them. They must
use textual evidence to show important
qualities and traits about the character. It is
also an opportunity for students to
(5 min) Daily Journal writing. For today, I will
write what the most common trouble was
tallied from the previous day’s activity on the
board. I will ask students to write about why
they think this was the most common. Is it the
most significant?
(10 min): I will spend this time explaining
today’s activity. I am asking students to create
character posters today for one of the main
characters of the novel. They can choose
between Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, or Tom. I will
bring in several magazines so that if students
do not want to draw their characters they can
cut out pictures in magazines to represent
their character. Once they draw or put their
character on the poster, they must label the
body parts with traits of that character. I will
write what each body part that they label has
to represent.
Head – What are this character’s dreams or
aspirations?
Face – Physical description of the character
Heart – What is this person’s love life like?
Hands – What is this character’s job?
Abdomen – Does this person have any
weaknesses?
Knee – your choice – show a significant trait
about this character.
Feet – What is significant about this
character’s past? Where have they been?
Students will need to provide a page number
for each description that they give so that I
know they are using textual evidence to
support their ideas.
Materials
How the Standards are addressed (evidence
outcomes:
Assessment
For the Next class
(Remainder of class): Students can work on
their posters individually and have to hand in
their posters at the end of class. I will walk
around and make sure everyone is on task and
answer any questions that they have.
Students will need their Daily journals and
book. I will provide magazines, scissors,
markers, crayons and colored pencils. I will
also provide a regular sheet of printer paper
for them to make their poster on.
4.3 will be addressed because the students will
be looking for the qualities listed in the
characters that they are analyzing. They will be
evaluating the reasoning of self and others for
stronger thinking
I will assess students on their posters that they
will turn into me at the end of the class. I am
looking for creativity and accuracy as well as
proof of textual evidence.
Read chapter 5, prepare for a reading quiz
over the first half of the book.
Title
Goal
Process:
Half way check-in
The first part of the class will be dedicated to a
reading quiz. I don’t not like giving students a
quiz for every reading, however, in order to
keep them accountable I am giving them two
quizzes during this unit. This is the first one
and it is because we are about half way
through the book and I want to make sure they
have caught up in their reading. It is not a
surprise quiz; they will have known this is
coming. I will also be reading an excerpt out of
the graphic novel version of The Great Gatsby.
My goal here is that students can see how a
text can be represented visually. I also want to
show students other mediums that they can
access literature. Some students will
understand this visual text much better than
they do by just reading words on a page, so
this activity is also touching on differentiation.
(5 min): Students will write in their daily
journals. The prompt today will be “Explain
what you think the significance of the green
light it? What does it symbolize?”
(15 min) Hand out the reading quiz and have
students complete it and hand it in. (quiz is
attached)
(10 min) I will read an excerpt out of The Great
Gatsby in graphic novel format. I will read out
of the fifth chapter since that is what students
just got done reading. I most likely won’t have
time to read the whole chapter, but I will read
as much as I can with the time that we have. I
will display this on projection device so that
they can see the way that the book is displayed
visually.
(15 min) Open class discussion about the
graphic novel version of this book. I want to
gauge their reactions to the way that this
version represents the text. Do the students
get as much out of it as they do from just
reading the regular text? Would anyone
pursue a graphic novel text to read further?
(15 min): I will hand students the assignment
sheets for the end of unit assessment. This is
Standards addressed
Materials Needed
How the standards are addressed:
Assessment
For the Next Class
the major assessment for the unit and I want
to give it to them now because they are
halfway through the book and should start
thinking about what they are going to be doing
for their final assessment, as they have
multiple choices. I will go through and explain
each assessment option and have them ask
any questions that they might have.
2.3
Students will need their daily journals. I will
provide the quiz and the graphic novel. I will
need a projection device as well.
2.3 will be addressed through the quiz that I
am giving students. They are being asked to
apply knowledge of language and how it
functions in some of the questions.
The assessment today will come from the
reading quiz that they will complete and I will
grade.
Prepare three insightful questions that can be
discussed in the Socratic seminar for the next
class. Have them revolve around characters,
plot, or symbolism.
