DAY GOAL: Identify prior knowledge STANDARDS: 11-12.W.

7
1

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Entry Activity

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Entry Activity

ASSESMENT:
 Entry Activity

TECHNOLOGY:
 Entry Activity
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to identify STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
2 the difference between indirect and direct
characterization
LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to identify the difference between indirect and direct
characterization
 Students will be able to provide examples for both indirect and direct characterization

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Direct characterization:
 All around the classroom, I will tape different pictures of random characters to
the wall. When students walk in, they will be asked to get into groups of 3 and
stand next to a picture on the wall. As a group, they will be asked to assign
character traits to the picture. Students will write these character traits on sticky
notes on stick them around their picture. After this, they will walk around the
room and look at all the different characterizations their peers have created.
Then, they will have to pick one character and write a short narrative
introducing that character utilizing the traits created.
 Indirect characterization:
 I will write my name on the white board and ask students to identify personality
or character traits that they think I have. They will use Padlet to submit their
responses, and as a class, discuss why they think I have these traits. This
learning activity will show students that they just made an indirect
characterization about me and that this is used in literature all the time. During
our discussion, we will also talk about how this is different from the direct
characterization activity.
ASSESMENT:
 Narrative:
 Students will write a short paragraph introducing their character that they
created in the direct characterization learning activity. They will be graded on
their ability to incorporate the character traits created into their narrative.
 Exit ticket:
 Students will provide an exit ticket where they write down the answers to two
questions:
1. What is the difference between indirect and direct characterization?
2. Give an example of a indirect characterization.
 They will be graded on completion.

TECHNOLOGY:
 Padlet: the students will utilize Padlet to submit their responses to the questions in the
direct characterization learning activity
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to identify STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
3 major character archetypes in literature

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to identify major character archetypes in literature
 Students will be able to connect these character archetypes with The Great Gatsby by
F. Scott Fitzgerald

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Research Activity:
 Students will bring technology to class this day in order to research different
character archetypes in literature. They will be put into groups of 5 and will
have 20 minutes to create a presentation on one character archetype of their
choosing. This presentation has to relate back to the novel, so the character
archetypes have to be present in The Great Gatsby. These presentations will be
short (5 minutes) and will showcase the student’s ability to work in a team
while also finding different character archetypes within the novel.

ASSESMENT:
 Presentation:
 I will be grading the presentation based on the student’s understanding of the
archetypes. As long as the student completes the research presentation, they
will receive credit, but the presentation must include:
o One picture on each slide
o One example from The Great Gatsby
o One example from another piece of literature
o A definition of the character archetype
o A reference page
TECHNOLOGY:
 Students will utilize one of the following:
 Laptops
 Tablets
 Phones
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to identify STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
4 key characteristics of the 1920’s

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to identify key characteristics of the 1920’s
 Students will be able to explain the effect of The Great Depression

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Stock Market Crash Simulation:
 As soon as students walk through the door, they will be transported into the
New York Stock Exchange during 1929. Students will group the desks together
into groups of 5 and work with their table. Each student will get a total of $100
to participate in the bidding. The students will have 10 periods of 1 minute to
buy and sell stocks of their choice. These 10 periods represent each month
leading up to the crash. After the 10th period, the stock market will crash, and
the students will sell their remaining stocks and total up the amount of money
they have by the end of the simulation.
 Family Simulation:
 Students will transition to the family simulation immediately after the crash in
the first activity. The groups that they are seated in will become their families.
Each person will take on a role: father, mother, or child. Once assigned, I will
read off different scenarios that will affect the families in one way or another.
The students will have to come up with a way to fix the issue presented in the
scenario. Once they’ve come up with a solution, they will share out loud before
I announce what families actually did during the Great Depression. At the end
of this activity students will write a reflection on their experiences.
ASSESMENT:
 Reflection:
 Students will write a one-page reflection on their experiences during both of the
simulations. These reflections follow the prompt:
o Write a one-page reflection based off of the two simulations that you
took part in today. What did you learn? How did you feel? How did the
Stock Market Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression have an effect
on you?

TECHNOLOGY:
 Students don’t use any technology on this day
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to identify STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
5 key factors of The Great Depression and
relate it back to The Great Gatsby

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to identify key factors of The Great Depression and relate it back
to The Great Gatsby

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Socratic Seminar:
 Students will participate in a Socratic seminar to discuss the chapters assigned
(the first half of the book). I will have a list of guiding questions that I will ask
during the Socratic seminar to get students to think more about how The Great
Depression can be linked with The Great Gatsby. After the Socratic seminar is
complete, students will write a reflection on the discussion and include any
questions that they still have that weren’t answered during the discussion.

ASSESMENT:
 Reflection:
 A paragraph long reflection will be completed after the activity to serve as their
grade.
 Participation:
 Students will also be graded on their participation during the discussion. To
receive full credit, they will have to:
o Add one question to the discussion
o Comment on two people’s responses
TECHNOLOGY:
 No technology is used during this day.
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to make STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
6 connections between characterization
elements and The Great Gatsby by F.
Scott Fitzgerald.

