The Great Gatsby

Mary Rezac and Shelby Friesz

Target Class: 11th Grade, American Literature

Time Frame: 50-minute lesson plans for three days of a unit on The Great Gatsby

Essential Questions: 1. What is the American Dream? 2. Is the American Dream achievable? 3. Does striving for the American Dream lead to true happiness?

Objectives: 1. Students will be able to explain and interpret the personal values of various characters in

the novel. 2. Students will be able to apply their definition of the American Dream to characters’

values and actions in the novel. 3. Students will be able to apply their self-knowledge about happiness to the idea of the

American Dream. 4. Students will empathize with characters by embodying a specific character to defend

his/her actions through discussion and writing.

Rationale: We chose the focus of the American Dream for the novel of The Great Gatsby for several reasons. First of all, our students are at critical moments in their lives - they are preparing for various tests (ACT, SAT, etc.) that will prepare them for college, which in turn will prepare them for life. Our students are likely feeling pressure and anxiety about what choices to make - should they choose a major and a career path based on salary alone? Or is there more to life, and happiness, that they should consider at this moment in their lives? The Great Gatsby explores these themes through the ideal of the American Dream. In The Great Gatsby in the Classroom: Searching for the American Dream, David Dowling says, “The Great Gatsby has often been described as a portrait of the American dream gone bad. It has remained a force in American literature because it captures well the foundation of this country, leading the reader to questions the belief that honesty and hard work will lead to success” (1).Characters strive to “have it all” - money, status, possessions, love - but they all end up unhappy. Characters use lies and deceit to achieve what they want, leading to increasing unhappiness despite the possessions or pieces of the American Dream they acquire. This novel provides a chance for our students to critically analyze and question the ideal of the American Dream in the characters’ lives, and see how this transfers to their own lives.

As Carol Jago says in Classics in the Classroom, classic literature such as The Great Gatsby can show students “how classic heroes struggle with the very same monsters we face today,” (7). The Great Gatsby can provide an objective way for our students to view the way a culture of materialism born of the American Dream affects people, and in turn apply that to the materialistic culture by which they are surrounded every day. According to Jago: “Powerful literary experiences expose young people to the complexity of the world around them,” and as we have said, we believe The Great Gatsby has the power to do just that for our students. Dowling reaffirms this belief by saying, “The dilemma is to find happiness in a world where people are too often judged on what they own. … This is what makes the novel relevant today. It forces readers to think about their own values and relationships in a world too often mad about money” (2), Furthermore, we believe this novel provides a rich literary experience for our students because of its complex use of themes, symbolism, language and literary devices which

provide even more opportunities for learning, as Jago encourages: “The texts chosen for classroom study should be ones that students are unable to read without you,” (2). We believe that with the proper scaffolding our students can both enjoy and learn a great deal from this novel. Again, Dowling confirms our beliefs: “The Great Gatsby can be a difficult novel for many high school students. … By modeling and guiding a careful analysis of the characters’ roles, relationships, and motivations, students will be able to examine their own attitudes about the influence of wealth in the 1920s and today” (2).

We also want to explore this complex issue because we think our students are asking for a chance tackle difficult questions. In a survey, our juniors indicated that they preferred discussion that allowed them to share their opinions, and they typically enjoyed doing this in a small-group discussion format. For this unit, we are experimenting with different discussion strategies to give students experience with all forms - large and small - in which they can be comfortable engaging in thoughtful, rigorous inquiry. In this three-day portion of the unit, we will allow students to think about their analyses before large-group discussion by having them keep a running double-entry diary. This use of the double-entry diary is an adaptation of an activity presented by Dowling in which he has students keep a chart of the characters’ values based on text clues (21). We are also providing a new form of discussion that creates a safer space for our quiet students by having them participate in a silent discussion. In Talking in Class, McCann et. al. say, “The value of the silent discussion is that it gently nudges students into vocal discussion by allowing them to participate without placing themselves publicly on the line” (171). This is reaffirmed by Peter Kaufman in his article “Gaining Voice through Silence.” He says, “Everyone’s voice is heard and authenticated. … Even if others disagreed with them, they will have a sense of validation knowing that their initial view resulted in a series of robust and informative responses” (170-171). Our students need the opportunity to authentically express their opinions about topics that directly affect their lives - they are asking for these opportunities - and we are providing a number of opportunities for them to find the way with which they feel most comfortable. Through these discussion strategies, we will be inviting our students to engage entirely in their reevaluation of the American Dream in literature and in their personal lives.

Introduction: Where have we been?

At this point in our Great Gatsby unit, our students will have participated in two days of pre-reading activities. In order to set the stage for the historical context about the novel, students will have watched a 30 minute video about the 1920’s. They filled out a know-wonder-learn journal before and after watching the video in order to get them to make predictions and connections between what they’ve learned in history and how that connects to the novel they will be reading. On the second day of pre-reading, students will have participated in a tea party, focusing on quotes selected from the novel that relate to four aspects of the American Dream - honesty, wealth, social class, and marriage. Students have also read chapters 1 and 2 in The Great Gatsby (reading along with the audio tape in class) and have completed two double-entry diaries focusing on the values of the characters as seen through their quotes from student-selected passages. Where are we going and why?

During this portion of the unit, we will move into specifically exploring the role of social class in The Great Gatsby. As we previously mentioned, we are focusing on the facets of the American Dream because our juniors are likely considering college and future careers. We focus these days on developing a sense of how the social class of the characters affect their struggle to find the American Dream because it will ask the students to evaluate whether everyone has a fair chance of achieving what is often thought to be a right of American citizens. Can people bridge

different levels of the social hierarchy? Can you start with nothing and move to the top? How much does your background affect your ability to truly achieve the American Dream, if that is even possible? At this point in their lives, our students are already asking themselves these big questions. Using this piece of classic literature allows them to analyze the role of social class in their personal search for the American Dream and determine whether that is necessarily the dream they want to chase. How are we going to get there?

We will spend the first two days of this three-day section of the unit reading chapters three and four of The Great Gatsby. During these chapters, students are exposed to the first Gatsby party and also finally hear the truth about Jay and Daisy’s past relationship. They see that Gatsby’s social standing during the party and during their courting are drastically different, affecting how others see him. They will continue to keep their double-entry diaries, in which they are tracking quotes from various characters and what these quotes reveal about the characters’ values. They will also be ranking the characters in their notebooks based on likability. During these rankings, we will have a large-group discussion that asks students to defend their placement of characters based on the values they have been tracking. Students will evaluate how the characters’ beliefs toward the various aspects of the American Dream are affecting what kind of morale and personality these characters embody. We will then challenge this thinking further on the third day of this three-day unit by engaging our students in a silent discussion about social class. Students will move between four stations that are specified for four characters in the novel (Daisy, Gatsby, Nick, and Myrtle). At each station, students will be presented a different form of media that reveals the background for the given character. Then they will write about whether they believe this character has an equal chance at achieving the American Dream based on this past. They will engage in a silent, written discussion as they rotate between stations. Then, we will bring it to the large group to discuss how the social class of the characters affected their chance at the American Dream. Every student will have had a chance to share their opinions, and we will be able to validate these opinions by having their peers share their insightful comments during the large-group discussion. Where will this lead us?: The final assessment for this whole unit it two-fold. First, students will be assigned one of the seven characters from the novel for which they will have to prepare a defense, based on this prompt: Who is responsible for the death of Jay Gatsby? Students will write at least a page response to this prompt, defending their character’s actions throughout the novel that are in some way connected to Gatsby’s death. The next day, each character will be put on trial, and each “team” will have a chance to meet and present their prepared defenses, with the teacher(s) as the final judge(s). After the trial, students will have a chance to reflect further with the prompt: “How did the idea of the American Dream lead to Gatsby’s destruction? Did the idea of the American Dream lead any of the characters in Gatsby to be truly happy? Why or why not?” This way our students will be able to analyze character development, as well as synthesize and defend their position on the American Dream and whether or not it is achievable and brings true happiness.

