We had a sub today.
Background – We just finished reading the first chapter of The Great Gatsby. Today the students are going to read part of the second chapter. They should all have copies of the book under their desks. There are extra copies in the front of the room.
Chapter Two introduces one of the recurring symbols of the novel: the Valley of Ashes. The students will also look as colors as symbols. Please take a moment to read through the sequence of this lesson plan before the class starts!
1. I always start Wednesdays with 13 minutes of self-selected reading. Write “SSR – 13 Minutes” in big letters on the whiteboard. The students should have something to read, and they should be silently reading it.
2. While the students are reading, you can read, too! It is also a good time to take roll using my seating charts which are on a clipboard on my desk (the desk without the computer monitor). You can also set up the overhead projector during this reading time. It is in the back of the room. Ask a student to help you if you need help. I usually put the projector on the little table in the front.
3. After thirteen minutes, have the students put away their free reading books. Show the students the overhead map of Long Island while you read aloud the first three paragraphs of chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby (it will start on page 23 or 27 depending on which copy you have).
4. Then give each student a plain piece of white paper and give them about 10 to 15 minutes to draw a picture of the Valley of Ashes, paying close detail to the details of the description. (They will probably want to refer back to the text you just read.)
5. After 10-15 minutes, have them compare pictures and discuss the attached questions that you put up on the overhead. (Remember that you sometimes need to sit and wait for a minute before anyone will respond. Give them the wait time they need.)
6. Tell the students that colors are used as symbols in Gatsby. Have the students read the next 4½ pages or so of the chapter aloud, going around the room and alternating every paragraph. STOP WHEN YOU GET TO THE PHRASE: “We drove down Fifth Avenue, so warm and soft, almost pastoral on the summer Sunday . . .” This is halfway down page 28 in the copy of the book I left for you. Some of the students have a different version, and they will be on page 32.
7. As the students read, tell them to note any colors that are mentioned in these pages and how they are used as inferences about mood, theme, and character in their writer’s notebooks. Every student should have a writer’s notebook to write in (composition book). (Some colors that appear in this chapter include gray, ash-gray, yellow, cement colored, yellow brick, dust-covered, light blue (eyes), dark blue (crepe de chine dress), etc.)
8. After you are done reading, go over every color that the students have noticed and let the students decide what the use of that color means in the context in which it is used.
9. If you have any extra time at the end, allow the students more SSR time.
10. Have the students put every book away under the desks and have them give you their Valley of Ashes pictures as they leave the room.
11. Remind students of the due dates on the board before they leave class.
Homework Collected: Valley of Ashes Pictures
Homework Given: Test on Gatsby chapters 1-3 on Monday, November 23rd, This I Believe Essay due on December 11, 2009 (first draft due on November 24th), Occasional Paper due by December 7th,
Handouts given out: None
To Read: Chapter Two, The Great Gatsby
