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Lesson 1

We will think about the unit’s Central Question and make connections to our personal experiences. We will watch and discuss a video about the Roaring Twenties and study the historical and cultural events that form a context for The Great Gatsby, and we will learn some initial information about the novel’s author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. We will then preview vocabulary for Chapter 1 in order to prepare for our first The Great Gatsby reading homework assignment.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of an informational video?

  • Can I use a variety of strategies (e.g., context clues, word study, and vocabulary resources) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, phrases, and figurative expressions in Chapter 1?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Scribner, 1925
  • Digital Access
    • “F. Scott Fitzgerald — The Great American Writer — Biography,” Biography.com, YouTube, April 10, 2019
    • “The Roaring 20’s: Crash Course US History #32,” John Green, Crash Course, YouTube, October 4, 2013

Optional

  • Unit Reader
    • “F. Scott Fitzgerald to His 11-Year-Old Daughter in Camp,” excerpt from A Life in Letters, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1994

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss – Write

We will discuss the unit’s Central Question and each make a personal connection to it by completing a quick-write in our Learning Log. We will also read and analyze the Culminating Task to identify the specific knowledge we are expected to learn throughout the unit and the specific skills we will need in order to be successful on the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Read the Central Question of the unit.

How do perceptions, illusions, and dreams influence our lives?

With a partner or small group, choose one of the following questions and engage in a discussion. You can also access these questions in Question Set 1.1.

  1. What is the meaning of the word perception? What influences how people perceive things? In what ways do people’s perceptions influence their lives?

  2. What is the meaning of the word illusion in this context? What causes and influences the illusions people experience? In what ways do illusions affect people’s lives?

  3. What is the meaning of the word dream in this context? What influences the dreams people have for their futures? In what ways do people’s dreams influence their lives?

  4. In what ways are people’s perceptions, illusions, and dreams related? How might these relationships affect people’s lives in positive ways? How might they affect them in negative ways?

Step 2

In your Learning Log, write a response to one of the following questions:

  1. Think of a time in your life when you were very excited and hopeful about a person, thing, or event—but ended up feeling disappointed. Why were you disappointed? In what ways were your initial perceptions an illusion? Explain.

  2. Think of an event or place you loved when you were little—but were disappointed by when you returned a few years later. Why were you disappointed? In what ways were your recollected perceptions an illusion? Explain.

Share your response with your partner or small group.

Step 3

With your partner or small group, read and discuss the Culminating Task Checklist. Determine what skills and knowledge you need to succeed on the Culminating Task. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What do I need to know to succeed on the Culminating Task?

  2. What do I need to do to succeed on the Culminating Task?

Create a checklist in your Learning Log or use the Culminating Task Progress Tracker to determine what you need to know and do to succeed on the Culminating Task. For each knowledge and skill identified, assess how prepared you are.

Activity 2: Read

We will review the Unit Text List to familiarize ourselves with the texts we will analyze and discuss throughout the unit.

Step 1

Access and review the Unit Text List. Note the information that is included about each text. These texts are also listed in the activities in which they appear, under the Materials tab. You will notice that each text has an icon by it. These indicate where the text is located, which corresponds to the Location column in the Unit Text List.

Text locations:

  • Tradebook: These texts are full-length novels or nonfiction books you will most likely have copies of.

  • Digital Access: You can find these texts online. Use the information provided in the Unit Text List or on the Texts tab for the activity to conduct a web search for the resource. Digital Access resources include online articles, videos, podcasts, and other web sources.

  • PDF Texts: These are formatted PDFs of texts that are available for download on the Materials tab.

  • CD/DVD: These materials are available on CD or DVD and might also be available through online content providers.

Step 2

Review the Independent Reading Text Options. Here, you will find suggested options for independent reading related to the unit.

Activity 3: Discuss – View – Write

We will watch a video titled “The Roaring 20’s: Crash Course US History #32” to learn about the cultural and historical context of The Great Gatsby and to build necessary background knowledge.

Watch "The Roaring 20's: Crash Course US History #32." Before you watch, review the questions below, which can also be found on Question Set 1.1, to preview the content of the video. Then use them to help you take notes in your Learning Log or a VideoNote-Taking Tool. Your teacher may pause the video to support your note-taking and understanding of key terms.

  1. What are some of the things that the Roaring Twenties "gave us"? How are some of these influences still alive today?

  2. What does the video suggest about the beginnings of "the American love affair with the automobile"?

  3. What does the video tell us about "the Lost Generation of American writers" and the "Harlem Renaissance"?

  4. How did things change for women in the 1920s?

  5. What similarities between the 1920s and our current era do you see (particularly in regard to attitudes about immigration)?

Discuss your responses and notes with a partner or small group.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss

We will study Additional Background Information and context by researching key concepts and ideas from the crash course video.

Research one of the key ideas or terms from the Crash Course video and share your findings with the class.

Activity 5: View – Write – Discuss

We will view a biographical video about F. Scott Fitzgerald to build background about the author of the novel.

View the short biographical video about author F. Scott Fitzgerald, taking note of key information that might be related to the novel we will read.

As you watch, consider the questions below. You might use the Video Note-Taking Tool to write down notes about what you see and hear:

  1. What stands out to you as interesting or important information about the author’s life?

  2. In what ways might events from his early life have influenced Fitzgerald’s writing of The Great Gatsbyin the 1920s?

  3. What connections can you draw between the two videos we have watched—between the 1920s and the life of one of the era’s most famous writers?

As a class, briefly discuss your responses to the video and the three viewing questions.

Activity 6: Read – Discuss

We will continue to examine the author’s life through his personal correspondence.

Read and annotate the letter “F. Scott Fitzgerald to His 11-Year-Old Daughter in Camp,” an excerpt from A Life in Letters in the Unit Reader. Discuss in pairs the following questions:

  1. How would you describe Fitzgerald’s outlook on life? What evidence from the text supports your conclusion?

  2. How would you describe his tone to his daughter? What words and phrases hint at his tone?

  3. Do you agree or disagree with his lists? Explain.

  4. Does the postscript tone seem lighthearted or sinister? What evidence from the text supports your conclusion?

  5. Can you make any hypothesis about Fitzgerald’s priorities in life? What evidence from the text supports your hypothesis?

Activity 7: Write

We will determine the meaning of key words from chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby in order to better understand the opening monologue of the novel.

For this activity, you will use a Vocabulary Journal, which you will maintain for the entire unit.

Your teacher will provide you with a list of key words from Chapter 1 of the novel. Write down the words and definitions in your Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 8: Read – Write

For homework, we will read the first few pages of The Great Gatsby and respond to guiding questions using the Attending to Details Tool.

For homework, read and annotate the first five pages of Chapter 1 (up to the sentence ending in “the consoling proximity of millionaires, all for 80 dollars a month”). Use your Vocabulary Journal to support your reading as well as to write down new and interesting words you encounter.

Use the questions below to guide your annotations.

  1. Is the narrative told through first or third person? Who is the narrator, and what might be his role in the story?

  2. How do details the narrator relates about his life and views shape your first impressions of Nick Carraway?

  3. What relationships do you notice between F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life and the details we learn about Nick?

Complete a copy of the Attending to Details Tool for Question 2.