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Title of Lesson
The Great Gatsby: Women in the 1920s
Purpose/rationale: After spending a few days reading The Great Gatsby, as a class we will go
over the historical elements illustrated throughout the novel. Students will use this along with
upcoming lessons to comprehend the overall attitudes of people during the 1920s. By having a
better understanding of the historical context of the play students will be able to relate and
connect with the novel on a new level. Todays lesson will focus on womens issues in the 1920s
as they relate to the women in The Great Gatsby. This weeklong lesson plan has been designed
to develop students critical thinking, language skills, writing skills, reading skills, and
technological understanding.
Florida Standards:

LAFS.1112.SL.1.3 Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and
tone used.
LAFS.1112.SL.2.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear
and distinct perspective such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or
opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are
appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
LAFS.1112.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
LAFS.1112.RL.1.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the
text leaves matters uncertain.
LAFS.K12.R.2.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Objectives:
SWBAT relate details from an image of Anita Page to gender issues in the 1920s.
SWBAT list characteristics of women in the 1920s
SWBAT describe a historical event that influenced characteristics of women in the 1920s
SWBAT support characteristics of women in the 1920s through the use of quotes from The
Great Gatsby
SWBAT critically analyze life from the perspective of a 1920s flapper girl

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Materials:
Computer, projector, journals (1 per each student), The Great Gatsby (1 per each student),
pen/pencil, PPT, printer paper (1 piece per each group), notebook paper
Anticipatory set:
Displayed on projector:

Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity:
Time

Student is doing

Teacher is doing

5 minutes

Responding to key features of

the image displayed on the
projector in their journal,
paying special attention to
what these details say about
the time period.

Explaining to students to write

in their journals about
anything that stands out to
them in the image displayed
on the screen, making sure to
include what that says about
womanhood and gender as a
whole in the 1920s.

8 minutes

Taking notes (appendices C)

and answering teachers
questions on women in the
1920s.

Going over what women in

the 1920s were like and
asking questions as to how
this material relates to the
characters and themes in The
Great Gatsby.

22 minutes

Breaking into groups of five

(that the teacher has chosen)
and creating a brochure for

Explaining to the class how

they will make their brochures
in small groups to explain

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Daisy from The Great Gatsby,
in which they are finding
textual evidence that supports
her being a flapper girl.

Daisy as a typical flapper girl

from the 1920s. Teacher will
be sure to explain that quotes
from the novel must be
included in the brochure.

7 minutes

Students are choosing one

person from their group as a
representative to present their
brochure.

Listening to presentations,
facilitating discussion to make
sure the brochures relate to
Daisy in The Great Gatsby
and womens issues in the
1920s.

12 minutes

Students are writing a personal

narrative from the prospective
of a 1920s flapper girl, and
turning in for a grade.
(Appendices C)

Explaining writing assignment

(appendices C), answering
questions, observing, and
making sure students are
staying on task.

Summary/Closure:
Teacher will spend the last minute of class collecting personal narratives, and reviewing the
historical lens.
Assessment:

Formal assessment: Journal (4 pts.), and personal narrative (10 pts.)

Informal assessment: Students will share and respond to historical lens questions, group
projects

Homework/follow-up assignment:
Review notes on historical lens, and women in the 1920s.
Accommodations/adaptations:
Additional time will be granted for students to continue writing if needed. As students do spend
majority of class period sitting teacher should grant a few minutes for students to get up and
move around the classroom. All students with accommodations will be given preferred seating as
well as printed notes. Students with Asperger or ADHD will work out a cue to stay on task with
the teacher, ELLs will be given access to a Spanish to English dictionary.
Attachments/Appendices:
Prompt for personal narrative from the point of view of a 1920s flapper girl (appendix A).

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Plan B:
If the Power Point is unable to work the teacher will verbally present materials through using the
white board. If students are too rambunctious for the group activity, they will make the brochures
on their own and it will become a formative assessment. If students are not progressing in the
lesson quickly enough to understand women in the 1920s the teacher will show YouTube videos
on Flappers.

Appendix A: