Lit - Great Gatsby Party
- Details
- Category: English Language Arts
- Published: Monday, 05 January 2015 00:15
- Written by Brian Jaeger
- Hits: 2111
OK, I have to admit I never liked teaching Gatsby. I just found most of the characters annoying and the themes kind of adult for high school students for no good reason. However, if you can't get out of it or if you really think Gatsby is great literature, use this lesson to make it a little more interesting for the kids.
The Great Gatsby: An Extravagant Party to Remember
Our current novel is filled with tales of lavish parties and as part of this unit, you will have the chance to "throw" your own. This project is hands-on, from making invitations to illustrating the scene of your party. You will instrumental in designing your party so that it’s the great time you’re hoping for.
Assignments and Due Dates:
Tues. 5/17: Brainstorm list of items you’ll need for your party and services you’ll need to hire. Create a "receipt" of these items.
Thurs. 5/19: Make a list of people to invite to your party, create draft of your invitations.
Fri. 5/20: Type receipts and research on the Internet to see how much items cost, type invitations.
Mon. 5/23: Discuss business letter format, work on drafts of letters to services, such as caterer, baker, florist, etc.
TUE. 5/24: Peer edit letters and invites, etc. Make a poster showing the scene of your party, as though you’d send a copy to the florist and other service providers to show them where everything should be laid out.
You may bring in magazines for this activity for 5 pts. each (up to 4 magazines per person)
WED. 5/25: Type final drafts of letters and invitations.
Wed. 5/26: Poster, receipt, source list, invitation list, business letters, and invitation due at start of class!!! Impromptu in-class essay – trade your materials with someone else in class and explain your party plans to each other. Then, pretend you’re a guest at their party and write a journal entry describing your experiences at their party. Make sure all party materials are attached and turned in by the end of class!
Rubric: All of these are MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS, and all may be turned in up to two days late (for reduced credit, of course) EXCEPT the journal, which is due at the end of class on 4/7. Exceptions will only be made for absent students.
Poster – _______________ out of 20 pts.
(should use color, should include pictures of key items such as refreshments, flowers, etc—draw the scene of the party in 3-D or in plan)
Receipt - _______________ out of 20 pts.
(should be a two-column list: on left side list items, on right list their prices. Give a total cost at the bottom, MUST BE TYPED)
Source List - _______________ out of 10 pts.
(should list websites and other materials used to find cost of materials and services. Title and author will do for print sources, title and URL required for websites).
Invitation List - ___________________ out of 10 pts.
(should be a TYPED list of everyone you will invite to your party. Put a number to the left of their names so the number attending is evident; make sure it’s more than ten.)
Business Letter - ____________________ out of 20 pts.
(should be a TYPED letter addressed to one of your service providers, such as the florist, using business letter format. Spelling/grammar also important.)
Invitation - _____________________ out of 20 pts.
(should be TYPED inside using an invitation format discussed in class. Outside may be decorated with pictures, lace, whatever materials you’d like. Use one of your invitees’ names on the invitation. Extra points may be given if you include a properly addressed envelope)
Impromptu in-class essay/journal - ________________________ in notebook.
(should address your experiences at a classmate’s party (give their name) as though you attended the party the day/night before. Should use "Dear Journal" or "Dear Diary." Graded for use of first-person narration, description of events, and grammar/spelling).