Final Assessment Projects for The Great Gatsby
Unit:
1. Your first option for the final assessment will be to write an essay.
There are two choices for the essay topic that you can choose from.
It must be a 5-6 page paper, double spaced. You must defend your
argument in your essay with textual evidence, quotes, and any other
sources you may decide to incorporate. Come to me with any further
questions. These are your topic choices:
a. What makes Gatsby “great”? Why is the title of the book The
Great Gatsby? You can argue that you don’t think he is “great”
but you must support it with textual evidence and not just
opinion.
b. How does Gatsby represent the “American Dream”? What
does The Great Gatsby say about the American dream in the
1920s? What themes comment on the American Dream?
2. Your second option for the final assessment is to create a character
journal. Essentially, this will follow a single character of your choice
and show their development throughout the novel. You are to create
a journal entry for each chapter of the book, and it must comment on
how the character develops in that chapter. Each journal entry needs
to be 1-2 pages long, double spaced. You can choose from these
main characters: Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy
Buchanan, or Jordan Baker. Once you have finished the entries,
please put them in a binder or journal that looks professional. Each
entry needs to touch on these following questions, but you can add
more if you feel it is necessary.
a. What new information did you find out about this character in
this chapter?
b. Do you trust this character?
c. How do you feel about them?
d. What is this character’s emotional state?
e. Give an important quotation from this character in this chapter
f. Can you foreshadow anything that might happen to this
character?
g. What do you expect to learn next?
Reading Quiz
1. Why does Tom hit Myrtle at his apartment in New York City?
(A) Because she refuses to see him anymore (B) Because she asks him to divorce his wife (C)
Because she taunts him about Daisy (D) Because she flirts with Nick
2. Does Gatsby live on the West Egg or East Egg?
__________________________________________
3. Why is Gatsby having so many parties?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________
4. Who said “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful
little fool.”
__________________________________________
5. What does Jordan Baker do for a living?
__________________________________________
6. Why did Gatsby want Daisy to see his house?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________
7. Pick one symbol that is used by F. Scott Fitzgerald and explain what it could symbolize.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
8. Write your own insightful question about the novel so far and answer it. (It cannot be
answered by yes or no or a fact from the book.)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Title:
Goal:
Process:
Standards:
How standards are addressed:
Socratic Seminar #1
The goal of today’s Socratic seminar is to get
the students involved in a whole class
discussion about the book and get them
thinking on deeper levels. I want them to listen
actively, converse with each other without by
intervention or mediation, clarify and amplify
what others say, build upon others ideas,
question and examine the text.
(40 min): The students will show me their
three insightful questions at the beginning of
class and that is their ticket to participate in
the Socratic seminar. I will have arranged the
desks in a large circle so that everyone can see
everyone. I will ask someone to volunteer a
question to begin the discussion. From then on
out I will not participate in the discussion
except to change the topic when the
conversation slows or has gone on too long on
one topic. This is a focus on the students and
developing their own ideas so I will remain an
audience member.
(10 min) the last ten minutes of class I will
have the students reflect on their experience
in the Socratic seminar and what they learned
today.
1.1.a,d,e
1.2.a
Standard 1.1.a is addressed through the way
that students will be talking in an informal
setting in this Socratic seminar. They are not
being graded on their speaking skills, they are
simply being asked to have an open
conversation.
Standard 1.1.d will be addressed by the way
that I look at the audience for their responses
and make sure they are focusing and engaged.
Standard 1.1.e will be addressed because I will
want students to use some terminology that
we have been discussing throughout the
semester in their responses to each other and
their check-in questions.
1.2.a will be addressed because it asks student
to initiate and participate effectively in a range
of collaborative discussions. This is a different
kind of collaborative instruction that is a
change from the many group discussions I am
having them do during the rest of the
Materials needed:
Assessment
For Next Class
semester.
Students will only need their book.
My assessment for this lesson will come from
listening to the student discussion and making
sure that they are at the level that they need
to be.
