“Presenting Gatsby’s World: The 1920s”
A Collaborative Research Project
Lesson in a Nutshell:
An English teacher expressed to me that she wanted to have her students use
PowerPoint presentations as part of their research project but she was afraid because of her
unfamiliarity with the software and just didn’t know where to begin. I jumped at the chance to
support her students in conducting their research as well as providing instruction in how to
put together a Power Point presentation.
 Two days research in our library media center guided by the library media
teacher to a variety of resources for the project – non-fiction, reference series,
and EBSCO Host online
 Research in small groups on broad topics, pre-selected by English teacher, that
would provide insight into a life during the 1920s.
 Note-taking on a matrix grid and developed a story board rough draft of ideas
and images to include in their PowerPoint
 Library media teacher provided instruction on creating brief but effective
PowerPoint slideshows; presentation benchmarks were provided to guide
students further on dynamic presentations and copyright/fair use guidelines.
 Two more days to work in the library with the LMT to guide them through the
process of adding graphics, sound and transitions to their slideshows
 Student presentations in the classroom and the library. Both English teacher
and librarian viewed projects together using rubrics to evaluate content and oral
presentation skills as well as the elements of the PowerPoint slideshows.
Information literacy standards from CSLA’s Standards and Guidelines for Strong
School Libraries:
1) Standard 1.6 – Uses the Automated Library Catalog
2) Standard 1.7 – Uses Digital Resources to Access Information
3) Standard 1.8 – Selects Appropriate Library Materials
4) Standard 1.9 – Uses a Developmentally Appropriate Research Process to Access
Information
5) Standard 2.3 – Selects Relevant Information during the Research Process
6) Standard 8.1 – Respects Copyright and Fair Use
Reading/Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools Standards:
1) Writing Strategies Standards 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 – Research and Technology
1.6: Develop presentations by using clear research questions and creative and critical
research strategies.
1.7: Use systematic strategies to organize and record information.
1.8: Integrate databases, graphics, and spreadsheets into word-processed documents.
2) Listening and Speaking Strategies Standards 1.7, 1.10 – Communication and
Delivery of Oral Communication
1.7: Use appropriate rehearsal strategies to pay attention to performance details, achieve
command of text, and create skillful artistic staging.
1.10: Evaluate when to use different kinds of effects (e.g. visual, music, sound, graphics) to
create effective productions.
3) Listening and Speaking Strategies Standards 2.2 – Speaking Applications
2.2: Deliver oral reports on historical investigations.
Roles of each collaborator in planning, implementing and evaluating the project.
Responsibilities of English teacher:
 Knowledge of curriculum and standards of Reading/Language Arts
Framework for California Public Schools
 Provide classroom instruction on The Odyssey and The Great Gatsby
 Note-taking matrix format and storyboard format
 Provide classroom guidance on works cited format & presentation skills
 Develop public-speaking rubric
Responsibilities of Library Media Teacher:
 Knowledge of Standards and Guidelines for Strong School Libraries
 Provide instruction to students on reliable library resources
 Provide instruction on creating PowerPoint presentations
 Develop PowerPoint rubric
Shared Responsibilities:
 Planning and coordination of schedules and assignment dates
 Evaluation of presentation groups in classroom
Specific Reference Titles Useful for This Project:
A very helpful instructional resource for this project include www.fno.org, Jamie McKenzie’s
From Now On web site, from which I gleaned the best methods to guide students to create
meaningful PowerPoints and not as he comments, “powerpointless” presentations!
Student resources that were quite useful included, but were not limited to:
EBSCO Host Online Research Database
Time-Life’s This Fabulous Century series, 1920-1930, c1969.
UXL’s Bowling, Beatniks and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th Century America, c2002.
Facts On File’s International Encyclopedia of Art, c1996.
Grolier’s Illustrated History of Women, volume 8 Winning Through: 1900-1929, c1999.
The Greenwood Guide to American Popular Culture, volumes 1-4, c2002.
Gareth Stevens’ 20th Century Science and Technology series, 1920-1940: Atoms to
Automation, c2000.
Chelsea House’s Fashions of a Decade, 1920s, c2007.
Chelsea House’s 20th Century Pop Culture, The Early Years – 1949, c2001.
Marshall Cavendish’s Crimes and Punishment multi-volume reference set, c1985.
Most of these resources were purchased with California School Library Act funding; without
that funding I would not have been able to provide enough print or electronic resources for
students to adequately research the decade of the 1920s.