Great Gatsby Project—Due Tuesday, April 16th
American Literature-Major Paper Grade!
Mrs. Lovern/Mrs. Bennett
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!!"
A WebQuest on "The Great Gatsby"
Introduction
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it." The Great Gatsby has just
been published and it is an instant bestseller. The
publication that you work for has picked the five of you to
create a special edition on the Great Gatsby. You have a
midnight deadline so that it can be out on the streets,
ASAP. It is your group's job to write the articles and
design the layout for the publication. Within your group
you will designate four people as reporters and one as the
layout designer. Include anything you want in the
publication, you have complete creative control.
Follow these step-by-step directions to successfully
complete your project
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!!"
The Task
Each group is going to create a publication comprised of all of the writings that have been
completed. The publication can be organized in any fashion. The students need to create
a cover and decide on an original title for their publication. Once each group is
completed, the students must have their publication bound at a local copying center.
They will then have to give a short oral presentation covering the topics that each person
learned.
Above are some examples of recent publications. These images can help guide you when
trying to design your cover. Your magazine should have a structure similar to this: A
cover, table of contents, and sections with required articles (see below) that relate to
them.
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!!"
The Process
Your group needs to decide who is going to take each job that is available. Additionally,
each of you is responsible, These are the five jobs:
1. Arts and Entertainment Reporter: This reporter will report on living in the 1920s.
Include specifics on the nightlife, popular actors/actresses, writers, literature, performers,
and popular trends.
2. Biographer: This person will write a biography on a person that was very influential
during the 1920s. They also need to write a biography on the author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Investigate their lives and why they were so influential in the 1920s.
3. English Professor #1: This professor will write an article explaining the symbolism in
The Great Gatsby. This article should include discussion of the green light, eyes, the
images with colors, and the east/west.
4. English Professor #2: You will write an article explaining some of the themes present
in the novel. Make sure to support each claim with specific examples in the novel.
5. Layout Designer & Copy Editor: This person will be in charge of the layout and
design of the publication, including the table of contents, as well as the editing of the
articles. This person must be creative and organized. (Layout Design & Table of
Contents are due with rough drafts).
Each section of the publication must have at least two graphics. Brainstorm within your
group to see how your group's publication can be the best. Make sure to include a cover
with an original title and a table of contents. Once you have organized all of your articles
into the layout you have chosen, take it to a local copy store and get the magazine bound.
On the day you turn in your publication, your group will have to give a short presentation
on your project.
http://www.teachtheteachers.org/projects/AMoore/GatsbyQuest/wqprocess.html
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!!"
Information Sources
Web Based Information
Categories for Research:
The Arts: http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/cjudy/thearts.htm
Jazz Music http://redhotjazz.com/index.htm
Cotton Club
Charlie Chaplin
Duke Ellington http://www.acns.nwu.edu/jazz/artists/ellington.duke/
Robert Frost (see info and poems in textbook)
Mickey Mouse
F. Scott Fitzgerald http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html
Bessie Smith
Harlem Renaissance Researching the Harlem Renaissance:
Langston Hughes http://www.awl.com/englishpages/lit_wkbk_hughes_bio.htm
Countee Cullen http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/cullen.html
Alfred Stieglitz
Louis Armstrong
Thomas Benton
Television
Charles Sheeler
Culture in the Jazz Age (class notes, etc.)
