The Great Gatsby

Party at Gatsby's

Overview

The basic overview of this lesson is connecting a great novel about the aspects of the American Dream to the modern day point of view of 21st century students.  In Fitzgerald's novel, there were many characters who thrived on the titles of "upper class citizens", but this did not necessarily equate to happiness or satisfaction.  This activity will not only emphasize the importance of social interaction within this text, but it will also give these students an opportunity to portray their own interpretation of the American Dream and also the flaws in the "Pursuit of Happiness" system that is generally associated with wealth and popularity.  By associating this older text with 21st century cinema and also modern day social networking, it will also give these students a better chance to connect with this influential text.

Standards and Objectives

a.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 - CC.9-10.R.L.3 -Key Ideas and Details: Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

b.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 - Craft and Structure: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

c.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.7 -  Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Procedure

1.) After reading The Great Gatsby, the students will watch The Great Gatsby film that is coming to theatres soon.

2.)The students will create a Significant Differences chart between F. Scott Fitzgerald's Novel and the Hollywood rendition of the text.

            i.) Why did the director choose to leave certain things out of the film?

            ii.) If you were the director, would you make the same cuts/put in the same additions?

3.) If there was a present-day "Party At Gatsby's", what would it look like?

            i.) Do the materialistic drives of West Egg connect to American society today?

            ii.) Have the students discuss some examples of materialism in today's society.

4.) "Party At Gatsby's" Activity: Have the students re-create a "Gatsby Party".  The students will choose a setting that can be created in the classroom as well as deciding the characteristics of their role in the party that would properly imitate one of Fitzgerald's characters, or one from the movie version.

5.) The students will then create an invitation to the event in a modern day fashion.  For example, the students can create the invite by formatting a "Facebook Event" that covers the basic details about the party (i.e. Date, Time, General Information about the party)

6.) The next day, the setting will be created in the classroom and the students will take on these roles.  This will help the students understand the emphasis of social activity in Gatsby's world.

7.) After the activity, students will write a response paper on the activity from the point of view of their character. How did you feel the party went?  What were some differences between the party portrayed in Fitzgerald's novel and the party in the classroom?

            i.) Example: If a character was imitating a modern day Gatsby, the student would bring write on the success of the party, his relationships with Daisy (or the Daisy-like character), etc.).

            ii.) Example: If a character is Nick Carraway, how is this environment from the point of view of an outsider/newcomer?

Assessment and Evaluation

a.) The students will be able to see The Great Gatsby in another perspective by seeing it as a film.  This Hollywood rendition of the text will also bring forth another connection with the students, because there are some familiar actors in the film.  The assessment of their understanding of the text and the film will be determined through their work on the "Significant Differences" chart.

b.) Their participation in the "Party at Gatsby's" activity will also demonstrate each student's creativity and it also gives them to create a personal interpretation as to how this novel about the upper-class white population from the early 20th century can connect to their lives.

c.) The final portion of the activity is their response papers they will have an opportunity to take character beyond what they brought to the table during the interactions in class.  This can give non-vocal students in the class an opportunity to participate and create a creative point-of-view.  The project in its entirety is based on emphasizing the creativity of the student and their control of how their classroom "party" is structured.  This will also give them an assignment to work on their grammar and punctuation.