Digital Unit Plan Template

Digital Unit Plan Template
Unit Title: The Great Gatsby
Name: Deborah Choi
Content Area: English
Grade Level: 11th
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is
particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Big Ideas/Unit Goals:
Students will explore and develop their own responses to the following essential questions as they read The Great Gatsby:
1. How does literature reflect a culture or time period?
2. How is ones life affected by either the success of self-discovery or the failure to understand oneself?
3. Why do some people have difficulty distinguishing between what is reality and what is illusion?
Unit Summary:
Unit Summary: In this eight-week unit plan, students will read The Great Gatsby, a timeless American classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which deals
with themes such as identity, social class, hope, and the American Dream. Students will learn about the glitter and charm of the 1920s Jazz Age,
as well as the class structures prevalent during this time, as exemplified by East Egg and West Egg. Students will explore questions such as the
meaning of the American Dream--What is it? Does it still exist for us today? Is it possible to achieve?--as well as broader questions such as the
issue of identity--How much of who we are is shaped by how others see us? In this unit, students will practice close reading strategies such as
annotation and KWL charts, participate in small group and whole class discussions, and engage in a number of technologically rich, interactive
activities to further explore and understand the novel and its central ideas. Ultimately, students will consider how this novel impacts our own
lives today: what values we as Americans consider important, how we are affected by illusions versus reality, and what it means to have an
American Dream today.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level:
Discussion Carousel; small group research
presentations; Anticipation Guide Graphic
Organizer.
Formative:
Journal entries; in-class discussions of the
novel; assorted graphic organizers and
handouts; character analysis foldable; chapter
quizzes; vocabulary quizzes.
Summative:
Extended essay on a central theme of the
novel (such as Can we repeat the past?);
final unit test.
Lesson 1
Student Learning
Objective:
Acceptable Evidence
(Assessments):
Entry-Level
Assessment:
Informal Assessment:
In-Class Discussion of
the 8 Discussion
Prompts
Students will engage

in both small group
and whole class
discussions to discuss
the text-to-self and
text-to-world
connections within a
novel.
Formal Assessment:
Anticipation Guide
Graphic Organizer
Lesson Activities:
Students will discuss central ideas and themes from The Great Gatsby, examining their
prior knowledge of these themes and considering whether they agree or disagree with
several value statements relating to the novel.
First, students will read an article called Intro to the Great Gatsby, and briefly discuss at
their table groups what they learned from the article. Next, students will be given small
strips of paper with discussion questions written on them, one question per table. Each
table group will have 2 minutes to discuss their prompt before passing their paper on to
the next table. During this time students will focus on text-to-self connections,
considering links between their prior knowledge and main ideas in The Great Gatsby.
Afterwards, students will share some of their thoughts with the class, and then fill out an
Anticipation Guide Graphic Organizer. Students will fill out the first column for homework,
writing down AGREE or DISAGREE for each prompt, and then writing at least one complete
sentence to explain their response.
The next day, homework will be checked for completion, and students will be asked to
keep their Anticipation Guides until the end of the unit. After we have finished reading the
novel, we will revisit our Anticipation Guides, fill out the last column (text-to-world
connections), and then discuss how reading The Great Gatsby may have changed our
perspective on these issues.
Lesson 2
Student Learning
Objective:
Formative
Assessment:
Students will be able
to closely read and
analyze the meaning
of words in a text and
interpret both their
literal and figurative
meaning.
Acceptable Evidence:
Lesson Activities:
Informal Assessment:
The teacher will
prompt students to
provide definitions of
words we have
studied as we
encounter them in the
text.
For each chapter, students will be given a list of 15 vocabulary words they must study
prior to reading the chapter. Students will be taught various strategies for studying
vocabulary, such as using learning activities on Quizlet (each vocabulary list will be
uploaded to Quizlet, complete with definitions), writing sentences, word mapping, and
four-corners vocabulary charts (see below for an example).
Formal Assessment:
Students will take a
Quizlet quiz to
demonstrate
knowledge of the
vocabulary words for
each chapter. See a
quiz for Chapter 1
here.
Each week, students will be given a vocabulary quiz on the chapters they were
responsible for having studied that week. Students will be given a reading schedule and a
quiz schedule at the beginning of the unit. These activities will connect to the student
learning objective by helping students understand and analyze the meaning of words in
The Great Gatsby.
Lesson 3
Student Learning
Objective:
Summative
Assessment:
Students will write
both brief and
extended pieces
evaluating the
development of
central themes and
characters in a novel.
Acceptable Evidence:
Lesson Activities:
Formal Assessment:
Students will write a
3-page essay
addressing their
chosen prompt and
providing concrete
evidence from The
Great Gatsby to back
up their argument.
Students will write a 3-page double-spaced essay responding to one of eight essay
prompts. These prompts address themes such as Gatsbys coming of age, materialism,
the American Dream, infidelity, Appearance vs. Reality, contradictions, and the past.
Students must choose one prompt, formulate a thesis in response to it, and write an essay
that uses concrete evidence from The Great Gatsby to support their argument. MLA
format will be used for all in-text citations and for the Works Cited page.
Students will have already learned to write a good thesis and organize an extended essay,
but if necessary we will review these skills prior to students writing the essay. Students
may also be given part of a class period to use the Chromebooks in class to brainstorm
and write a rough draft of their essays.
Click here for more details and a scoring rubric for this assignment.
Unit Resources:
1.
Quizlet.com A great website for studying and learning vocabulary
2.
Rubistar.com For making templates for grading projects or essays
3.
Some great strategies for studying vocabulary
4.
Gradesaver.com A study guide for the novel
Useful Websites:
1.
The full text of The Great Gatsby - in case you need an online copy to refer to
2.
F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography - some background info about the author
3.
The Roaring 20s - background info on the historical era of this novel
4.
The Great Gatsby at Genius.com - provides chapter-by-chapter annotations
5.
An Index to The Great Gatsby - explains important people and terms
6.
Great Gatsby Video Game - great for reviewing plot and character
7.
A New York Times article on the new edition of The Great Gatsby, and whether it is better than the old edition
8.
A collection of great quotes by F. Scott Fitzgerald
9.
Trailer for the 2012 version of The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo di Caprio and Carey Mulligan
10. Crash Course literature commentaries on The Great Gatsby - Parts 1 and 2

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Digital Unit Plan Template - The Great Gatsby

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Unit Title: The Great Gatsby

Name: Deborah Choi

Content Area: English

Grade Level: 11th

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

Students will engage

Quizlet.com A great website for studying and learning vocabulary

Rubistar.com For making templates for grading projects or essays

Some great strategies for studying vocabulary

Gradesaver.com A study guide for the novel

F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography - some background info about the author

The Great Gatsby at Genius.com - provides chapter-by-chapter annotations

An Index to The Great Gatsby - explains important people and terms

A collection of great quotes by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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