L2+Wandelear,Olivia+Eden-Grace


 * UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON**
 * COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION**
 * LESSON PLAN FORMAT**


 * Teacher’s Name:** Ms. Wandelear
 * Date of Lesson:** 2 Explain
 * Grade Level:** 9th
 * Topic:** //The Great Gatsby// - history and setting

__**Objectives**__
Students will understand that history and setting play important roles in the development of plot and action.
 * Students will know history, setting, plot, action, Jay Gatsby **
 * Students will be able to justify the effects of America in the 1920s on the style and action of the text.  **

__**Maine Learning Results Alignment**__
//**A2 Literary Arts**// //**Grades 9 - Diploma** The Great Gatsby// ||
 * **//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.**// ||
 * Rationale:** Students will compare the 1920s ideology of the American Dream to its existence today, if there is one, and therefore, make connections between the text and their futures.

__**Assessment**__
After watching a [|video] of George Carlin debunking the American Dream, students will create a persuasion map choosing their side of the argument. We will discuss as a class examples of why the American Dream //does// exist before completing the map. I will ask students examples of times in their lives when they achieved some sort of goal. Students can also discuss any struggles their family and ancestors have had throughout history and indicate if the idea of the American Dream pushed them to reach their goals. The persuasion maps will serve as a diagnostic assessment that indicates how much the students know about the American Dream and its effect on this country. Students will consider Gatsby's drive to succeed based on the idea that anything is possible in America, and Carlin's harsh reality check. Students will have time in class to revise these maps after our Roundtable discussions about the controversial issue. Students will have to consider the societal norms and differences between the 1920s and the 2010s, and whether or not these contribute to their argument. Students will rethink and reconsider their opinions and ideas on the existence and possibility of the American Dream. Students will add these modifications to their maps in a different color or medium in order to see the changes in their learning and knowledge. Finally, and as an introduction to Garageband or Audacity (programs will we use late in the unit), students will create a podcast as a student self-assessment. I will provide a tutorial on how to use these programs. Students will complete these podcasts in class. They can move to corners of the room away from their classmates, so as not to get feedback and background noise from other students. In these podcasts, students will describe one thing they now know about the American Dream thanks to the lesson. They will also indicate their stand on the issue - do they think the American Dream exists, or do they think it is a myth? Students will also ask at least one question they still have on the lesson's topics.
 * Formative (Assessment for Learning)**

The class will have a Wikispaces page used a resource to our learning during this unit. Students will receive a tutorial on how to manage a Wikispace and add information to it. One page will contain all of the links to all of the class' blogs, and we will use pages as a catalog of research and information collected on the 1920's pop culture an lifestyle. Each student will manage their 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. Students will be encourage to make their page unique, of course, so long as they include the necessary headings and content in the wikipage. These headings will include: ideology, attire, music and dance, film, cultural events, and literature. Students will receive full points by keeping their wiki space updated each week, and by accurately including all of the sections. I would like each student to include at least three pictures under each heading, as well as three hyperlinks to reliable websites, such as [], a site with great information and links for further exploration of 1920s culture. I will provide this website as a starting reference point for the students. I will show the students how to properly cite any text or ideas they grab from the internet, or books from the library. I will also show them how to do a [|CreativeCommons search] for their pictures and graphics. The Wikispaces will serve as a summative assessment, because students will have to use their learning in class to justify the information they provide on the page. I understand that it would be fairly easy to copy and paste information without really understanding it, so students will have to consider //Gatsby// as they do their research. Students will write one or two sentences under each picture or link, or explain in their paragraphs how this relates to the text and the characters. For example, one student might post a picture of a well-to-do couple, and indicate that this is their impression of what Tom and Daisy might look like.
 * Summative (Assessment of Learning)**

__**Integration**__

 * Technology:** Students will exercise their knowledge of technology by first exploring and becoming familiar with Garageband or Audacity as they create their podcasts. I will provide a [|tutorial] on how to use these [|both] of programs, because the students will use them again for their final performance task. Rather than writing their questions and comments about the lesson on paper, students will use their voices through technology to explain them to me. The podcast is a valuable tool because students can play back their recorded voices, and change specific parts they do not like, or parts that are fuzzy and hard to comprehend. These are much more valuable than regular tape recordings due to this play back feature. Likewise, students can exercise their creativity by using the voice distortion features, and adding song clips from their iTunes libraries. Students also use Wikispaces in this lesson, which serves as a virtual library for them to organize their thoughts about 1920s culture and how it affects the plot and action of //The Great Gatsby//.