Materials

Audio recording of The Great Gatsby Laptop Clip from new The Great Gatsby film where Gatsby tells his background in the car Paper dolls of 4 characters used in silent discussion Nick Carroway’s job application Daisy Buchanan wedding announcement/1920s wedding announcement Excerpt from The Great Gatsby of Myrtle telling about her wedding Prompt cards at each silent discussion station

Procedures: Day One: Chapter 3

Agenda Mug shot [5 minutes] Vocab [2 minutes]: Students will copy the six vocabulary words from the board in their

“Cool New Words” section of their notebook. We will revisit these occasionally throughout

our activities on nonreading days and the final assessment.

The vocabulary words include: o gaudy: brightly colored or showily decorated o permeate: to spread or pass through o innuendo: an indirect remark or gesture that carries some hint of

propriety o vehemently: with intense conviction o sauntered: slowly walked or strolled o ascertain: to determine something

Read Chapter 3 [28 minutes]: Students will listen to the audio recording of chapter three of The Great Gatsby. While they follow along with the recording, they will mark passages that they find important to the depiction of the characters’ values with sticky notes (at least 3 during the chapter). We will stop the recording at important quotes to discuss what is happening in the novel and how that is affecting the characters/theme of the novel. We will stop the tape to discuss after the following passages:

“The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meeting between women who never knew each other’s names” (44)

o We have encountered three of our vocabulary words on just this one page. Fitzgerald’s novel shows his complete and poetic command of language. What do these words reveal about the novel? What do they say about the values of the characters within the novel? How does Fitzgerald use the language to set the scene of the American Dream and happiness?

“He had seen me several times and had intended to call on me long before but a peculiar combination of circumstances had prevented it - signed Jay Gatsby in a majestic hand” (46)

o Why would people attend the parties of Gatsby when they don’t know him?

o Predict: Why would Nick be invited? Will this change something later in the book?

o What can we tell of Nick’s perception of Gatsby just from what he knows (and we know) about him up to this point?

“It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who had found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world” (48)

o Up to this point, we have heard quite a few rumors about the kind of man that everyone thinks Gatsby is. What do these rumors reveal about what people respect/fear/value in their society? What do they find attractive or disconcerting about Gatsby?

“What realism! Knew when to stop too - didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?” (50)

o “Didn’t cut the pages” implies that Gatsby has not read the books in his library. Why would he put on such a facade? Why does he go to so much trouble to appear as if he is well-read/educated?

“But young men didn’t - at least in my provincial experience I believed they didn’t - drift cooly out of nowhere and buy a palace on Long Island Sound” (54)

o What is your first impression of Gatsby? What is Nick’s opinion of him? What does the fact that he is rumored to be an Oxford man say about him? Do you believe it? Why doesn’t Nick believe that Gatsby just came out of nowhere? What is the way to fortune in society?

“This incident and the name had remained together in my mind” (63) o What is the role of honesty to this point? Do you think any of the

characters can be considered honest up to this point? DED Entry and ranking [5 minutes]: Students will finish their DED entry of one quote and how they interpret that character’s values up to this point. They will also rank the seven main characters (Daisy, Tom, Nick, Gatsby, Jordan, Myrtle, George) on a scale of lease honest to most honest. Large-group discussion [10 minutes]: As a class, we will rank these characters based on likability. Discussion will focus on why we do or do not like characters, and what influences our feelings toward them (is it their honesty? their dreams? their wealth? etc.) Students will record their ranking in their notebooks.

Day Two: Mary - Chapter 4

MUG Shot [5 minutes] Read Chapter 4 [45 minutes] Students will listen to the audio recording of chapter three of The Great Gatsby. While they follow along with the recording, they will mark passages that they find important to the depiction of the characters’ values with sticky notes (at least 3 during the chapter). We will stop the recording at important quotes to discuss what is happening in the novel and how that is affecting the characters/theme of the novel. We will stop the tape to discuss after the following passages:

“He’s a bootlegger,” said the young ladies…”One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to VonHindenburg and second cousin to the devil.” (4, pg. 61)

o What do we know about Gatsby up to this point? o What do you believe about Gatsby? o Do you like him?

“All these people came to Gatsby’s house in the summer.” (63) o Why does Nick point this out? Who are these people?

“He was never quite still; there was always a tapping of the foot somewhere…” (64)

o What does this tell us about Gatsby? Why is he nervous? “He hurried the phrase “educated at Oxford”...(65) Show clip of movie here?

o Does Nick believe Gatsby? Do you? “No, old sport, I’m not. But Miss Baker has kindly consented to speak to

you…(67) o What is “this matter” to speak about? Predictions?

“The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling” (71) o What was Wolfsheim proposing?

pg. 75 “After that she didn’t play around with soldiers any more”

o Why did her family not approve of Gatsby? “Tell ‘em all Daisy’s change her mine…” (76)

o What does this tell us about her and Tom’s marriage? “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (78)

o Cute, or creepy? “You’re just supposed to invite her to tea” (79)

o Should Nick do this? o What do you think he will end up doing? Why?

Day Three: Equal shot at the American Dream?

Agenda: Mug shot [5 minutes]: “When it comes to the american dream, no one has a corner on

the market. All of us has an equal chance to share in that dream.” - JC Watts (make corrections: capitalize American dream, change has to have for subject-verb agreement)

Large group discussion [5 minutes]: Do you agree or disagree with the quote? Why or why not?

Introduce Silent discussion [5 minutes]: We have set up four stations that explore the background of four major characters in The Great Gatsby (Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, and Myrtle). These stations have a variety of media that students will consider when they answer the prompt: Does this character have an equal chance of achieving the American Dream?

The characters and media include: 1. Daisy: Wedding announcement for Daisy and Tom that shares her specific

familial background 2. Myrtle: An excerpt from chapter two of The Great Gatsby in which Myrtle shares

her reasoning for marrying George 3. Gatsby: A clip from the newest film adaptation of The Great Gatsby (starring

Leonardo DiCaprio) during which he describes his past to Nick in the car 4. Nick: A job application Nick would have given to the bond business that reveals

more about his background

Silent Discussion [20 min]: Students will sit with their group at their assigned station and read or view the media available. They will then have time to write about what their station says about the American dream.

When we say “Switch” students will move clockwise to the next station. Students will leave their notebooks with their free-write at the first station. There is enough time for each group to visit three stations. They will view the reading/media at the next station as well as the freewrite, and continue writing.

Rotations: Station 1: 6 minutes

Station 2: 7 minutes

Station 3: 7 minutes

Large group discussion [15 minutes]: After each group has had a chance to visit three stations, students will return to their first spot with their notebook. We will then

open up the discussion to what students experienced during the silent discussion, and how it influenced their opinion about the MUG shot quote based on the idea that everyone has an equal chance at the American Dream.

Works cited: Dowling, David. The Great Gatsby in the Classroom: Searching for the American Dream.

Urbana, IL:National Council for Teachers of English, 2006. Jago, Carol. Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons. Portsmouth,

NH: Heinemann, 2004. Kaufman, Peter. "Gaining Voice Through Silence." Feminist Teacher 18.2 (2008): 169-171.

OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 17 Nov. 2013. McCann, Thomas M., Larry R. Johannessen, Elizabeth Kahn, and Joseph M. Flanagan. Talking

in Class: Using Discussion to Enhance Teaching and Learning. Urbana, IL: National Council for Teachers of English, 2006.

Prompt: Did Daisy have an equal shot at achieving the American Dream?

Prompt: Did Myrtle have an equal shot at achieving the American Dream?

Prompt: Did Nick have an equal shot at achieving the American Dream?

Prompt: Did Gatsby have an equal shot at achieving the American Dream?