Read chapter 6
Title:
Standards Addressed
Goal
Process:
Dramatic Adaptation of the Text Day one:
1.2
Students will adapt and act out a scene from
their reading of either chapter 6-7. Adapting
this will better familiarize students with the
text, plot, and author’s intentions. This will
also give students the opportunity to present
and understand the text in a more oral and
visual matter.
(5 min) Students will write in their silent
journals. The prompt for today will be, “When
Nick told Gatsby that ‘you can't repeat the
past’, Gatsby replied, ‘Why of course you can!’
Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby?”
(15 min) Once the students are done with their
journals I will explain the activity that they are
about to do. This is what I will tell them: They
will be divided into groups of at least six, no
more than seven. They can choose their own
groups, but I have to approve of the groups.
Once they are in their groups they will all
decide on an important scene that takes place
in chapters 6 or 7 and act it out. I am leaving
the rules for the actual interpretation very
open ended because I want them to be
creative and show the scene in their own
inventive way. They can do a choral reading;
act out the scene in a skit, an oral
interpretation, etc. I will then allow them to
pick their groups and discuss what scene they
would like to act out. I will open up the
discussion to answer any questions that the
students might have for me. The performances
that they prepare should not be more than 7
minutes long.
(5 min): Once students have decided what
scene they will act out, they must come up to
me and tell me what they decided on. I don’t
want any two groups doing the same scene so
it will be given on a first come, first serve basis.
(35 min): Students will spend the rest of the
class period working on their interpretations
and practicing what they are going to perform
for the whole class tomorrow.
How the standards are addressed:
Materials needed
Assessment:
For the Next Class
Students will address standard 1.2 because
they will be working together in groups with
diverse partners. They will be evaluating a
speaker’s point of view, reasoning, tone, etc.
Students will need their daily journals and
their books for this class.
There won’t be much of an assessment for this
class because it is a two part lesson. The main
assessment will come when I watch their
performances tomorrow. I will walk around
and help any groups that need it and listen to
their ideas to make sure that they are on the
right track.
There is no reading assignment; students need
to make sure that they have a script for
whatever interpretation they plan on doing to
turn into me after their presentation. Students
must also be prepared to present their
interpretations for the class tomorrow.
Title:
Standards Addressed:
Goal:
Process:
Dramatic Interpretation of the Text Day Two
1.1
The goal for today is to allow the students to
present their dramatic interpretations of the
text. The main goal is to get students to
present information in an oral format that will
increase their understanding of the text and
get them to be comfortable amongst their
peers. I will be watching their performance
skills such as eye contact, voice inflection,
body language, clear and loud speaking. I also
want to make sure that the students who are
performing have a better understanding of the
important scene that they are presenting and
that they are able to give their audience a
better understanding.
There will be no journal entry today because I
want to make sure that the students have
enough time to do the final preparations for
their performance and that everyone gets to
perform today.
(15 min): I will give students the first 15
minutes of class to get the final preparations
for their interpretations done. They can
practice quietly to themselves and make sure
that they have the script ready to turn into me.
How the standards are addressed:
Assessment:
(45 min): The remainder of the class will be
spent having the students perform their
interpretations. Each presentation must be
under seven minutes and there will be about
five groups. That leaves each group with seven
minutes to perform and about 3-5 minutes to
either discuss their reasoning for the way that
they chose to interpret the text or to answer
any questions that the audience may have.
After they are done they will turn in their script
to me and watch the remaining performances.
1.1 will be addressed because students are
formally giving their dramatic interpretations
today. I will by analyzing this as a formal oral
presentation. I will be looking for specific
vocabulary, terminology, dialect, etc. I am also
looking for nonverbal cues and analyzing the
audience responses.
I will assess the students mostly based on their
Materials needed:
For the Next Class
performance skills and quality of the
interpretation that they did. I am looking
specifically for eye contact, voice inflection,
body language, clear speaking, etc. I am also
going to assess them on their interpretation of
the text. Since I left their options pretty open, I
will not be very strict, however I want make
sure that they portray the scene accurately
and that they drew any symbolic conclusions
from the text. Attached is a rubric for their
performance on the next page
Students need to bring their script to turn in.
Students will write and turn in a reflection
about their interpretation and explain their
reasoning for the scene they chose, the way
that they interpreted it, and what their role
was in the whole process. Students will also
read chapter 8.
Title:
Standards Addressed:
Goal:
Found Poem Activity
3.3
The goal for today’s activity is to introduce the
idea of found poetry to the class. This is a
relatively new style of poetry that will allow
the students to explore some creative juices.
Students will read a few found poems that I
will provide as examples, then they will create
a found poem that discusses the intense
emotions or conflict that is going on in this
chapter of the novel. Since this is such a
pivotal chapter, I want to make sure that they
can convey that emotion into their own found
poetry.
(5 min) Silent daily journal writing. The prompt
for today will be, “Tell me about your
experience with poetry. Do you like it? Hate it?
Have you written a lot of poetry? Have you
read a lot of poetry? How many styles of
poetry can you name?
(15 min): While students listen, I will begin to
introduce the idea of found poetry. I have
attached a hand out for a better explanation
of the idea behind found poetry and the
assignment itself. However, I will explain that
this is such a pivotal chapter in the story,
Gatsby dies and the end of the climax takes
place. I will then read the directions from the
sheet to them to make sure that they
understand and that they don’t have any
questions. Then, I will split them into groups of
4-5 and tell them to come up with a found
poem that describes the tension of the
situation that unfolded in this chapter. They
can use quotes from the entire book, however,
if they need it get across their point with that.
The poems will need to be at least 15 lines
long and will have to include a creative title.
(30 min): The rest of the class will be
dedicated to allowing the students to work in
groups to create their found poem. If time
allows, they can create more than one, or
create their own without the group. However,
they must create one as a group to start with. I
will walk around and ask them if they have any
questions or need help finding passages.
However, I want this time to be spent working
together without my help for the most part. I
want them to be creative and to see what kind
of poetry they end up coming up with. They
will turn in their found poems as their ticket
out the door.
How the Standards are addressed.
Materials needed
Assessments
For the Next Class
Students will assess standard 3.3 because they
are creating a poem that much makes sense
and have proper grammar, usage, mechanics
and clarity. The thing that I am focusing on in
this assignment is clarity and coherence. I
want to make sure they can create a piece of
writing that is developed and proper while
also making sense and conveying a meaningful
message.
Students will need their daily journals and
their books. I will provide them with the copies
of the instructions for the found poems.
I will collect their found poems at the end of
the class. When I read them I will be looking
for creativity, that they make sense, and flow. I
want to make sure that they are able to create
something that could be considered a poem
and that it has coherence and conveys a
specific message.
Finish The Great Gatsby
Found Poetry
Found Poetry is a form of poetry that allows you to take lines from nonpoetic contexts and create a new poem from it. It is like a collage of words
that conveys a specific meaning.
Found poetry is almost like a scavenger hunt. It allows you to search for
words, phrases, or scraps of language and then putting it together to make
a new, unique work of literature. Sometimes putting seemingly random
words together can spark new ideas that you never knew would happen!
For this assignment, I want you to focus on the events that unfolded in 8th
chapter that you read last night. There was a lot of emotion and action, can
you capture that in a poem? While you are focusing on this chapter, you
can take words and phrases from the rest of the book if you find you need
to. Get together in groups of four or five and work together to come to a
common idea in your poem. It must be 15-20 lines long, and includes a
creative title.
Do no just pick random lines and put it together, try to make it have
coherence and meaning. I want you to convey an idea or emotion to me.
On the next page is an example of a found poem by L.H. Anderson, the
author that wrote the novel Speak. She took pieces of letters from her fans
and put it together into a found poem. This will give you a sort of idea
where to start! Good luck and be creative!
Listen
By L.H. Anderson
You write to us
from Houston, Brooklyn, Peoria,
Rye, NY,
LA, DC, Everyanywhere USA to
my mailbox, My
Space Face
Book
A livejournal of bffs whispering
Onehundredthousand whispers to
Melinda and
Me.
You:
I was raped, too
sexually assaulted in seventh
grade,
tenth grade, the summer after
graduation,
at a party
i was 16
i was 14
i was 5 and he did it for three
years
i loved him
i didn’t even know him.
