Synthesis Essay Activity ­ Teacher Instructions Some historians disagree about whether the Roaring Twenties was a time of societal advancement for America or a time of deterioration of American ideals. Your job is to settle this dispute by deciding whether or not the 1920’s was, in general, a positive or negative decade for our nation. In a well­structured essay, use The Great Gatsby and one of the secondary sources listed below to prove your claim. ● “The Flapper” by Dorothy Parker ● “Social Note” by Dorothy Parker ● “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes ● “Glow of the City” by Martin Lewis http://artblart.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/1_glow­web.jpg?w=655&h=538 ● “Jazz Age” Art Deco Movie Poster http://www.art­deco­style.com/image­files/the_jazz_age_classic_art_deco_pictures.jpg ● “The End of Something” by Ernest Hemingway Students are grouped by character (roughly groups of four). Students will have time to prepare evidence­based arguments to answer the question: Were the 1920’s beneficial or detrimental to achieving the American Dream? In groups, students will argue from their assigned character role (i.e. Jordan is able to become a prominent female athlete due to women’s social reform, but decaying morals led to Tom having an affair). Jay Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Tom Buchanan Nick Carraway George Wilson Myrtle Wilson Jordan Baker Things to consider: Is there anything my character was able to do or accomplish in the 1920’s that he/she couldn’t do or accomplish before? Did the 1920’s lifestyle cause any social, emotional, or financial hardships for my character? What is my character’s American Dream? Did he/she accomplish it? The 1920’s and the American Dream Synthesis Essay Assignment
Some historians disagree about whether the Roaring Twenties were a time of societal advancement for America or a time of deteriorating American ideals. Your job is settle this dispute by deciding whether or not the 1920’s were, in general, positive (beneficial) or negative (detrimental) for our nation. In a well­structured essay, use The Great Gatsby and one of the secondary sources listed below to prove your claim. ● “The Flapper” by Dorothy Parker ● “Social Note” by Dorothy Parker ● “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes ● “Glow of the City” by Martin Lewis http://artblart.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/1_glow­web.jpg?w=655&h=538 ● “Jazz Age” Art Deco Movie Poster http://www.art­deco­style.com/image­files/the_jazz_age_classic_art_deco_pictures.jpg ● “The End of Something” by Ernest Hemingway Essay Requirements: ● Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation ● Formal writing style (no contractions, first person pronouns, MLA formatting) ● Introduction with attention­getter, brief background information on the 1920’s and The Great Gatsby, and your claim ● Two body paragraphs (one about The Great Gatsby and one about your other source) each containing a topic sentence, a piece of evidence (quote and citation), and reasoning to link your evidence and claim ● Conclusion that summarizes your essay and sends a universal message to the audience (“So what?”) ● Rubric and completed organizer Directions: Use the following organizer to outline the parts of your essay. Introduction: Attention­Getter:______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________ Background Info:______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Claim:_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Body Paragraph 1: Topic Sentence________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________(___________) Reasoning:____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Body Paragraph 2: Topic Sentence________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________(___________) Reasoning:____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Conclusion: Reworded Claim:______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Summary of Ideas______________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ So what?:_____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ The 1920’s and the American Dream Grading Rubric
0 1 2 Incomplete with unclear claim 3 4 Complete with basic attention­getter, background information, and claim Fully developed with attention­getter, relevant background information, and clear/complex claim Introduction No introduction (x2) Incomplete with no claim Body No body paragraph Paragraph 1 (x2) Incomplete Incomplete with little to no with evidence evidence but no reasoning Complete with basic topic sentence, cited evidence, and reasoning Fully­developed with clear topic sentence, cited and embedded evidence, and thorough reasoning Body No body paragraph Paragraph 2 (x2) Incomplete Incomplete with little to no with evidence evidence but no reasoning Complete with basic topic sentence, cited evidence, and reasoning Fully­developed with clear topic sentence, cited and embedded evidence, and thorough reasoning Conclusion (x2) No conclusion Incomplete with no summary of ideas Incomplete with redundant summary of ideas but no universal message Complete with Fully developed with summary of ideas summary of ideas and but irrelevant a universal message universal message General Mechanics No attempt to follow Distracting conventions of Standard errors English throughout Several major mechanical errors Several minor Near perfect spelling, mechanical errors grammar, and punctuation MLA Formatting No attempt to follow MLA formatting Major errors in Several errors MLA in MLA formatting formatting Few minor errors Meets all MLA in MLA formatting formatting requirements Total:
__________ / 40 Name: ____________________________________________________ Period: __________ The 1920’s and the American Dream With all the changes that occurred during the 1920’s, it can be difficult to determine whether or not these changes made it easier or more difficult to achieve the American Dream. With your group, you will use what you have learned about the 1920’s and what you know about your assigned character from The Great Gatsby to answer the following question: Were the 1920’s beneficial or detrimental to achieving the American Dream? Directions: Use the t­chart below to collect evidence supporting each side of the argument in order to determine which side has the most and/or strongest evidence. My character is ______________________________________. Beneficial The 1920’s helped my character achieve his/her American Dream. Detrimental The 1920’s got in the way of my character’s ability to
achieve his/her American Dream. Directions: As a class, groups will assume character roles to discuss their decisions. Use the chart to record some of the evidence presented by each group to help you make a final decision about whether the 1920’s were beneficial or detrimental to achieving the American Dream. Character Name Jay Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Tom Buchanan Nick Carraway George Wilson Myrtle Wilson Jordan Baker Beneficial or Detrimental (circle one) Main Reason(s) BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL Name: ____________________________________________________ Period: __________ The 1920’s and the American Dream With all the changes that occurred during the 1920’s, it can be difficult to determine whether or not these changes made it easier or more difficult to achieve the American Dream. With your group, you will use what you have learned about the 1920’s and your assigned secondary source to answer the following question: Were the 1920’s beneficial or detrimental to achieving the American Dream? Directions: Use the t­chart below to collect evidence supporting each side of the argument in order to determine which side has the most and/or strongest evidence. My secondary source is ______________________________________. Beneficial Detrimental According to this source, the 1920s helped people According to this source, the 1920s stopped people reach their American dreams. from reaching their American dreams. Directions: As a class, groups will share their findings about their secondary source. Use the chart to record some of the evidence presented by each group to help you make a final decision about whether the 1920s were beneficial or detrimental to achieving the American dream. Character Name Beneficial or Detrimental (circle one) Main Reason(s) “The Flapper” :”Social Note” “The Weary Blues” “Glow of the City” “Jazz Age” “The End of Something” BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BOTH BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BOTH BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL BENEFICIAL / DETRIMENTAL