Curriculum+Goals+Stephanie

__Your general educational goals__ Students will examine a given time period and analyze the relationship between setting and characterization. How does setting (i.e a the Roaring Twenties) affect characterization? Can we see how the writer was influenced? Students will also examine their environments (their true life "setting") and analyze its effect on them. In doing so, students will develop an interpretive approach to literature. The will also utilize a wiki to develop editing skills. __Description of your learners__ The activities in this web are designed for junior and senior aged high school students who have prior knowledge of American history (i.e. WWI), American literature (i.e. //The Scarlet Letter//),and literary techniques (i.e. setting, characterization, plot). The curriculum will continue in a chronological study of American history and American literature. __Description of your subject matter__ This web is about how setting (current events, art movements, social mores) affects a characterization. __Detailed learning objectives__ Students will identify historical events from the Roaring Twenties. Students will synthesize information on the Roaring Twenties and literary techniques in the //The Great Gatsby//. Students will infer and analyze the ways in which setting has influenced the characterization. Students will also infer and analyze the ways in which setting has affected them. Students will develop editing skills through peer review via wiki.

__Expected prerequisites__ Students should be able to read at an 8th grade level or above, should be able to write coherent sentences and paragraphs, should be able to productively use the Internet, should have contextual knowledge of American history, should have knowledge of prior works of American literature, and should have a knowledge of various literary techniques and devices. __Summary aim__ Students will examine the historical context of a significant era in American history. Using current events and mores from the given context – in this case, the 1920s – students will analyze their influence on Fitzgerald’s writing and his creation of certain characters. They will also examine this effect in the present day on their own lives.

__Rationale__ By examining the environment that influences writers, there can be a deeper analysis of a piece of literature. Fitzgerald created characters that lived in a setting congruous with the one in which he lived. Students can see more than just //what// was written but perhaps //why// and //how// it was written thus cultivating a critical approach to literature and a deeper understanding of a book's characters. By examining their own lives in addition, students can also see that this is a timeless occurrance.