He was my best friend’s brother,
my grandfather, father, mommy’s
boyfriend,
my date
my cousin
my coach
i met him for the first time that
night and —
four guys took turns, and —
i’m a boy and this happened to
me, and —
… I got pregnant I gave up my
daughter for adoption …
did it happen to you, too?
U 2?
You:
i wasn’t raped, but
my dad drinks, but
i hate talking, but
my brother was shot, but
i am outcast, but
my parents split up, but
i am clanless, but
we lost our house, but
i have secrets – seven years of secrets
and i cut
myself my friends cut
we all cut cut cut
to let out the pain
… my 5-year-old cousin was
raped –
he’s beginning to act out now …
do you have suicidal thoughts?
do you want to kill him?
You:
Melinda is a lot like this girl I
know
No she’s a lot like
(me)
i am MelindaSarah
i am MelindaRogelio i am MelindaMegan, MelindaAmberMelindaStephenTori
PhillipNavdiaTiaraMateoKristinaBeth
it keeps hurting, but
but
but
but
this book cracked my shell
it keeps hurting I hurt, but
your book cracked my shell.
You:
I cried when I read it.
I laughed when I read it
is that dumb?
I sat with the girl —
you know, that girl —
I sat with her because nobody sits with
her at lunch
and I’m a cheerleader, so there.
speak changed my life
cracked my shell
made me think
about parties
gave me
wings this book
opened my mouth
i whispered, cried
rolled up my sleeves i
hate talking but
I am trying.
You made me remember who I
am.
Thanks.
P.S. Our class is gonna analyze this thing to death.
Me:
Me:
Me: weeping
© 2010 Laurie Halse Anderson
Title:
Goal:
Process
Standards
Materials
How the Standards are addressed:
Socratic Seminar #2
The goal of today’s Socratic seminar is to get
the students involved in a whole class
discussion about the book and get them
thinking on deeper levels. I want them to
listen actively, converse with each other
without by intervention or mediation, clarify
and amplify what others say, build upon
others ideas, question and examine the text.
(50 min): The students will show me their
three insightful questions at the beginning
of class and that is their ticket to participate
in the Socratic seminar. I will have arranged
the desks in a large circle so that everyone
can see everyone. I will ask someone to
volunteer a question to begin the discussion.
From then on out I will not participate in the
discussion except to change the topic when
the conversation slows or has gone on too
long on one topic. This is a focus on the
students and developing their own ideas so I
will remain an audience member.
(10 min) the last ten minutes of class I will
have the students reflect on their experience
in the Socratic seminar and what they
learned today.
1.1.a,d,e
1.2.a
Students will need to come with their three
insightful questions ready. They will also
need to bring their books so that they can
support their arguments with textual
evidence.
Standard 1.1.a is addressed through the way
that students will be talking in an informal
setting in this Socratic seminar. They are not
being graded on their speaking skills, they
are simply being asked to have an open
conversation.
Standard 1.1.d will be addressed by the way
that I look at the audience for their
responses and make sure they are focusing
and engaged.
Standard 1.1.e will be addressed because I
will want students to use some terminology
Assessment:
For the Next Class
that we have been discussing throughout
the semester in their responses to each
other and their check-in questions.
1.2.a will be addressed because it asks
student to initiate and participate effectively
in a range of collaborative discussions. This
is a different kind of collaborative
instruction that is a change from the many
group discussions I am having them do
during the rest of the semester.
My assessment of this unit will come from
listening to the student’s comments and
participation and making sure that they
understand everything on the level that they
should. I want to make sure that they have
the general ideas and concept that are
conveyed from this book as a whole. I will
also assess them by a reflection of the book
itself that I will collect at the beginning of
the next class.
Write a reflection of this book as a whole.
Did you enjoy it? What did you think of the
writing, narration, plot, etc. What symbols
did you pick up on throughout the book and
what do you think they represented? What
did you think of the characters? Reflect on
this text now that you have read the entire
thing and discussed it with the class.
