For Teachers
Here are ideas for extension activities to pair with The Great Gatsby.
Judging a Book By Its Cover (Carol Hurt, "The Art and Imagery of The Great Gatsby," readwritething.org, 2014)
This detailed lesson plan includes Common Core, individual state, and NCTE/IRA National Standards for English Language Arts standards, as well as printouts, resources needed, and instructional plan. The comments section allows teachers to submit feedback on the lesson. The lesson loosely coordinates with an activity from the 'Extend Your Thinking' portion of this website and would serve as a strong lesson after the 'Extend Your Thinking' activity.
WebQuest: The Great Gatsby (George Washington High School, 2014)
Prepared by George Washington High School in San Francisco, this WebQuest can be used for small group projects, or could be tweaked for individual learning experiences. Discussion questions and web links for research are provided. The following five topics each make up their own WebQuest: The Lost Generation, Prohibition, Black Socks Scandal, The Harlem Renaissance, and Flappers.
From PBS's page dedicated to Ken Burns' Jazz comes this innovative lesson dedicated to students in grades 11-12 exploring the connections and common threads between the different musical styles. Because of the hip-hop influence featured in the 2013 film version of The Great Gatsby, this lesson will pair well with the information provided on the 'On the Big Screen' page of this site. The lesson plan includes connections to national standards, assessment ideas, and ideas to extend the lesson even further.
The "Secret Society" and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Christopher Warren, EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities, n.d.)
A writing lesson for high school students to be carried out over 3-6 class periods, this focuses on guiding students to make the connection between life as a teenager and the unwritten social rules that come along with social situations to The Great Gatsby and the role of social status in the story. Objectives, discussion questions, preparation materials, and extension plans are all included.
Teaching the Great Gatsby With the New York Times
Drawing from the first idea mentioned in this post, invite students to plan a gallery or class party as a way to tie up the unit. Samples of student work can be on display, such as Venn diagrams comparing book reviews from different time periods. Students interested in the fashion of the time and of the movie can create sketches or actual clothing pieces of designs inspired by the Catherine Martin interview about partnering with Prada. Playlists can be created by students based on knowledge of the music of the 1920s from the articles included. Students can compile their most used resources from the unit to create a Delicious or Pinterest page as a way to share learning with future students, or students in other locations.
Judging a Book By Its Cover (Carol Hurt, "The Art and Imagery of The Great Gatsby," readwritething.org, 2014)
This detailed lesson plan includes Common Core, individual state, and NCTE/IRA National Standards for English Language Arts standards, as well as printouts, resources needed, and instructional plan. The comments section allows teachers to submit feedback on the lesson. The lesson loosely coordinates with an activity from the 'Extend Your Thinking' portion of this website and would serve as a strong lesson after the 'Extend Your Thinking' activity.
WebQuest: The Great Gatsby (George Washington High School, 2014)
Prepared by George Washington High School in San Francisco, this WebQuest can be used for small group projects, or could be tweaked for individual learning experiences. Discussion questions and web links for research are provided. The following five topics each make up their own WebQuest: The Lost Generation, Prohibition, Black Socks Scandal, The Harlem Renaissance, and Flappers.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.5 Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.
From PBS's page dedicated to Ken Burns' Jazz comes this innovative lesson dedicated to students in grades 11-12 exploring the connections and common threads between the different musical styles. Because of the hip-hop influence featured in the 2013 film version of The Great Gatsby, this lesson will pair well with the information provided on the 'On the Big Screen' page of this site. The lesson plan includes connections to national standards, assessment ideas, and ideas to extend the lesson even further.
The "Secret Society" and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Christopher Warren, EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities, n.d.)
A writing lesson for high school students to be carried out over 3-6 class periods, this focuses on guiding students to make the connection between life as a teenager and the unwritten social rules that come along with social situations to The Great Gatsby and the role of social status in the story. Objectives, discussion questions, preparation materials, and extension plans are all included.
Teaching the Great Gatsby With the New York Times
Drawing from the first idea mentioned in this post, invite students to plan a gallery or class party as a way to tie up the unit. Samples of student work can be on display, such as Venn diagrams comparing book reviews from different time periods. Students interested in the fashion of the time and of the movie can create sketches or actual clothing pieces of designs inspired by the Catherine Martin interview about partnering with Prada. Playlists can be created by students based on knowledge of the music of the 1920s from the articles included. Students can compile their most used resources from the unit to create a Delicious or Pinterest page as a way to share learning with future students, or students in other locations.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.