Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: The Great Gatsby

Name: Brianna Moulton

Content Area: Language Arts

Grade Level: 11

CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

Reading Standards for Literature Grades 11-12 Students
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build
on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze the impact of the authors choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is
ordered, how the characters/archetypes are introduced and developed). CA
Big Ideas:
1. Why are the themes of "The decline of the American Dream" and "The hollowness of the upper class" important to The Great Gatsby and how do they develop
throughout the story?
2. Who are the main characters and how are they introduced?
3. What are some of the main character's common settings and what does this say about them? Do they stay within these "bounds?"
4. Where does this text leave matters uncertain?
Unit Goals and Objectives:
Objectives:
1. At the end of this unit, students will be able to cite and analyze texts while reviewing small excerpts with 80% accuracy.
2. At the end of this unit, students will be able to correctly identify and interpret themes while reading excerpts and responding to them 4 out of 5 times, as well
as provide an objective summary.
3. At the end of this unit, students will be able to identify specific characters, settings, and plot points in The Great Gatsby when completing written identification
questions with 80% accuracy.
Unit Summary:
In this unit, we will first explore characters and setting through the reading of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We will analyze what these settings say
about characters and whether or not these characters stay within these bounds. Next, we will begin to tap into theme, and start to analyze themes within The
Great Gatsby and how they develop throughout the story. We will continue to practice theme in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," and also begin to practice writing
objective summaries. For our third lesson, students will hone in on their summary and theme skills, as well as begin their citation and analyzing skills by reading
the first chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll . There will be many study tools along the way such as Quizlet, and to finish it all off,
students will do a presentation on the close-reading of a text of their choice, and write an essay on a close-reading of The Great Gatsby. At the end of this unit,
students will be able to interpret themes, analyze characters, plot, setting, and citations, and provide objective summaries easily. It may sound like a lot now, but
students will practice these so much, they will come reflexively! There will be many fun and eccentric readings to practice these activities, and it should be
challenging, but fun! In the end, we will also be watching the movie The Great Gatsby as a special treat.
Assessment Plan:

Entry-Level:

Brainstorm - What makes a story/ poem

interesting/ complex?

Formative:

Quick Write - What makes "The Raven"

interesting/ Complex?

Graphic Organizer - The Great Gatsby

quotes matched to characters, themes, or
motifs

Webercise - theme and objective summary

Timeline - Summary, theme, citations, and

analysis

Quizlet - Games and activities on literary

tools

Summative:

Presentation - Present the literary tools

used in your choice of narrative

Essay - Essay on the literary tools in The

Great Gatsby and how they influence the
text.

Lesson 1
Student Learning Objective:

Acceptable Evidence:

3. At the end of this unit,

students will be able to
identify specific characters,
settings, and plot points in
The Great Gatsby when
completing written
identification questions
with 80% accuracy.

Students will respond to

their choice of 5 out of 12
identification questions
where they will review
their knowledge of their
selected topics in at least
3-5 detailed sentences.

Instructional Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:

Discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald and fun facts about the Great Gatsby and
1920's
Read and annotate the first third of The Great Gatsby in class and at
home
Keep weekly journal/ blog/ glogster etc, on reading
Teacher lecture on Prezi Presentation and guided notes
In groups, organize the text into 3 major characters, 3 major
actions and 3 major settings and analyze what these things say
about the text
Practice identifying characters, action sequences and settings in
other works, poetry, and small excerpts

Lesson 2
Student Learning Objective:

Acceptable Evidence:

2. At the end of this unit,

students will be able to
correctly identify and
interpret themes while
reading excerpts and
responding to them at least
4 out of 5 times, as well as
provide an objective
summary.
Lesson 3

Students will respond to

short excerpts by
identifying and responding
to multiple themes within
the excerpts in at least 5
sentences.

Student Learning Objective:

Acceptable Evidence:

3. At the end of this unit,

Students will produce short

Instructional Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:

Instructional Strategies:
Communication
Collection

Read and annotate the second third of The Great Gatsby in class
and at home
Re-discuss what "themes" are
Discuss and practice briefly summarizing texts
Start collecting central ideas while at home, and discuss major
themes of the story in class
Assign Theme and Objective Settings" Webercise for homework
Practice summarizing and finding themes in other works, poetry,
and small excerpts in class

Lesson Activities:

Read and annotate the last third of The Great Gatsby in class and at

students will be able to cite

and analyze texts while
reviewing small excerpts
with 80% accuracy.

answers to provided
excerpts that will include
citations from the excerpt
as well as a brief analysis of
the excerpt, and what the
citation means to the text.

Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

home
Practice citing important excerpts or quotes and analyze why they
are important at home and in class discussion
Assign timeline assignment on summary, theme, citations and
analysis
Look for and present hidden meanings through symbols, motifs,
foreshadowing and other literary devices first in class discussions,
then in group presentations
In class discussion, pinpoint places where the author has left things
uncertain and discuss why he/ she does this and it's effect (irony?)
Watch The Great Gatsby movie (the original)
Presentation on reading of students choice
Final paper on The Great Gatsby

Unit Resources:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rubistar.4teachers.org - http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&module=Rubistar&rubric_id=2483314&
Prezi - https://prezi.com/k258-zggb4dy/the-great-gatsby/
Weebly - http://www.weebly.com
Teacher Website - http://briannamoulton.weebly.com/
Digital Unit Plan Website - http://thegreatnessofgatsby.weebly.com/

Useful Websites:
http://quizlet.com/subject/great-gatsby/ (Great Gatsby Study Tools)
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/ (Great Gatsby Summaries)
http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/ (Great Gatsby Online)
http://mentalfloss.com/article/50822/24-great-gatsby-facts (Fun Facts)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOeEc9ME62zTfqc0h6Pe8vb (Author John Green's Analysis Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0WZ8-0Z1Y&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOeEc9ME62zTfqc0h6Pe8vb (Author John Green's Analysis Part 2)
http://www.neabigread.org/books/greatgatsby/teachers-guide/schedule-lesson-plans/ (Teachers Guide for the Great Gastby)
http://poestories.com/read/raven ("The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe)
http://www.online-literature.com/carroll/alice/1/ (Chapter 1 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)