Title:
Goal
Standards Addressed:
Process:
Feminist Reading of The Great Gatsby
The goal here is to get students to look at a
text that they have just read through a
different lens. I have given them a brief article
that discusses feminism in the novel. My goal
is that after reading the novel they are able to
pick two characters and think about how they
would be perceived through a feminist lens.
2.1
(5 min): turn in your reflections. Write in your
silent journal. It’s a free write today! Tell me
something I don’t know, something about
yourself, or anything else you want to write
about.
(5 min): I will hand every student a copy of the
feminist article that is attached and ask them
to silently read it to themselves.
(15 min): Students will read the article to
themselves.
(10 min): I will open the class up for any
questions or quick discussions about the
article. Then, I will give students the second
handout and explain that they will each
choose two characters from the novel and fill
out the worksheet about them. They are to
give a brief description of the character in a
traditional view, and they are to give a similar
brief description as if they were looking at that
character through a feminist lens.
How the standards are addressed:
(15 min) Until the end of class the students
can work individually on the worksheet. If they
finish, they can hand it in to me on their way
out, if not they must finish it as homework and
turn it into me on the next class.
Students will address standard 2.1 because
they will be reading a complex literary text in
order to accomplish a critical reading
approach. They will have to cite textual
evidence, use craft and structure when they
fill out the worksheet. They will also be
Materials Needed:
Assessment
For the Next Class
analyzing multiple interpretations of the story
and the characters.
Students will need their daily journals and
their books. I will provide students with
The assessment for this day will come when I
collect their projects at the end
The final assessment is due!
A short analysis of feminist perspectives on Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
by Stefaan Steyn
(Disclaimer: This material is intended to provide at secondary students with a model of applied feminist theory, and is
not offered as an academic paper.)
Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an ambivalent re-codification of patriarchy. The text
critiques the objectification of women: both Tom Buchanan’s treatment of his mistress
Myrtle and his wife Daisy, and Gatsby’s idealization and manipulation of Daisy. It also
expresses some conditional admiration for the increasing social and economic
emancipation of women.
However, the text does reaffirm the male gaze, and continues to romanticize the
exploitative power relationships between men and women. Nick the male narrator
admires the grand schemes of Gatsby and facilitates his pursuit of Daisy. Though
critical of Tom Buchanan, Nick the narrator is complicit in Tom’s ways of dealing with
women. If the text presents a critical perspective on the bigoted views of Tom
Buchanan on the one hand, it nonetheless affirms many mainstream patriarchal values.
The text deconstructs the erotic power of the princess-like Daisy over the initially
marginal male victim Gatsby, as much as it examines the negation of women. Itexplores
the one-sided, egotistic nature of relationships.
Much of the text is equally concerned with whether Gatsby himself, similar to Daisy, has
any essential self independent of the fantasy he has built around a projected goddess.
In this sense Fitzgerald provides his readers with insight into the disempowerment o mn
who accede to the patriarchal myth of idealized women, and the men who make their
lives a quest for validity through the pursuit of women. Fitzgerald explores a central rony
of patriarchy, that men exploit the women they idealise and use the process of
idealization to justify that exploitation. Gatsby’s entire life is based on being
authenticated through his relationship with Daisy, without him, like Tom, considering her
in the process.
If Fitzgerald’s text is a conditional critique of patriarchy this is most centrally seen in the
nature of his narrator, who provides a biased, and conditional perspective on the
relationship between men and women, and the social structures that determine these
relationships. Most tellingly, Nick is unable to relate to the emancipated Jordan Baker
on an equal basis, and interprets her pragmatism in morally critical ways, without
conceding that he himself practices the same pragmatism.
The tragic consequences flowing from the experimental breaking of the standard
patriarchal moral norms also suggest a reaffirmation of patriarchy. While the text is a
critique of the Cinderella myth in the light of changing modern social and economic
conditions, it suggests that stepping outside of traditional social structures is fraught
with dangers. In this sense this is a conservative text.
