Starting "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Our final novel this year is "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  This is a short one, only nine chapters, but it's a great story.  And yes, we will watch the movie adaptation after we finish.  I would not recommend watching it beforehand, though - it's a good adaptation, but not close enough to help you on any of the assignments we'll be doing in conjunction with the reading.

We will primarily be reading in class, but you should use the information from the list of links on the right to help you if you miss or need to catch up.  This should be your first stop with any questions.

As we read, you will be working on two long-term assignments: one deals with F. Scott Fitzgerald's extensive use of symbolism in the novel, and one deals with the advanced vocabulary that appears in the novel.  We will discuss both in class, but information about these two can be found in the "Gatsby Handouts and Worksheets" folder at right.  Be aware that you will have very limited class time to work on these, so manage your time wisely.  UPDATE: There is a list of color assignments in the Handouts folder, in case you forgot what you were given.

Also available is an ebook of the novel, a set of links to the audio book version, and a pair of videos that walk you through the story, the setting, and the themes of the novel ("LCC: Gatsby Part 1" and "LCC: Gatsby Part 2").   We will talk about most of this in class, but you may want to watch these videos for yourself, especially if you are confused by anything we read in the novel.

Lastly, be aware that we will be wrapping up "The Great Gatsby" differently.  For the other novels we read, you wrote an essay or completed a project about what we read, but for this one, you will be taking a quiz based on the reading.  Be prepared - the quiz is scheduled for February 22.

"Brave New World" Final Project

Even though we haven't quite finished the novel, now is a good time to start thinking about which of the ten project options you would like to work on.  The complete list of options, as well as the rubrics I will be using for grading, are in the "BNW Handouts and Assignments" folder on the right side of the page.  

You will need to make a decision and report your project choice to me by the end of class on Wednesday, January 10.  There will be class time available for working on this project, but you may need to do some out-of-class work in order to finish on time.

Your completed project and accompanying Works Cited page are due by 2:45 on Friday, January 19, regardless of whether you have chosen to do a written (and printed) essay or some form of digital project.  Late work will not be accepted after 2:45 on Tuesday, January 23.

Good luck!