S+Wandelear,Olivia+Eden-Grace

**Office:** Purington 322 **Office Phone:** (207) 123 - 4567 **Office Hours:** Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 1pm-3pm ** E-mail: ** olivia.wandelear@maine.edu
 * Teacher:** Ms. Wandelear

=Summary of Unit= Through reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s //The Great Gatsby//, students will gain knowledge of the importance of literary devices like themes and symbols, understand perspective and points of view and their contribution to the novel, and recognize history and setting as important factors to plot and action. Students will create wikipages, Wordles, iMovie and ComicLife presentations, blog entries, and Glogsters to prove and further their comprehensive understanding of literary devices, points of view, and setting. Hostilic rubrics and weekly student –produced podcasts will grade mastery in both formative and summative assessments. Pre-assessments will provide a better understanding of student knowledge prior to the unit’s start. Student self-assessments given at the end of each product or presentation will allow students to evaluate and take pride in their own work. In the final project of the unit, students will create an original song using Garageband or Audacity, and/or their own instruments that includes themes and symbols, a point of view, and elements of the history and setting of the novel, proving they have mastered the unit goals and met MLR A2.

=Establish Goals= //**A2 Literary Arts**// //**Grades 9 - Diploma** The Great Gatsby// || •Common literary elements and devices shape the effectiveness of the plot by allowing the reader to draw conclusions and make connections to their own lives and/or other texts. •The point of view and narration of a text benefit the perspective and believability of a novel. •History and setting play important roles in the development of plot and action.
 * **//Maine Learning Results//: English Language Arts //- A. Reading//**
 * //**Students read text within a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and present analysis**// //**of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry using excerpts from the texts to defend their assertions.**// ||
 * **Students will understand that**
 * **Students will understand that**

= = =Essential Questions= || •How does Nick's narration and perspective affect the readers? How is a narrator reliable or unreliable? •Why does the setting of the Jazz Age affect and relate to the plot? How do the characters' actions and relationships reflect the time period? || =Students will know= •**vocabulary** (literary devices) - theme, setting, tone, protagonist, perspective, genre, conflict, action, audience, symbolism, plot, style, personification •**important characters** Nick Carraway, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby •**critical details** - era of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties, the American Dream, the aristocracy associated with East and West Egg
 * •How do literary devices and elements contribute to the effectiveness of the novel?

= = =Students will be able to= •justify the effects of America in the 1920s on the style and action of the text. •evaluate the themes of the novel. •create depictions of East and West Egg and what they represent. •analyze the characters' internal and external conflicts through their points of view. •consider the novel's action through another character's point of view. •recognize symbols and the relationship that exists between them and the audience.

**Performance Task Overview**
 * So you're sick and tired of East and West Egg's scandals, competition, and general nastiness - who isn't? The talk surrounding Jay Gatsby and his social circle this summer has your head spinning and searching for a way out! You want to find a way to use all of the knowledge you have of East and West Egg to break away and see the world. You have the tools necessary to break away from Long Island and make the world hear your voice because you just so happen to be a member of an up and coming pop group or trio looking to make it big. If you want to create the next number one hit and be on the next flight to Hollywood, you must impress the Virgin Records company, who came to the Eggs looking for the next Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne. If you impress the record label with your original song using //Gatsby// as your inspiration, they will sign your group and make you a star! The road to becoming a popstar is no walk in the park, as anyone featured on Vh1's //Behind the Music// will tell you. Virgin Records compiled a specific list of criteria your song must meet in order to truly impress them and prove you've got what it takes. Your original song may be from any genre of your choice, but it must be at least two minutes long and authentically represent where you came from. You're not "Jenny from the Block,"you're "(your name here) from the 'Eggs'"! Really prove you know what happened this summer with Gatsby and his "friends," by either channeling one of the characters and telling the scandalous events from their point of view, or vividly and creatively describing the events from yours. Remember, it's still 1922, so include elements of the Jazz Age and 1920's pop culture in your lyrics. Likewise, the record label loves interpretive stuff, so be sure to address prominent themes and symbolism from //Gatsby// in your lyrics to prove how indie and "deep" you are. Feel free to record your own instruments, or use Garageband or Audacity's presets. As always, keep the language clean and save the dirty stuff for when you're famous. Good luck! **