A critique of the behaviour of individuals is not necessarily a critique of social structures
and norms. If individuals who break social norms are the focus of Fitzgerald’s critique,
then those mainstream norms are in effect reaffirmed. This is certainly the case when
Nick reflects on the relationship between Tom and Myrtle, and Tom and Daisy. Tom
exploits and abuses Myrtle, and dominates and controls his wife. Aberrant behaviour,
rather than social structures are the subject of Fitzgerald’s critique. Tom objectifies both
women and uses his social, physical and financial dominance to lord it over them.
Tom’s public violence towards Myrtle, aimed at ‘keeping her in line’ defines the social
norm. Men are in control. Fitzgerald does appear somewhat critical of this social norm,
in providing us with Nick’s somewhat dispassionate, somewhat disengaged
understanding of these relationships. This dispassionate neutrality cannot, however, be
read as Fitzgerald taking an explicit stance in the debate on patriarchy.
If Fitzgerald is somewhat critical of the male exercise of power, then he is equally critical
of the complicity of some of his female characters. Fitzgerald offers us a definitive
critique of complicit bad faith in Nick’s critical analysis of Daisy’s character and the
choices she makes in relation to her initial relationship with Gatsby, and her subsequent
relationship with Tom. If Nick is critical of Daisy’s incapacity to have any independent
sense of self, his critique of Gatsby’s construction of self follows a similar pattern.
The power struggles between Myrtle and George, and Myrtle and Tom, explore the
tensions between women and men as they have to negotiate the power changes within
relationships subsequent to socio-economic change. This can be seen in the
stereotypical portrayal of the emancipated Jordan as morally questionable while Nick
the narrator is left to define the moral high ground in the power struggle between the
two. If The Great Gatsby is an important novel, it is exactly because it reflects
something of the critical redefinition of gender roles and personal identity in the early
part of the twentieth century in an exploratory way. That Fitzgerald is cautiously open to
these changes can be seen in his examination of what motivates the choices of his
characters.
If Myrtle chooses to extend her own independence sexually and economically it is still
framed within belonging to, and being defined in terms of her relationship with a man.
Tellingly, Tom shuts her up when she asserts her independence. The portrayal of the
cuckolded George also implies that his negated status as the man on top is centrally
related to an unacceptable inversion of the accepted social order. George’s desperate
revenge of his wife’s death can also be read as an attempt to reaffirm his status as her
husband, an attempt to recover his own self by proxy. Identity in Fitzgerald’s The Great
Gatsby is demonstrably related to the tropes of gender and relational status.
Daisy’s choice to stay with Tom for the sake of financial interests, and Tom’s
hypocritical assertion of his conjugal rights over Daisy while retaining a liason with
Myrtle expresses the gendered nature of characters’ choices. Gatsby, Tom and George
are presented as broken men who have tragically destroyed themselves and their
victims by a hubristic assertion of their masculinity while Myrtle and Daisy, powerful as
desirable women but weak in their own right, have failed to renegotiate their status.
Women and men alike are shown to be victims of social norms and cultural paradigms
that they have unsuccessfully redefined. The attempt to redefine self and society in a
new way in terms of gender relations is presented as a precarious adventure by
Fitzgerald, and his text is thus a conservative cautionary one in terms of the
renegotiation of gender.
Title:
Standards:
Process
Final Class and assessment presentations
1.1
(5 min): Students will write silently in their
journals. The prompt is: “write about what
you thought of the book as a whole. How did
you like the final assessment?”
(5 min): collect student final assessment
activity.
How the standards were addressed: evidence
outcomes
Materials:
Assessment:
For the Next Class
(50 min): Each student will be given about two
minutes to stand in front of the class and talk
about what they did for their final assessment.
They must defend their decision to write
about what they chose and talk about one of
their strongest points or arguments in their
projects. This will sum up the end of this unit!
1.1 will be addressed because students are
formally giving their defense of their final
assessment. I will by analyzing this as a formal
oral presentation because they will have
known that they were going to have to
present. I will be looking for specific
vocabulary, terminology, dialect, etc. I am also
looking for nonverbal cues and analyzing the
audience responses.
Students will need their daily journals and
their final draft of their assessments.
I will be looking for the proper oral
presentation components as well as grading
their final assessments.
We will begin the next unit!