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.
The CD Audio Guide referenced for this title is referred to as the Radio Show in the left hand navigation. The compact disc versions 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. If your community is not participating, encourage a local organization (such as a library, museum, literary center, arts council, or similar non-profit organization) to apply.
Day One
FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [40K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD, 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 [46K PDF]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD, Track Two. Go to www.neajazzintheschools.org and listen to Louis Armstrong. Read Handout One [47K PDF] and Handout Three [47K PDF]. 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 [42K PDF]
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 [35K PDF]
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 [42K PDF]
Activities: Review the novel, identifying instances of figurative language. Write a personal story using techniques of image, simile, and metaphor.
Homework: Chapter 5 (pp. 81-96).
Day Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [34K PDF]
Activities: Discuss the symbols in the novel. Write about the "American Dream."
Homework: Chapter 6 (pp. 97-111).
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [42K PDF]
Activities: Explore how characters change within the story. Read Handout Two [47K PDF]. 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 [42K PDF]
Activities: Chart a time line 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 [39K PDF]
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: A Great Novel
Day Ten Lesson Plan [40K PDF]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great novel and the voice of a generation. Examine qualities that make Fitzgerald ’s
novel successful. Peer review of paper
outlines or drafts.
Homework: Essay due next class period.
