Unit+of+Instruction

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//** The Great Gatsby...Then and Now **// **﻿** //**Sarah Walls **//

//**Unit Overview **//

__//**Overview **//__

//In this unit the students will be reading the Great Gatsby in its entirety. We will be researching and putting together presentations and reports on the social structure of the era, the historical background the author, and the history of world events during that were occurring during that time. //

__//**Student Audience **//__

//This unit is designed to help 10th grade English students discover “The Great American Novel” and research one of the greatest American authors //

__//**Timeframe **//__

//I would like to spend four weeks working with this novel including research and presentation time. //

__//**Rationale **//__

//This unit is especially functional in integrating technology into our classroom. Most importantly, the era in which the novel was written is exciting and engaging and they can really get involved with the text. Students will enjoy being able to compare and contrast Gatsby days to contemporary ideas. This lesson closes the gap between literature and life. //

__//**Unit Objectives **//__

//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students will be able to apply the use of historical knowledge to uncover deeper meaning within text. Students will be able to carefully research a variety of topics. Students will be able to use technology to present an in depth and engaging topic. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Unit Standards **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students read and understand a variety of materials. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking,listening,and viewing. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students read to locate, select, and make use of relevant information from a variety of media, reference, and technological sources. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Variations or Adaptations **//__

//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">In the event that I teach this unit to ELA students, of course the necessary adjustments need to be made. Although I know that ELA students may take a little longer to be able to read the text, for the most part, the unit is user friendly to students of any language. That being said, I will schedule more class time to work within the text so as not to leave behind struggling readers. I think ELA students can benefit immensely from learning about the ideals of America in Gatsby’s time. It will also be interesting to see how they compare and contrast current times to the times of the Gatsby’s. I think they may be able to offer a unique perspective to the projects. //

//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Along with adapting my unit to spend more class time with the text, I know that I will need to spend more time with the research portion of the unit. Students may be unfamiliar with American history and key issues that were going on in Gatsby’s time. The research may need to be addressed and translated for the unit. In order to compare and contrast the time periods, they may need short background lessons in American history. //

//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Obviously all lessons may need some tweaking and revision depending on many things: class size, availability of technology, learning disabilities, etc. I believe that my unit is user friendly and easily changed or modified to meet the needs of a variety of students. //

//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 200%; line-height: normal;">Lesson 1 **//

<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 200%; text-align: center;">//The Great Gatsby…Then//

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Description of lesson: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">In today’s lesson we will be investigated the times and the era of the Great Gatsby. We will discuss region, social settings, and class systems (in terms of money). //

//__**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Assignment: **__// //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">In class we will spend time doing choral reading of the beginning of the text to get acquainted with the novel. Later we will work in small groups brainstorming clues within the text leading us to ideas about the concepts mentioned above. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Homework: each student/group will be assigned to do a small bit of research (at home on the internet) on the concepts written above. Instructions will be given in detail in class. If students do not have access to internet, another assignment will be given. Along with the research, students will read the next assigned reading portion. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Resources/materials needed: // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students will need their text, a notebook, and a writing utensil. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Technology reflection: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students will be able to research their topic using any online tools the wish (i.e. You Tube, Google, etc.) This will allow them to research within different formats and offer different perspectives. Strict encyclopedic research would be tedious and all students would have the same information to offer. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Evaluation: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">This lesson is in danger of really running off topic. As a teacher I will need to make sure the assignment stays focused and gets us to where we are really ready to delve into the book and its themes. As an introductory lesson it seems vague and I will need to be very specific in my expectations of research and homework assignments after this day in class. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 210%;">Lesson 2 **//__

//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 180%;">The Great Gatsby...Where? //

__**//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Description of lesson: //**__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">In this lesson we will be talking about setting and how it drives the plot line of the novel. We will be looking at variations of setting on micro, meso, and macro levels. Included below is a worksheet that has more information regarding the different levels of setting. In class we will also break into two different groups creating our own setting for future projects (more details later). //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Assignment: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">In class we will discussing having a discussion continuing on the idea of the era (20's), and the idea of class. We will be looking at film clips from The Great Gatsby movie in order to visually place the characters. Specifically we will be watching clips of Daisy's first scene and Gatsby's party. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Resources/materials needed: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Instructor will need access to YouTube and/or film in order to show clips. Students will need notecards, the text, a writing utensil, and be ready to participate in a class discussion about the novel. //



__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Technology reflection: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">I absolutley believe in showing clips of film so that students can visualize otherwise intangible places and time periods. As we further and further away from the 20's I believe that it is difficult for students to wrap their minds around what Gatsby's party would be like. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Evaluation: **//__ //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Of course the timing of this lesson will depend on the students ability to comprehend the different levels of setting. depending on how long it takes, we may need to go more in depth or we may wrap up early and dive into the next lesson which will be on "class". Of course you always want to be aware that technology may fail and have a back up plan. //

__//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 200%;">Lesson 3 **//__

//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 180%;">The Great Gatsby...What's Happening? // media type="custom" key="8693190" align="center" <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">﻿﻿ //<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">With this timeline tool we will be able to put together a timeline of pivotal points in the novel. This activity will be done daily as a class at the beginning of the period. It helps students to "see" intricate parts of the plot. Also they will be able to collaborate and pinpoint specific points of importance. I have inserted the first event. //