Mini English 12
Mrs. Thomson
The Great Gatsby Research Project
The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920’s on Long Island, outside of New York City. In order
to understand the actions of the characters, their motivation and the context of the story,
you need to understand this time period and its influences. In groups of 3, you will
research one of the following topics and prepare a 15 minute oral and visual presentation
for the class, including an interactive component. We will have 3 class periods in the
library/computer lab to research and prepare your presentation. Prezi, Smartboard or
PowerPoint presentations, videos and other media are welcome! Get creative!
Presentations will begin on: ___________________________________
Topics (each topic may only be used by one group except for #7).
1. The American Dream (possibly in comparison to the Canadian Dream)
2. The Jazz Age (focus on music)
3. Fashion in the 1920’s
4. Black Monday (the Stock Market Crash of 1929) and the origins of the
Depression
5. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (Bloody Sunday) and organized crime
6. A comparison of Europe and American society/politics in the 1920’s
7. The rich families of Long Island Sound in 1920’s (pick one family only):
E.g. Rockefeller, Carnegie, Kennedy
8. Prohibition
9. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda