This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 day class study of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.
Audio Guide CDs are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide CD. Non-participating communities can listen to the full audio online.
Day One
FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan
Activities: Listen to The Big Read Audio Guide, Track One. Read Reader’s Guide essays. Write on D'Invilliers quote, which serves as an epigraph.
Homework: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-21).*
Day Two
FOCUS: Arts and Culture
Day Two Lesson Plan
Activities: Listen to The Big Read Audio Guide, Track Two. Go to www.neajazzintheschools.org and listen to Louis Armstrong. Read Handout One and Handout Three. Write about the relationship between the cultural era and the novel.
Homework: Chapter 2 (pp. 23-38).
Day Three
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan
Activities: Explore Nick's narration. Imagine the story narrated by Daisy. Write the first pages of Daisy's narration. Explore landscape as a reflection of point of view.
Homework: Chapter 3 (pp. 39-59).
Day Four
FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan
Activities: Explore the protagonist and antagonist. Examine minor characters who serve as foils. Write about the antagonist.
Homework: Chapter 4 (pp. 61-80).
Day Five
FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan
Activities: Review the novel, identifying instances of figurative language. Write a personal story using techniques of imagery, simile, and metaphor.
Homework: Chapter 5 (pp. 81-96).
Day Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss the symbols in the novel. Write about Daisy from Nick’s point of view.
Homework: Chapter 6 (pp. 97-111).
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan
Activities: Explore how characters change within the story. Examine whether the landscape reflects point of view. Read Handout Two. Write about the novel as a coming-of-age story.
Homework: Chapter 7 (pp. 113-145).
Day Eight
FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan
Activities: Chart a timeline of the story. Develop a plot for the sequel.
Homework: Chapters 8 and 9 (pp. 147-180).
Day Nine
FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan
Activities: Have students propose five potential themes to examine more closely. Develop an interpretation based on one of the themes.
Homework: Begin essays. Complete outlines for next class.
Day Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Book Great?
Day Ten Lesson Plan
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great novel and a voice of a generation. Examine the qualities that make Fitzgerald’s
novel successful. Peer review of paper
outlines and drafts.
Homework: Essay due during the next class period.
*Page numbers refer to the Scribner 2004 edition of The Great Gatsby.
