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= American Literature Unit = by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925
 * The Great Gatsby **

The unit on The Great Gatsby will be a view of life in the 1920's. Over the next few weeks, we will discuss and research social and economic issues of this era. Through class discussions, webquests and independent research you will compare and contrast how life is different and maybe not so different as it is today.

The 1920's was a turbulent time. Americans were emotionally recovering from WWI. Some felt this was the end of the world as they knew it. Others were energized with the hope and prosperity of a new beginning. As you engage in this reading, you will find which view you would side with.

The final project of this unit will be a research paper along with another item you will create about a certain aspect of life in the 1920's. We will complete the unit with a fun event! Details on all of this will be discussed later.

Most of the reading will be done in class so we can all benefit from the class discussion while we read. Some reading will be done independently so we can complete the reading by the Thanksgiving break and still get our research done. Here is a link for the complete text online (in case you forget your book at school!)

The Great Gatsby (complete text)

 Start getting into the mindset of the "Roaring 20's!" Listen to this music clip while you read about some facts about this era.

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**FACTS about this decade. ** 
 * * **106,521,537 people in the United States **
 * **2,132,000 unemployed, Unemployment 5.2% **
 * **Life expectancy: Male 53.6, Female 54.6 **
 * **343.000 in military (down from 1,172,601 in 1919) **
 * **Average annual earnings $1236; Teacher's salary $970 **
 * **Dow Jones High 100 Low 67 **
 * **Illiteracy rate reached a new low of 6% of the population. **
 * **Gangland crime included murder, swindles, racketeering **
 * **It took 13 days to reach California from New York There were 387,000 miles of paved road. ** ||