 * History:** Students will explore the 1920s from a historical and literary standpoint. We will discuss ideology, attire, music and dance, film, cultural events, and literature in order to better understand the context for the story's plot and action. Understanding the history that serves as a backdrop to the novel will also help to understand Fitzgerald's motives for writing it, and its message to its audience about society and the pressures to the at the very top. Students will also discuss the American Dream, and its logic and possibility of existing both in the 1920s and today. Students will have to know just as much about the 1920s culture and norms as they do about the own society the live today in to understand these differences.

__Groupings__
I will use a Roundtable activity as a method of cooperative learning. The class will be able to pick their group of four themselves. Students will use their persuasion maps to discuss and convince the other members of their group that their ideology is the most plausible. I will facilitate the Roundtable discussions by walking around and making sure all groups are on task with the assignment. I will also direct their further discussion. I will ask to them to think about the differences between the 1920s and today, and if these societal or cultural norms have anything to do with their side of the argument. Questions I ask will include, "has the role of women changed since 1922?" and "does this change affect the American Dream for women today?" These will probe the students to reflect more about the world around them, and if this affects their assertions about the American Dream. Important to touch upon is the fact that I probably will not have actual round tables in my classroom. For this activity, I will have throw pillows in circles on the ground of the classroom for students to sit on in an actual circle for the most effective and intimate discussions.

__**Differentiated Instruction**__
**Linguistic** students benefit from the writing portion of the persuasion map, in which they address whether or not they agree with Carlin and Gatsby about the American Dream. **Logical** students will benefit from the structure of the persuasion map, in which they place their thoughts about the American Dream in a logical and organized fashion. **Spatial** learners will benefit from the visual YouTube video in which Carlin debunks the American Dream, as well as the colorful revisions they make to the persuasion map. **Interpersonal** learners will be able to interact with classmates during the Roundtable discussion about their thoughts and opinions on the believability and existence of the American Dream. **Intrapersonal** students will be able to independently reflect on their learning about the American Dream during their individual podcast. They can play back and fiddle with their own words. **Musical** students will benefit from the loose structure of the podcast about their opinions and learning of the American Dream. They can add music and sounds to any portion in order to make it more exciting.
 * Strategies**


 * Modifications/Accommodations**
 * //I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.//**
 * Absent/Late: Students will be advised to see me on the day after they were absent (usually on the day our class does not meet). It will take them about ten minutes to watch the Carlin video and fill out their persuasion maps, so students can choose to do this quickly during the next class period they have me in, or after school, or at home. These students will also receive the tutorials on how to use Wikispaces and Garageband or Audacity. Because students will work in class on their podcasts, if a student was absent on the other days before the podcast day, I will ask a student or two to help out the one that was absent. These students can help them organize their thoughts on the persuasion map if they missed the Roundtable discussions. I will also be available for help, and if needed, will spend one-on-one time with the absent students to get them up to speed. In a special circumstance when the students knows her or she will be absent on the Roundtable discussion day, I can spend him or her in with the rest of the class if they are available to they can still join in. **

**Extensions:** Because the Wikispaces assignment is so open-ended, GT students, and any other students who feel comfortable, may take the assignment and its requirements a step further. This means adding many more pictures and hyperlinks than the three of each required. Also, these students can make more pages and headings that correlate to 1920s culture as they research the topic. Students can discuss such things as gender roles and family roles on their wikis. Likewise, I will ask students to write their justifications in more than just one or two sentences. Any student who wishes to do so can come see me to learn how to scan their own artwork and embed their own music files on to their page.

__**Materials, Resources and Technology**__

 * LCD projector
 * persuasion maps
 * laptops
 * markers, (colored) pencils, crayons
 * throw pillows
 * internet access

__Source for Lesson Plan and Research__
__[]__ This is the video of George Carlin I will show the students as the hook into the lesson.

This is the persuasion map the students will use to defend their side of the argument.

[] This is a webpage with a lot of great and rich links for further research on culture of the 1920s. Students can use this as a starting point.

 [|CreativeCommons search] I will use CreativeCommons to promote the proper etiquette of borrowing on the internet. Students can find pictures for their Wikipages by using a CreativeCommons search.

[|Audacity] This is the Audacity tutorial I will direct the students to, and explain. I will also provide print outs for students who would rather have a hard copy.

This is the Garageband tutorial I will direct the students to, and explain. I will provide print outs for students who need a hard copy.

[] Much of chapters 2 and 3 will be discussed in the lesson, where we meet Gatsby and learn much more about him and his American Dream.

[] This webpage provides an overview of the American Dream and what it means. I used it in my content notes.

__**Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale**__

 * //Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.//**
 * Rationale:** Students will always have choices in my classroom. In this particular lesson, students make their own decisions on the believability of the American Dream. I never tell them which side is "right," and which side is "wrong," because these answers do not exist. Students fill out their persuasion maps based on their own thoughts, ideas, and personal experiences, and none of these things have limitations. Likewise, these students will design their Wikipage themselves, and include graphics, links, and text based on their own justifications of the content. Resources open to the students on the Wikipage include, but are not limited to, websites, online journals, library books, personal books, experiences, interviews (both personal and non), songs, lyrics, pictures, films, and television shows. Students are free to pick and choose from any of these medias in order to make their Wikipage a personal yet informative library. Students who desire structure and clearly outlined goals will be nurtured by the Wikispaces as well. Why students are free to fill in the information in any way they choose, necessary headings and content in the Wikipage will include: ideology, attire, music and dance, film, cultural events, and literature. These six topics help to outline life in the 1920s as a whole, and allows students to see the big picture regarding the historical contexts in literature. These students will also benefit from the organization of the persuasion map, which requires them to back up their assertions and ideas with evidence. Students who need hands-on learning experiences will benefit greatly by the Roundtable discussions and podcast activity, where they do much more than just graze the surface of the material. In the Roundtable activity, students will be challenged by their peers, as well as a few deep questions I will ask. Also, in the podcast assignment, I ask students to reflect on their own learning, in a very different way than just writing a few things down. Students will have the opportunity to fiddle with the programs Garageband of Audacity to discover cool things like voice distortion. This activity allows students to get their feet wet using these types of audio recording programs. This experience will come in handy when students create a song using one of these programs for the final performance task in the unit. Finally, I strive to creative a comforting, nurturing, and respectful environment. Because the element of choice is highly evident in my classroom, students will never feel bullied into completing an assignment that has no personal connection or value to them. In the cooperative learning activity, the Roundtable discussion, students //will// be challenged, but they will never be told that they are wrong. They will also be supported by their peers who have the same outlooks. Students can lean on each other for support, and feel welcome to express opinions without fear of scrutiny. I ultimately aim to literally have a cozy classroom as well. During the Roundtable discussions, students will ait comfortably on pillows on the floor and engage in intimate conversations with their classmates and I.


 * //Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.//**
 * Rationale: Students will successfully meet MLR A2 by the end of this unit, which states that //s////tudents read text within a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and present analysis of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry using excerpt from the texts to defend their assertions. Students will understand that history and setting play important roles in the development of plot and action. Students will compare the 1920s ideology of the American Dream to its existence today, if there is one, and therefore, make connections between the text and their futures. In order for students to make these connections, they will have to consider the cultural and historical contexts that the ideology of the American Dream weaves its way through. Students will also get to know Jay Gatsby's character, and how he represents the classic "rags to riches" tale, and strives all of his life to attain the American Dream. ////(see content notes)//** // By the end of this lesson, students will be able to successfully practice the facet //**explain**, as they will be able to justify the effects of America in the 1920s on the style and action of the //The Great Gatsby//. Students will understand Fitzgerald's reasons and motives for writing the novel, and the message he tries to convey to the audience regarding the fallacy and misconceptions of the unattainable American Dream. Therefore, students can make their own assertions about this major theme in the novel. Just because Fitzgerald found the American Dream to be foolish, does not mean this is true for everyone, especially my students, who have always been told to "follow their dreams," and "shoot for the moon." Students can decide what characteristics, attitudes, and mindsets a person must posses to be successful in this country, and any country for that matter.


 * //Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs.//**
 * Rationale:**

**Linguistic** students benefit from the writing portion of the persuasion map, in which they address whether or not they agree with Carlin and Gatsby about the American Dream. **Logical** students will benefit from the structure of the persuasion map, in which they place their thoughts about the American Dream in a logical and organized fashion. **Spatial** learners will benefit from the visual YouTube video in which Carlin debunks the American Dream, as well as the colorful revisions they make to the persuasion map. **Interpersonal** learners will be able to interact with classmates during the Roundtable discussion about their thoughts and opinions on the believability and existence of the American Dream. **Intrapersonal** students will be able to independently reflect on their learning about the American Dream during their individual podcast. They can play back and fiddle with their own words. **Musical** students will benefit from the loose structure of the podcast about their opinions and learning of the American Dream. They can add music and sounds to any portion in order to make it more exciting.


 * Technology:** Students will exercise their knowledge of technology by first exploring and becoming familiar with Garageband or Audacity as they create their podcasts. I will provide a [|tutorial] on how to use these [|both] of programs, because the students will use them again for their final performance task. Rather than writing their questions and comments about the lesson on paper, students will use their voices through technology to explain them to me. The podcast is a valuable tool because students can play back their recorded voices, and change specific parts they do not like, or parts that are fuzzy and hard to comprehend. These are much more valuable than regular tape recordings due to this play back feature. Likewise, students can exercise their creativity by using the voice distortion features, and adding song clips from their iTunes libraries. Students also use Wikispaces in this lesson, which serves as a virtual library for them to organize their thoughts about 1920s culture and how it affects the plot and action of //The Great Gatsby//.

** I will use diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments in my classroom. **After watching a [|video] of George Carlin debunking the American Dream, students will create a persuasion map choosing their side of the argument. We will discuss as a class examples of why the American Dream //does// exist before completing the map. I will ask students examples of times in their lives when they achieved some sort of goal. Students can also discuss any struggles their family and ancestors have had throughout history and indicate if the idea of the American Dream pushed them to reach their goals. The persuasion maps will serve as a diagnostic assessment that indicates how much the students know about the American Dream and its effect on this country. Students will consider Gatsby's drive to succeed based on the idea that anything is possible in America, and Carlin's harsh reality check. Students will have time in class to revise these maps after our Roundtable discussions about the controversial issue. Students will have to consider the societal norms and differences between the 1920s and the 2010s, and whether or not these contribute to their argument. Students will rethink and reconsider their opinions and ideas on the existence and possibility of the American Dream. Students will add these modifications to their maps in a different color or medium in order to see the changes in their learning and knowledge. Finally, and as an introduction to Garageband or Audacity (programs will we use late in the unit), students will create a podcast as a student self-assessment. I will provide a tutorial on how to use these programs. Students will complete these podcasts in class. They can move to corners of the room away from their classmates, so as not to get feedback and background noise from other students. In these podcasts, students will describe one thing they now know about the American Dream thanks to the lesson. They will also indicate their stand on the issue - do they think the American Dream exists, or do they think it is a myth? Students will also ask at least one question they still have on the lesson's topics.
 * //Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.//**
 * Rationale:**

The class will have a Wikispaces page used a resource to our learning during this unit. Students will receive a tutorial on how to manage a Wikispace and add information to it. One page will contain all of the links to all of the class' blogs, and we will use pages as a catalog of research and information collected on the 1920's pop culture an lifestyle. Each student will manage their 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. Students will be encourage to make their page unique, of course, so long as they include the necessary headings and content in the wikipage. These headings will include: ideology, attire, music and dance, film, cultural events, and literature. Students will receive full points by keeping their wiki space updated each week, and by accurately including all of the sections. I would like each student to include at least three pictures under each heading, as well as three hyperlinks to reliable websites, such as [], a site with great information and links for further exploration of 1920s culture. I will provide this website as a starting reference point for the students. I will show the students how to properly cite any text or ideas they grab from the internet, or books from the library. I will also show them how to do a [|CreativeCommons search] for their pictures and graphics. The Wikispaces will serve as a summative assessment, because students will have to use their learning in class to justify the information they provide on the page. I understand that it would be fairly easy to copy and paste information without really understanding it, so students will have to consider //Gatsby// as they do their research. Students will write one or two sentences under each picture or link, or explain in their paragraphs how this relates to the text and the characters. For example, one student might post a picture of a well-to-do couple, and indicate that this is their impression of what Tom and Daisy might look like.

__Teaching and Learning Sequence__
The students' desks will be arranged in a U shape facing the white board and LCD screen in order to watch the video and fill out the persuasion maps. I will provide throw pillows, and invite students to bring their own for the Roundtable discussion part of the lesson. Groups of four or five pillows will be arranged in circles around the classroom, mostly in the middle of the U shape, for students to have intimate conversations with each other.

Hook: Carlin video. All students will watch this short YouTube video (5 minutes) Objectives: I will explain to the students that we will be discussing the American Dream in this lesson, because in chapter three we meet Gatsby, and begin to understand his drives and passions to be successful. (5 minutes) Diagnostic Assessment: Students will fill out their persuasion maps according to their beliefs about the American Dream. (10 minutes) Cooperative Learning: Students will engage in Roundtable discussions. I will walk around facilitating. (40 minutes) Assignment/ Homework: We will read some excerpts from //Gatsby//, from chapters 2 and 3. Students will be reminded to write their blog entries about this section of reading within the next 2 nights before we start the next section. (20 minutes)
 * Agenda**
 * Day One:**

Revise: Students will revise their persuasion maps, using a different color or medium to show these changes. I will ask the students to consider what they discussed during Roundtable time, and if hearing their peers' opinions gave them a new perspective. (10 minutes) Wiki tutorial: I will introduce wikispaces to the class. Everyone will create an account and locate our class page. For their first experience using the wiki, students will take turns copying and pasting their blog URLs on to a page. We will also discuss CreativeCommons. (20 minutes) Wiki activity (summative assessment): Students will have the rest of class time to explore the web looking for pictures, links, and information to add to their Wikis. Students can decorate their page any way they want, and add the headings in whatever font they want. (50 minutes)
 * Day Two:**

Podcast day (formative assessment): I will introduce Garageband or Audacity and provide tutorials to the class on how to use the programs. Students need to familiarize themselves with the programs, and spend plenty of time fooling around with the features. Students will make a podcast and record their learning. (50 mnutes) Assignment/ Homework: Students who finished their podcast will be directed to upload it on to their Wikipage. Also, students will have time in class to continue working on their Wikipage research and their blog entry. (30 minutes)
 * Day Three:**

Students will understand that history and setting play important roles in the development of plot and action. Students will compare the 1920s ideology of the American Dream to its existence today, if there is one, and therefore, make connections between the text and their futures. **//Students read text within a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and present analysis of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry using excerpt from the texts to defend their assertions.//** Students will need to understand the historical context in which the action of //Gatsby// takes place. Many events, such as the Prohibition Acts serve as a backdrop for some characters' actions and lifestyles. I will first show the students a three-minute video of the late George Carlin discussing the plight of Americans, and how the American Dream is one big lie because it is impossible to attain it. In fact, he says that the reason it's called the 'American Dream' is because '"you'd have to be asleep to believe it." I will then discuss the actual definition of the American Dream, and why some people would disagree with Carlin based on their own experiences being happy and successful. Although many Americans have not yet reached the ultimate American Dream, they believe the idea //does// exist, and serves as something to always strive for in life. Some would argue that everyone's dream is different, so they is no real way of deciding if the American Dream is wrong or right. I will then ask students to fill out a persuasion map in which they pick a side: The American Dream exists, or The American Dream does not exist. I will ask students to fill out the map using their own personal experiences and their own opinions. No one can be right or wrong. Students may draw and/or write to describe their feelings. **Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailors: linguistic, logical, spatial, intrapersonal**

After students have finished, I will ask them to form groups of four or five, but be sure to include at least two people from each side of the argument to be in their group. Student would have been asked during a previous day to bring a pillow they would not mind placing on the floor. If students forget to bring a pillow, or could not get one mildly dirty, I will have extra ones for them to use. Students will form circles on the ground with their pillows and sit down on them in order to engage in the Roundtable discussion. Here, I will ask students a series of questions to discuss in their groups. Before I ask the questions, however, I will ask each student to share one or two things from their map with the rest of their group. Students will use their persuasion maps to discuss and convince the other members of their group that their ideology is the most plausible. I will facilitate the Roundtable discussions by walking around and making sure all groups are on task with the assignment. I will also direct their further discussion. I will ask to them to think about the differences between the 1920s and today, and if these societal or cultural norms have anything to do with their side of the argument. Questions I ask will include, "has the role of women changed since 1922?" and "does this change affect the American Dream for women today?" These will probe the students to reflect more about the world around them, and if this affects their assertions about the American Dream. As the class period comes to a close, I will ask students to consider their classmates' opinions. Did your group say anything you might want to add to your own persuasion map? I will ask the students to start making these changes on their maps, or to make little notes and reminders to come back to during the next class period. Students will remain in the Roundtable groups on the floor, as I read some excerpts from chapters 2 and 3 in //Gatsby//, most specifically, parts about Gatsby's lavish parties and what they represent. **(see content notes) Equip, Explore, Rethink, Revise, Tailors: linguistic, spatial, interpersonal**

Students will have the opportunity in class to revise and refine their persuasion maps after the Roundtable discussions. They have already made a few tweaks and added their own notes, but now they will add these modifications to the map in a different color or medium in oder to see the changes in their learning. I will ask the students to consider what they discussed during Roundtable time, and if hearing their peers' opinions gave them a new perspective. For the rest of the class period, we will explore Wikispaces, and how to use and manage one. I will introduce Wikispaces to the class, and every student will make an account using their laptop. I will have already created a page for each of them using their name, as well as a page titled "Blog URLs." I will direct each student to their own personal page, which has the separate headings, "ideology," "attire," "music and dance," "film," "cultural events," and "literature." Students will be free to change the font and color of these headings at any time. I will also have included the URL [], a site with great information and links for further exploration of 1920s culture. I will provide this website as a starting reference point for the students. I will then explain that the purpose of the Wikispaces is for each student to have their own library of great resources and information about the 1920s in order for them to understand the context of //Gatsby//, and the reasons why the characters act they way they do. The students will be in charge of filling in the headings as they research the 1920s. Each student will manage their 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. Students will be encourage to make their page unique, of course, so long as they include the necessary headings and content in the wikipage. I will explain that students will receive full points by keeping their wiki space updated each week, and by accurately including all of the sections. I would like each student to include at least three pictures under each heading, as well as three hyperlinks to reliable websites. I will show the students how to properly cite any text or ideas they grab from the internet, or books from the library using MLA format. I will also show them how to do a [|CreativeCommons search] for their pictures and graphics. For their first experience using the Wiki, however, I will ask each student to copy and paste their blog URL from Blogger.com on to the proper page. Students will have to take turns because only one person can edit a page at one time. The students will go around the room doing this, and while students are waiting, they can start exploring their own research page, changing the fonts and colors, and being researching for pictures, links, and text. Students will have the rest of the class period to do this. ** Explore, Experience, Revise, Refine, Tailors: linguistic, logistic, spatial **
 * day two starts**


 * day three starts**
 * Day three will be spent primarily on creating a podcast as a form of student-self assessment about the American Dream, and Gatsby's character. Students will exercise their knowledge of technology by first exploring and becoming familiar with Garageband or Audacity as they create their podcasts. I will provide a [|tutorial] on how to use these [|both] of programs, (depending on which program we happen to have in the one-on-one laptop program) because the students will use them again for their final performance task. I will show the tutorial both on the LCD projector, as well as provide hard copy handouts for any students who would rather have these. Rather than writing their questions and comments about the lesson on paper, students will use their voices through technology to explain them to me. The students will create a podcast in which they describe one thing they now know about the American Dream thanks to the lesson. They will also indicate their stand on the issue - do they think the American Dream exists, or do they think it is a myth? Students will also ask at least one question they still have on the lesson's topics. ** They can move to corners of the room away from their classmates, so as not to get feedback and background noise from other students. I will encourage students to play with the voice distortion elements of Garageband (I'm not sure if they also have these on Audacity). Students can also add music from their iTunes libraries into their podcasts, so long as it does not interfere with the comprehension of their voices. I will facilitate this activity, walking around and making sure no student is completely stuck. If students finish before class time runs out, I will direct them to work on their Wikispace, and/or their blog entry, which are both completed after each section of reading. I will walk around during this time as well, taking a look at their Wikispaces to make sure they are on the right track.

**Evaluate, Tailors: intrapersonal, musical**

Students will know history, setting, the American Dream, and Jay Gatsby. In this lesson, we will discuss many aspects of the American Dream in the 1920s as well as today. James Truslow Adams first coined the term the 'American Dream' in 1931, and defines it as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Questions to consider are, "How has culture changed in America since the 1920s? "What is now socially acceptable that was not in 1922?" "Have the roles of men and women shifted since 1922?" "How have these shifts affected the idea of the American Dream?" We will also discuss the [|American Dream] in regards to people who came to this country looking for a better life. Does the American Dream for immigrants still exist? Do they have a chance to achieve their dreams and create a better lives for themselves in America? Students will be invited to share their opinions on the matter, and reflect upon personal experiences. Students will also need to be familiar with Jay Gatsby's character. We learn about his summer parties in chapter 3 when Nick is invited to one. We have learned about Gatsby from other characters mentioning him in the other chapters, but this is the first time we actually get a proper description of the most famous man in Long Island. Questions to consider are, "How come no one is ever invited to Gatsby's parties?" "Why do the guests just show up?" "Does it seem strange that Gastby knows hardly any of his party guests and remains aloof for most of the night?" "What other things makes Gatsby so mysterious?" "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Since we do not learn anything about Gatsby's past in this chapter, students will have to work with their first impressions of Gatsby. Nick describes the night and New York City as "racy." What do you think he means by this? Nick is still making sense of the city, and remains quite bewildered by the lavish lifestyle he witnesses. Students will consider the context in which the action in the pages takes place in. This includes the historical context. Students will consider such cultural events as the Harlem Renaissance and if this inspired African Americans to embark on the journey to their dreams. Likewise, we will also touch<span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> upon the Prohibition Acts, and why this inspried many to puruse lives of crime. We will also discuss why the 1920s was also known as the 'Roading Twenties,' and the 'Jazz Age.' This [|website] has great information on the culture of 1920s.
 * Content Notes**

[| Audacity] and tutorials (for students who would rather read the hard copies) persuasion map
 * Handouts**