Photo from: http://apracticalwedding.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/announcement.jpg

A 1920s Newspaper wedding announcementThis is something you were likely to see in a newspaper to announce a wedding in the 1920s. Daisy may have had something similar when she announced she was going to marry Tom Buchanan. Take a look at the fictionalized announcement for Daisy and Tom to answer the silent discussion prompt.

The Louisville Courier-JournalLIFESTYLE

1DJune 15, 1918

Daisy Fay to be married A wedding with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville has ever known

Bride to Be: In typical Fay style, Daisy Fay of Louisville adorns a jeweled gown and celebrates her engagement to Tom Buchanan of Chicago. Photo courtesy of imdb.com.

by ALTHEA FACTS

Daisy Fay of Louisville traded in her white Road-ster for an engagement ring last month. Fay will marry Tom Buchanan of Chicago at 5 o’clock this evening in a wedding beyond compare.

A native of Louisville, Fay gained popularity among her peers when she was just eighteen. Living in one of the largest houses in town, Fay could have been seen racing through the streets with friends and suitors, clothes and smile beaming white.

Among the other brides-maids, golfer Jordan Baker of Louisville will join the wedding party at the altar today.

“I used to be so flattered whenever she wanted to even speak to me. I admired her most of all the girls in town” Baker said, adding,

“She was the most popu-lar of all the young girls in Louisville. Not only does she have the largest ban-ners hanging on her house and the largest yard, but she has charm to boot.”

When she was a eighteen, Fay’s phone never stopped ringing with Camp Taylor officers trying to monopo-lize her at night, Baker said. There were rumors about her chasing a soldier to New York, but she was rarely seen with soldiers af-ter a spat with her wealthy, well-established family.

But a year later, Fay found Buchanan.

“I know I had my competi-tion with all of the military officers who came knock-ing in the past,” Buchanan said, “but I know that I can give Daisy everything she deserves.”

Buchanan is holding up his end of the bargain by

giving Fay the largest wed-ding this city has ever seen.

He pulled into town in four private cars and more than 100 guests to attend the wedding. He also hired an entire floor of the Seel-bach Hotel.

“Tom has been a doll,” Fay said, gently touching the string of pearls around her neck that Buchanan gave to her last night. The pearls have been said to be valued at 350,000 dollars.

The town expects Fay to come out in typical Fay grandeur.

“She looked as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress last night at the rehearsal dinner,” Baker said. “I know she will look even lovelier tonight.”

The couple plans to hon-eymoon and travel for three months in the South Seas, with a stop in Santa Barbara planned.

City’s youth enjoys new jazz

by ALTHEA FACTS

The new rhythm of jazz music fills the air of Louis-ville clubs. And the youths cannot get enough of it. New artists are going to

make appearances in the local clubs. Continued on page 2D

Louisville’s teens seen flocking to lo-cal jazz clubs every weekend

Who’s coming to Louisville? Check out page 2D. Photo courte-sey of bit.ly/1bHyPjF.

Nick Carroway 3325 N. South St.

Saint Paul, MN

Education: Saint Paul High School, Saint Paul, MN Yale University, New Haven, CT – Bachelor’s Degree Experience: • Shop helper in family’s hardware store, 1914-1917 • United States Infantry, Second Division, World War I 1917-1922 -Served in France Achievements and Involvement: • member of Yale ROTC club, 4 years • member of Yale business club, 4 years Cover letter: To Whom It May Concern: Ever since learning about Bonding Enterprises Inc., I have thought I would be the perfect fit for your company. Although I am new to the business, I come from a middleclass but hardworking Midwestern family and was fortunate enough to attend Yale University due to my grades and some money my family had set aside. After studying business and as a member of the Yale Business Club, I became interested in bonds but had to leave the country to serve in The Great War in France. It was after returning from France that I found myself anxious in my hometown and longing once again for the travel and adventure I experienced in Europe during the war. Therefore, I am writing to you in hopes of exploring my interest in the bond business and to satisfy my craving for adventure in the big city of New York. I believe my Midwestern work ethic as well as my time abroad makes me the ideal candidate for this position. Sincerely, Nick Carroway