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~nick/e309k/jazzage.html
Music of the 1920s http://www.btinternet.com/~dreklind/threetwo/Jazzhome.htm
Article on Jazz music controversy
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~nick/e309k/texts/faulkner/faulkner.html
Business, Industry, and Invention: http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/cjudy/business.htm
J.C. Penny
Charles Walgreen
Model 'T' Ford
Trojan Condoms
Stock Market Crash http://mypage.direct.ca/r/rsavill/Thecrash.html
Charles Lindberg http://www.worldbook.com/fun/aviator/html/av2.htm
Radio
Government and Politics: http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/cjudy/governme.htm
Women’s Suffrage http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/suffrage/home.htm
Prohibition http://www.cohums.ohiostate.edu/history/projects/prohibition/whyprohibition.htm
Ku Klux Klan
Coolidge http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/cc30.html
Hoover http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/hh31.html
Society & Fads: http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/cjudy/society&.htm
Slang Language
Dance Marathons
Hairstyles & Fashion
Dances
Flapper Culture and Style http://www.pandorasbox.com/flapper.html
“A Flapper’s Appeal to Parents” http://www.pandorasbox.com/appeal.html
“Flapper Jane” http://www.pandorasbox.com/jane.html
Newport Mansions http://www.newportmansions.org/
Vanderbilt Family http://www.hvnet.com/houses/vanderbilt/
Biltmore Hotel http://www.biltmore.com/
Crime & Criminals: http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/cjudy/crime&.htm
Al Capone
Leopold and Loeb
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Scopes Monkey Trial http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/inherit/1925home.html
Sacco and Vanzetti Trial http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/sacvan.html
General References:
Lesson with many great resources on time period:
http://www.kiko.com/richey3/the-age-of-the-great-gatsby
Site for a good overview/intro to the period (2-day webquest)
http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~mcsimons/wq/quest.html
PBS online: The Great War http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
World War 1—Trenches on the Web http://www.worldwar1.com/
Trustworthy searchable sites for info:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/
http://www.loc.gov/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/finder.html
F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary Home Page http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html
1920s people and issues
http://www.liberty.edu/resources/library/public/as/history/american/1920.htm
20th century in pictures
http://search.corbis.com/20thcentury/default.asp?y=20&vID=3&rID=309
Greatest films of the 1920s http://www.filmsite.org/20sintro.html
Hoover gallery http://hoover.nara.gov/gallery/gallery03.html
Art, Music, & Culture of the 1920s http://alephnull.net/20s/index.html
Black Thursday http://sac.uky.edu/~msunde00/hon202/p4/nyt.html
The Roaring 20s http://www.louisville.edu/~kprayb01/1920s.html
Resources at the School:
Internet in the Library
Desktop publishing
Scanner
Color Printer (there is cost associated with this)
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!!"
The Conclusion
Each group will give a short presentation, an unveiling of sorts, for their special edition
of their magazine, informing the class of what they have learned. After we have seen all
the magazines we will discuss the information that the groups found while researching
the 1920s. Each group must contribute to the discussion by coming up with important
aspects that they had not previously known. We will also discuss the themes and
symbols that the "professors" found in the novel. This discussion will add closure to our
unit on the novel.
Some important questions to think about:
Who were the people you found the most influential?
What did the monopolies do to the economy?
What are the specific examples from the book that you found to support the themes and
the symbolism in the book?
The 1920s was an interesting decade because the United States was flourishing. The
monopolies were making the rich very rich, but the poor even poorer. By the end of the
1920s the Great Depression started and the United States' Gilded Age had come to a
startling end.
"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!!"
Evaluation
Each group will be evaluated on their creativity and organization
Each group member will evaluate the members of their group on the amount that they
contributed to the final project.
Peer Evaluation sheets for members of your group:
Name of Group member:
0 - 10
Amount of work contributed to project (write the number out of 10):
Quality of work completed (write the number out of 10):
Add above points to find the grade you believe member deserves (out of 20
possible points):
Comments:
Name of Group member:
0 - 10
Amount of work contributed to project (write the number out of 10):
Quality of work completed (write the number out of 10):
Add above points to find the grade you believe member deserves (out of 20
possible points):
Comments:
Name of Group member:
0 - 10
Amount of work contributed to project (write the number out of 10):
Quality of work completed (write the number out of 10):
Add above points to find the grade you believe member deserves (out of 20
possible points):
Comments:
Name of Group member:
0 - 10
Amount of work contributed to project (write the number out of 10):
Quality of work completed (write the number out of 10):
Add above points to find the grade you believe member deserves (out of 20
possible points):
Comments:
Self Reflection Evaluation Sheet for individual grade:
Your Name:
0 to 10
Amount of work you contributed to the group:
/10
Quality of Work you completed:
/10
Average of above scores & comments
/10