Project Literature and History.

THE GREAT GATSBY

THE 1920's  in the USA

 




INTRODUCTION:

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the life of the wealthy during the Jazz Age (the Roaring Twenties). The 1920s era evokes images of flappers, racoon  coats, the Charleston, and Prohibition. These images, however, reflect only a small part of life in this decade.
 

TASK:

What was life in the 1920's really like? On what people, events, and activities does Fitzgerald base THE GREAT GATSBY? In order to get the most out of the novel, you need to understand the culture of that era. Therefore, your job is to prepare a "special limited edition" guidebook, make a Power Point presentation, or write a documented research paper describing life in the '20's as it really was.
 

PROCESS:

1. "Editorial" groups will be formed. Each group will consist of reporters and  an editor who will work together to investigate certain areas of life in the 1920's and to publish their findings.

2. Each group will be responsible for assembling one section of their findings.
 

GROUP 1:  "Daily Life/ Foods/ Slang" 
                           (Choose 6)

• The Charleston
• Flagpole sitting
• Mah jongg
• Crossword puzzles
• Music
• Radio
• Jazz
• Food & Beverages
• Beauty Pageants
• 20 popular words/expressions (and their meanings)
• The economy

 

 

 



 

GROUP 2:  "Flappers/Fashions/Cars" (Do all)

• Describe the flappers. How did they behave?  Who were they?
• Describe fashionable female attire/accessories.
• Describe fashionable men's attire.
• Describe the cars of the era.

       [Include as many pictures as possible.]

 



GROUP 3:  "Prohibition/ Crime/ Scandals"
                        (Choose 6)

• Prohibition: What? When? Why?
• Speakeasies, Texas Guinan and ways people got around it 
• Izzy Einstein & Moe Smith
• Al Capone and organized crime
• St. Valentine's Day Massacre
• Sacco & Vanzetti 
• 1919 World Series 
• Fatty Arbuckle 
• KKK

 

 

GROUP 4:  "Famous People, Famous Events,Noteworthy Inventions"

                                 (Choose 6)

• Harry Houdini 
• Henry Ford
• Richard Byrd 
• Rudolph Valentino
• "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
• Scopes Monkey Trial 
• Leopold-Loeb case w/ Clarence Darrow
• Lindbergh solo flight
• Rosewood Massacre 
• Women's suffrage

 



3. The end product of all of your research may be one of the following:


 A. An attractive story poster presenting your findings to the class.

 B. A Power-Point presentation.

 C. A section of a newspaper or magazine.

RESOURCES:

For all groups:

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/america_1918.htm

http://www.1920-30.com/

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1920s.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/gcse/america/roaringtwenties.htm

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade20.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/famous-people-of-the-1920s.html

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers.htm

http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/decade/1920.htm

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/inventions-of-the-1920s.html

 

CONCLUSION:

Through your research, you will be well prepared to enter into the world of  F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Roaring Twenties" in The Great Gatsby.  His tale is full of the gusto of the era with a strange combination of satire, burlesque, fantasy, and melodrama much of which you have encountered through this web quest. As you begin to explore Fitzgerald's interpretation of the "American Dream" in the twenties, keep in mind the characteristics of the era which shaped his writing.

EVALUATION OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS:

Each of the groups has chosen an end product and will show the product to the rest of the class. Include quotes from “The Great Gatsby” in your final product.