THE GREAT GATSBY
THE JAZZ AGE: THE 1920's WEBQUEST and
PRESENTATION
1920's WEBQUEST
INTRODUCTION:
THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the life of the wealthy
during the Jazz Age (the Roaring Twenties). The 1920s era evokes images of
flappers, racoon coats, the Charleston, and Prohibition. These images,
however, reflect only a small part of life in this decade.
TASK:
What was life in the 1920's really like? On what people, events, and activities
does Fitzgerald base THE GREAT GATSBY? In order to get the most out of
the novel, you need to understand the culture of that era. Therefore, your job is
to prepare a Power Point presentation.
PROCESS:
1. 4 "editorial" groups will be formed. Each group will consist of reporters and
an editor who will work together to investigate certain areas of life in the
1920's and to publish their findings.
2. Each group will be responsible for assembling one section of their findings.
GROUP 1: "Daily Life/ Foods/ Slang"
(Choose 6)
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The Charleston
Flagpole sitting
Mah jongg
Crossword puzzles
Music
Radio
Jazz
Food & Beverages
Beauty Pageants
20 popular words/expressions (and their
meanings)
The economy
GROUP 2: "Flappers/Fashions/Cars" (Do all)
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Describe the flappers. How did they
behave? Who were they?
Describe fashionable female
attire/accessories.
Describe fashionable men's attire.
Describe the cars of the era.
[Include as many pictures as possible.]
GROUP 3: "Prohibition/ Crime/ Scandals"
(Choose 6)
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Prohibition: What? When? Why?
Speakeasies, Texas Guinan and ways people got around it
Izzy Einstein & Moe Smith
Al Capone and organized crime
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Sacco & Vanzetti
1919 World Series
Fatty Arbuckle
KKK
GROUP 4: "Famous People, Famous Events,Noteworthy
Inventions"
(Choose 6)
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Harry Houdini
Henry Ford
Richard Byrd
Rudolph Valentino
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson
Scopes Monkey Trial
Leopold-Loeb case w/ Clarence Darrow
Lindbergh solo flight
Rosewood Massacre
Women's suffrage
3. The end product of all of your research will be:
A. a Power-Point presentation of all of your findings presented to the
class.
4. You will have four days in the computer lab to do research. You will still
need to collect contact information from the members in your group so that you
can get information to each other outside of class. Lastly, you must practice
your presentation as you will be graded on the organization of the group. The
presentation must be between 15-20 minutes long. This means that each
individual group member will have to present on their section for about three
minutes. While you will be receiving one overall group grade, individual
grades may be affected if you have not put enough effort into your portion of
the project.
POSSIBLE RESOURCES:
Daily Life/Fads/Slang:
The 1920s Experience : http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/
Jazz Age Slang http://home.earthlink.net/~dlarkins/slang-pg.htm
Roaring 20s Info http://www.snowcrest.net/jmike/20sdep.html
Flappers/Fashions/Cars:
Flapper’s of the 1920s: http://www.life123.com/beauty/fashion/flappers/flappers-of-the1920s.shtml
The Flapper’s of the 1920s:
http://students.umf.maine.edu/mccormka/public.www/history/index.htm
Roaring 20s Info: http://www.snowcrest.net/jmike/20sdep.html
Prohibition/Crime/Scandals:
The 1920s
Roaring 20s Pictures
Great Gatsby Hotlist
Welcome to the 1920s
The Roaring Twenties Gallery
Roaring Twenties Outline
The 1920s Experience
Temperance and Prohibition
Prohibition Tales
Picture
Prohibition in Gatsby
Capone
The Lawless Decade
Roaring 20s Info
Famous People/Historic Events/Noteworthy Inventions:
The 1920s
Roaring 20s Page
GreatGatsby Hotlist
Roaring Twenties Gallery
Outline of Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
Roaring 20s Info
CONCLUSION:
Through your research, you will be well prepared to enter into the world of F.
Scott Fitzgerald's "Roaring Twenties" in The Great Gatsby. His tale is full of
the gusto of the era with a strange combination of satire, burlesque, fantasy, and
melodrama much of which you have encountered through this web quest. As
you begin to explore Fitzgerald's interpretation of the "American Dream" in the
twenties, keep in mind the characteristics of the era which shaped his writing.
EVALUATION OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS:
Each of the groups has chosen an end product which will be evaluated using a
rubric appropriate to its content. Scroll down to find the correct rubric which
will be used to assess your work. Remember that each group must present its
finding; therefore, the first rubric will be used to evaluate each group.