February Newsletter
Ms. Genord English 3
What We Are Wrapping Up: Great Gastsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Plot Summary: This story is about a millionaire Jay Gatsby as told by Nick Carraway. Nick, who lives on West Egg with the newly rich, tells the tale of his neighbor Gatsby. Gatsby's life is centered around one thing: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, his love lost five years before. Gatsby's quest leads him from poverty to wealth, into his arms of Daisy, and eventually to death.
What we have been doing: Students have been reading The Great Gatsby outside of class. This has allowed for students to discuss the novel in class. Students have also been writing a research paper. We have been discussing the four themes and their relation to The Great Gatsby. We have also had the opportunity to use the 2013 film version of The Great Gatsby to relate Hollywood's portray of Fitzgerald's work to his authorial intentions.
Assessments: There have been numerous assessments including: reading quizzes, study guides, and group activities in class. As their final assessment, students are to complete a mastery research essay.
From The Great Gatsby....
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Other Areas of Focus This Month:
Research Paper:
During the month of February, we have been focusing on writing a research paper on The Great Gatsby. Before starting the novel, students were given background information on the 1920s and the Jazz Age. The paper requires students to explore a theme and it's presence both in the 1920s and in the novel. The themes to pick from were as follows:
1). The hollowness of the upper class- Shown by the loose morals of the time period and in characters like Tom Buchanan of the Great Gatsby.
2). Gender roles- Women were gaining independence/power in the 1920s seen in flapper type women like Jordan Baker.
3). Decline of the American Dream- The dream was alive yet hard to achieve for most. The Great Gatsby's main character fails to entirely achieve his dream.
4). Stratification of the Social classes- The gap between the rich and the poor grew in the 1920s which is represented through the settings of East Egg, West Egg and the Valley of Ashes.
What's coming up?
Next Month: A Raisin in the Sun & and the Harlem Renaissance. Next month we will be focusing on The Harlem Renaissance by reading authors like Langston Hughes and Lorainne Hansberry. This was a time of cultural, social, and artistic explosion in the 1920s-30s. We will be reading the play A Raisin in the Sun about an African American family living in Harlem, New York.
Students will have the opportunity to reenact a scene from A Raisin in the Sun for a creative project mastery grade next month!
Ms. Genord
Father Gabriel Richard High School
English 3 and 4 Teacher
Please contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!
God Bless