Gatsby and the American Dream
Subject: English III
Topic: The Great Gatsby Introduction
Title of Lesson: “Gatsby and the American Dream"
Objectives:
Students will:
1. Learn about the American Dream, one theme of The Great Gatsby, via several documentaries and other video resources (RL 11-12 #2)
2. Create a written or visual representation of the American Dream based on class discussion and materials (W 11-12 #6)
3. Compare various representations of the American Dream across several different media (RI 11-12 #7)
Purpose:
Through this introduction, students will gain some insight into F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. Also, creatively modeling the American Dream will allow the students to make meaning with the themes of The Great Gatsby before we even start the book.
Materials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCWCcU8VNVw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=U6GjNFvLk2M
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/us/08dreampoll.html?WT.mc_id=yt_nyt72&WT.mc_ev=click
Laptop or tablet
Procedures:
Procedures for Introducing the Lesson:
At the beginning of class, I will ask the students to complete a bell-ringer about the following questions: 1. Do you know anything about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby? If so, what? 2. What do you know about the period in American history called the “Roaring Twenties?” 3. How would you define the “American Dream?” After the students have had time to answer these questions, I will ask the students to share their answers and make a list of answers to each question on the board (20 minutes).
Procedures for Developing the Lesson:
For a brief introduction to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gatsby, I will show 10 minutes of PBS’ documentary on Fitzgerald (10 minutes). Next, I will introduce Gatsby’s connection with the American Dream via several YouTube videos of various people, including President Obama, talk about and define the American Dream (10 minutes). After the videos, I will ask the class several questions about the common components of people’s notions of the American Dream. I will then project Bob Dole’s eulogy from Richard Nixon’s funeral on the screen. As a class, we will read this and discuss which parts of the American Dream Dole focuses on. If none of the students mention Nixon's criminal activities, I will discuss the Watergate scandal briefly to introduce how violence and criminality often go hand-in-hand with the American Dream (20 minutes). Next, the students will then use some sort of program or software (eg. Glogster, GoAnimate, Make Belief Comix, Wordle, etc.) to create something related to the American Dream. Students are free to write a short story, poem or song, create a comic strip, make a poster or any other creative mode of expression. The assignment is fairly open, the only requirement being that the piece must address at least one of the aspects of the American Dream previously discussed in class (25 minutes).
Procedures for Concluding the Lesson:
With approximately five minutes left in class, the students will wrap up and submit their products.
Evaluating/Assessing the Learning:
Before the lesson: The bell-ringer will be graded for completion
During the lesson: Students will receive a participation grade of + or – for their engagement in the creative representation of the American Dream.
After the lesson: The students’ creations will be graded on their relevance to the American Dream.