Great+Gatsby+Webquest

=** THE GREAT GATSBY WEBQUEST **=

On the surface, //**The Great Gatsby**// is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed geographical area in the vicinity of Long Island, New York, The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, in particular the disintegration of the American dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure.

** The Quest **  To research an aspect of the 1920s, gather research, and answer the essential question verbally and on paper. **STEP 1 - RESEARCH** Use the Internet links below to get a strong background on the book and the time period. Work as a group going through the different sites, and begin to develop a real understanding of the topics as they relate to the task.

1. The Roaring 20's: Art and Culture Roaring 20's

2. New York City in the 1920's - a history of NYC in the 1920's, particularly the new role of women in society.

3. The Harlem Renaissance

4. The American Dream

STEP 2 - QUESTIONS FOR EACH SECTION

Be prepared to focus what you’ve learned into one main opinion that answers the Essential Question or Task based on what you have learned from the links for your role.

** Roaring 20’s ** Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Roaring 20’s: 1. What made the 1920’s ‘roaring’? 2. How was the decade a period of transformation in all aspects of culture? 3. What were some literary works that deal with satirizing wealth and status in society? What did they discuss and what points did they make? 1. How was New York City an important area of change in the 1920’s? 2. What groups experienced the greatest change? 3. Was this change reflective of a decline of the American Dream? 1. What was the Harlem Renaissance and why was it significant? 2. What were some of the topics that writers dealt with during the Harlem Renaissance? 3. Choose one author and explain his/her influence on the Harlem Renaissance? The American Dream ** 1. What is the American Dream? 2. What was the ‘American Dream’ in the 1920s? 3. How could the American Dream be seen as on the decline? ** STEP 3 - THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION **
 * New York City ** Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to New York City:
 * Harlem **** Renaissance **

You have all learned about a different part of The Great Gatsby. Now group members come back to the larger WebQuest team with expertise gained by searching from one perspective. You must all now answer the Big Question as a group. Each of you will bring a certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use information and any medias found from your research through the provided websites to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team’s answer to the Question. Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.

= **Essential Question: How did the 1920’s change and influence American Culture in ways that exist today?** = = =
 * Write a page response that covers all your groups’ research equally. Your first sentence should be your thesis and your answer should then intertwine your individual group members’ research in a cohesive essay response. Do not use quotations from your research. You need to put everything in your own words. Everyone should read the finished product. Be sure to edit/revise it accordingly.