=Expectations= __**Absent/Late Policy:**__ Let's pretend I'm the big, mean, and unforgiving CEO of Olivia's Bagels & Co. We're known for our awesome customer service, decent prices, and the best (and probably only) Dorito-flavored bagels around. You and your classmates are the bagel makers and sellers in our Farmington store. You work in an assembly line, meaning one of you makes the bagel dough, one of you kneads and shapes the dough, one of you bakes the dough, one of you take the bagels out of the oven, and a bunch of you sells the bagels to overweight customers, etc. This works so effectively that we pump out trillions of bagels everyday until everyone we know reeks of Dorito breath! If just one person is late to work, or never shows up, the assembly line suddenly halts, and significantly less Dorito bagels are fed to the masses! Oh the horror. I bet many of your teachers have used a scenario much less creative than this one to basically tell you that their class is like your job, and your grades are the money you make by doing their tediously boring assignments. Good thing I don't agree with this at all, and for the record, I actually //hate// Doritos and could vomit at the thought of a Dorito-flavored bagel. The truth is, I am not a CEO and would never want to be. I would never be able to get to know my "workers" on a personal level, and understand that the reason they did not show up to make bagels was because they were saving twenty puppies from drowning in the Temple stream. The truth is, I am your teacher, and I don't want you to come to class for //my// benefit, so I can make the best bagels in all of Maine and make trillions of dollars, I really truly want you to come to class for //your// benefit. You are young and bouncy, and I should never be able to take that away from you. You are also sniffly and hang out in dirty places sometimes, so you get sick like everyone else. I understand that you won't make it to school every single day. However, this doesn't mean your irresponsibility can run wild. If you are late to class, slyly and smoothly find your seat as if I never noticed you were gone, just like in the movies, and just make sure you come see me after class is over to see what you missed. The same applies for absences. Find a few minutes during any down time you have during my class, or after school, to figure out what work you missed. If you know you are going to be absent for something like a doctor's or dentist's appointment, let me know the day before, and I can see if I can Skype you after school that day to give you a heads up. Shoot me an email in the morning or even the night before, olivia.wandelear@maine.edu, and if you are bed ridden, I can Skype you during the class to keep you up to speed. Even though high school isn't the real world yet, we try our best to prepare you for it. This means that you're not completely off the hook. If you are absent or late more than 5 times during a quarter, you and I will have to have a discussion about how we can improve this. Likewise, we will collaboratively decide how these absences will affect you academically, and how much time you will need to complete the assignments you missed. I am not a dictator, so I of course would never make decisions on your behalf without your input!

__**Assignment Expectations:**__ You are all energetic and creative balls of fire, meaning I know how capable you are of exerting some of this energy and creativity into schoolwork. This English class does //not// simply consist of reading and writing. We will read, draw, view, act, play, write, listen, and create in this class. I've tried my hardest to eliminate any tedious and boring assignments from this class, so you can actually stay sane and happy throughout the duration of the school year. Therefore, I expect dedicated and thoughtful students to join me in my class, because I know you all are both of these things. Imagine you are making a batch of cupcakes for your grandma's birthday. You would never give her bad-tasting unfrosted cupcakes! You would spend time mixing the batter, baking the cupcakes at the right temperature, of course licking the bowl, and then creatively frosting and sprinkling the cupcakes until they looked //and// tasted delicious. Your assignments in this class are your grandma's birthday cupcakes, full baked and decorated with creative flair. Your assignments should be completed as well, reflecting your hard work and thoughtful attitude towards them. I certainly don't expect everyone's cupcakes to look the same, either. Maybe your grandmother has to have gluten-free cupcakes, or she only likes chocolate with white frosting and dinosaur sprinkles. I am never looking for any one specific model of assignment, or flavor and design of cupcakes. I happen to love pretty much //every// flavor of cupcake under the sun and will scarf down any cupcake you put in front of me. I will always give you examples of the assignments and projects you will create, but only to give you ideas, not to limit you to making your end product look exactly like the your neighbor's. No student is the same, no cupcake is the same, and so, no assignment will be the same. :)


 * __Attitude and Classroom Behavior:__** We will channel Aretha Franklin in this class, and demand respect from everyone in the classroom. However, if you demand it, you must grant it as well. You certainly don't have to like me or your classmates, but you'll need to show everyone the respect they deserve. This means acknowledging the valid opinions of everyone in the class, even if they you don't agree with them. Life is //much// more tolerable when everyone at least accepts their peers despite what they look like, how they act, and what they believe in. When you enter my classroom, I'd like to you to leave any poor attitudes or opinions about your classmates and the subject at the door. You might learn something new that makes you value English class and your classmates a little more.


 * __Plagiarism Policy:__** In short, plagiarism is cheating, and it is also illegal. So don't do it. Imagine how your poor grandmothers would feel! If you are ever unsure about what constitutes as plagiarism, come see me, and I'd be happy to help you out. Plagiarism pretty much means taking someone else's work, (music, writing, pictures, thoughts, etc.) and passing it off as your own. This means writing a paper about a book and never citing the book, or making a fantastic collage of pictures you did not take yourself without asking the person who took them if you could use them. Creative Commons is a great online tool we will use in class to determine what pictures and ideas we can use in our assignments and projects without asking direct permission, so long as we give credit to that person. Because there are actual //laws// against plagiarism, it would be unlawful and unfair of me to permit plagiarism in the classroom, so always ask if you're not sure! I will not be able to grade your papers or projects, or display them in the classroom until any and all sources you used are properly cited. I will return your work to you and ask you to fix these issues before I take a look. When writing research papers or analytical essays, please use MLA or APA citation format. There are many great resources on the internet explaining how to cite using the latest editions of these formats. Likewise, we will discuss formatting in class before our first paper.

=Benchmarks= • **Participation and Preparedness 50pts** You should contribute to class discussions and activities in order to receive full points. You are also encouraged to ask questions during each day's lesson to earn these participation points. Come to class prepared to learn and be engaged everyday. Bring an open mind every day and a few different writing utensils, like pens, pencils, and colored pencils everyday unless stated otherwise. You will receive a full 50pts by participating in class discussions and debates, coming to class with an open mind, and by showing respect towards your classmates, teacher, and learning environment, and by appreciating your peers' ideas and opinions, even if they do not coincide or agree with yours.
 * Total of 800 pts**

• **Self-assessments/graphic organizers 60pts** In the midst of each lesson, you will all complete a graphic organizer and engage in a self-assessment activity of some sort. Completing these thoughtfully and wholly will earn you the full 60pts for the unit. Often, you will have time to revise and refine your graphic organizers during class to make them as complete and in depth as possible. You will use a different colored pen or marker, or a different medium each time you make these changes. If I can see your changes fairly clearly, reflecting that you recognized changes in your learning throughout the lesson, you will receive full points. Self-assessments usually require you to explain to me how you feel about about the day's lesson, and what you feel your strengths and weaknesses are regarding the content. These will never be graded on how "well" you completed these assignments. If the self-assessments are completed thoughtfully and honestly, you will automatically receive the full 5pts for each one.

• **Blog entries:** At the end of each section of reading, usually a chapter you will reflect on the events from a character other than Nick's point of view (9 total). These will be done after a tutorial on how to create and use a Blogger account. If you already blog, you can simply create a new blog for this class. Our blog usernames and links will be located on the class wiki, which will also be an ongoing assignment. Each blog entry should have a creative title reflecting the events of the chapter you just read. Be sure to take everything you learn about perspective and narration throughout the unit and incorporate it into your blog entries. Please write a blog entry from every main character's point of view at least once throughout the unit, and then feel free to repeat your favorite character a few times. Blog entries should be at least 2 paragraphs long, and include a major conflict or event from that section of the reading. You will also have the opportunity to create your own events in the story, for times when the characters' actions happen outside of the narration. Feel free to make educated guesses about what your character does based on their actions and attitudes that you //do// see in the narration. 8pts will be given for the completion of these blogs, and an additional two points for commenting on at least one other classmate's blog entry. These comments can be words of encouragement in your own voice, or a reaction to their blog from the your choice of character's voice. **10pts each**

•.**Wikispaces:** As previously mentioned, the class will have a Wikispaces page used a resource to our learning during this unit. You will receive a tutorial on how to manage a Wikispace and add information to it. One page will contain all of the links to our blogs, and we will use pages as a catalog of research and information collected on the 1920's pop culture an lifestyle. Each of you will manage your own page throughout the unit, and add links to helpful websites, text, and pictures about life in he 1920's in order to fully grasp its importance to the novel. You can make your page unique, of course, so long as you include the necessary headings and content in your page. These headings will include: ideology, attire, music and dance, film, cultural events, and literature.You will receive full points by keeping your wiki space updated each week, and by accurately including all of the sections. **75pts**

• **Wordle:** During our lesson on themes, you will each create a senses chart for each of the major themes on //Gatsby//. These include jealousy, aristocracy, society, mortality, love, and a few others. The senses chart organizes the types of things associated with these themes, and in this case, all 5 of your senses. After completing each senses chart, you will copy your text from the chart into a text box on Wordle.net. A Wordle creatively and colorfully organizes your text into a picture. You will pick one theme and enter all of your text on that theme into Wordle in order to make a cool "word cloud" that alternatively organizes your thoughts and feelings one themes. No Wordle is the same, because no student is the same, and therefore, some of the sights and sounds you associate with a certain theme may not qualify for one of your peers. These Wordles will be displayed in the classroom as reminders and colorful depictions of themes as you begin to create your performance task towards the end of the unit. **50pts**

• **Glogster:** We will discuss several reoccurring symbols in //Gatsby// throughout the unit. You will have plenty of class discussions regarding symbols and their meanings and significance to the novel, as well as our everyday lives. At the end of the lesson, you will have an opportunity to create a Glogster, which is an online interactive poster which you can add text, images, and sound clips to. After we discuss some major symbols in //Gatsby//, like the green light on Daisy's dock, the color purple, and the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, you will have the opportunity to create a Glogster on a symbol of your choice. You should include images of the symbol, as well as other images they inspire. I encourage you to add text to your Glogster explaining your images, as well as your symbol in general. Feel free to add sound clips from songs and other medias that help to explain your symbol, but be sure to cite your sources! Images and sound clips need to have text boxes indicating where you found it, and who to give credit to for creating it. **75pts**

• **ComicLife:** We will learn about the three types of conflict found in literature and films: man v. man, man v. self, and man v. nature. These conflicts are either internal or external, which we will discuss more in depth during that day's lesson. We will watch a few clips from films that include these types on conflicts, and you will have time to share out in class your own personal conflicts, or examples you have found in books you have read, movies or TV shows that you have watched, and music you have listened to. We will also explore the many conflicts in //Gatsby//, including Gatsby v. himself, Gatsby v. Tom, and Nick and Gatsby v. society. After these discussions, and in groups of two, you will create a ComicLife depicting one of these conflicts. I invite you to be as creative as you want. As long as you include the character(s) included in the conflict, and what the conflict actually is, everything else goes. Place your characters in the 21st century, make them superheroes or robots, give Daisy a mustache! I will never stifle your creativity, just keep your language and content clean. If MTV would want to turn your ComicLife into the next //Jersey Shore//, it's probably a little too racy. :) **100pts**

• **iMovie:** You and your group of two other classmates will created an infomercial-like presentation promoting or degrading Gatsby's parties, including cultural and aristocratic norms represented by East and West Egg during the 1920's using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Putting the big words from that sentence aside, you will essentially turn one of Gatsby's social parties into the next Snuggie (hopefully.) We will learn all about what "aristocratic" means, and watch a few really shamefully embarrassing informercials to give you a few ideas. As we will have learned from our lesson on conflicts, every story has two sides to it, and this is very true in //Gatsby//. The little islands of West Egg and East Egg are home to two different groups of people, even though at first glance they seem quite similar. We will have a class debate deciding which Egg is superior, and the class will be divided in order to represent both sides. After we gather enough information about West Egg and East Egg, you and three other classmates will be able to decide which side you really prefer, disregarding the debate team you were on. If you represent East Egg, you will create an informercial bashing Gatsby's parties and promoting something else much better than his tacky gatherings. If you represent West Egg, you //are// tacky, and think that the parties are the best thing since the Snuggie, so your infomercial will provide various examples as to why someone should attend these parties because they are so awesome. Each infomercial should be about 10 minutes long, and no longer than 15. Have any of you ever been able to sit through any longer than 15 minutes of an informercial? **100pts**

• **Performance task - Garageband or Audacity original song 200pts** During the final week of the unit, you will have the opportunity to showcase all of your learning in a creative and original way through song. You will use Garageband/Audacity and/or a combination of your own instruments to create a song using //Gastby// as your inspiration. More information about this project is explained in the Performance Task section of the syllabus. You will receive full points on the song by including some themes and symbols of //Gatsby//, as well as a point of view and some elements of the history and setting of the novel. Likewise, you should remain school-appropriate with your lyrics and content and take pride in your work! You will be in teams of four for this project, so don't start sweating now! I will ensure that work is evenly distributed and each of you pulls your weight. :) =Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59). ||