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to make connections between characterization elements and The
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
 Students will be able to incorporate skills learned during the entry activity back to
today

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 The Case Files (cont.):
 Students will participate in the entry activity again, but this time the characters
in the folders will be characters from The Great Gatsby. They will get into
partners and work together to try and create a characterization of the character
in the photo based off the text. Once completed, students will walk around the
room and look at all of the characterizations their peers have created. The
project overview will be introduced again, and students will begin choosing
what character they want to focus on for the project.
ASSESMENT:
 Exit ticket:
 An exit ticket will be used as a formative assessment to track the student’s
learning so far. This exit ticket will ask the students to:
o Provide the characterization you worked on during class
o Distinguish whether you are using indirect or direct characterization
o Tell me what character you are thinking of using for the project and
why

TECHNOLOGY:
 Students will utilize one of the following forms of technology to further their research:
 Laptops
 Tablets
 Cell Phones
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to identify STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
7 the steps of the indictment process

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to identify the steps of the indictment process
 Students will be able to explain each step of the indictment process

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Interrogation Simulation:
 A detective will come to class as a guest speaker and participate in a simulation
for the students. As the students walk through the door, they are handed a piece
of paper with a description and instructions. Students will read their paper and
do as instructed, when they are finished a news broadcast will be played on the
projector. A crime has been committed and detectives are hot on the case. Each
paper determines what kind of role you play in the crime, and the detective will
run his investigation. Students will learn about each part of the indictment
process as they themselves are a part of it.
 Q&A Session:
 After the simulation, students will have a chance to ask the detective any
questions that they may have. This will give them a chance to further their own
knowledge.
ASSESMENT:
 Reflection:
 Students will write a reflection based on their experiences during the
simulation. This reflection will focus on their understanding of the indictment
process, the law, and how this all relates back to the activities we have done in
class so far. The prompt is listed below:
o Write a reflection based on your experiences during the simulation. Do
you think characterization can play a role in how the suspect is
perceived? What would happen if an innocent man was portrayed as the
perpetrator? Explain your thoughts.
TECHNOLOGY:
 Students will use the following forms of technology to support their learning during
this activity:
 Laptops
 Tablets
 Cell Phones
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to identify STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
8 the role of characterization during the
interrogation process

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to identify the role of characterization during the interrogation
process
 Students will be able to explain how their experiences relate back to previous learning

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 The Case Files (cont.):
 The students will continue on with their research for The Case Files project.
With all of the information provided to them, students will work on their
individual testimonies. Students will pick the character they want to portray,
write a profile for that character, write a “testimony of character” that argues
why they didn’t commit the crime, and prepare their costumes. This activity
will allow students to culminate everything they have learned into one final
solution.
ASSESMENT:
 Exit Ticket:
 The students will turn in an exit ticket that states what they worked on during
class and what they still have to do in order to complete the project. This will
allow me to gage where they are at with their project and who may be
struggling still.

TECHNOLOGY:
 Students will utilize multiple forms of technology to complete this activity:
 Laptops
 Tablets
 Cell Phones
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to make STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
9 connections between the indictment
process and characterization through The
Great Gatsby

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to make connections between the indictment process and
characterization through The Great Gatsby

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Socratic Seminar:
 The students will participate in the second and final Socratic seminar on the last
part of the novel/the novel as a whole. I will have a list of guiding questions
that I will ask during the Socratic seminar to get students to think more about
how The Great Depression can be linked with The Great Gatsby, how the novel
can be utilize the indictment process, and how this all connects to the
characterizations created by the author. After the Socratic seminar is complete,
students will write a reflection on the discussion.
ASSESMENT:
 Reflection:
 Students will write a reflection that is a full page in length about the class
discussion and the novel as a whole. The students will be graded on their ability
to answer the prompt:
o Write a reflection on both the novel as a whole and the last Socratic
seminar we had as a class. What were your thoughts on the novel? How
does this connect to the activities we’ve done in class? How did the
discussion act to further your knowledge?
 Participation:
 Students will also be graded on their participation during the discussion. To
receive full credit, they will have to:
o Add one question to the discussion
o Comment on two people’s responses
TECHNOLOGY:
 No technology will be used in this portion of the learning activity
DAY GOAL: Students will be able to STANDARDS: 11-12.W.7
10 successfully create a character profile and
present their findings to professionals.

LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES:
 Students will be able to successfully create a character profile
 Students will be able to present their findings to professionals
 Students will be able to create an accurate portrayal of a character from The Great
Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
 Presentation:
 The students will come to class dressed as the character they decided to portray.
Once they walk through the door, they will be transported to an interrogation
room in at the police station. The detective present for the interrogation
simulation will be asking you a series of questions to try and figure out whether
you committed the crime or not. The students will embody everything about
that character as they respond to each of the questions as the character would.
At the end of the interrogation, the students will be able to present their
“testimony of character” to their peers who will act like fellow detectives
deciding whether or not to charge them with the crime.
ASSESMENT:
 Presentation Rubric:
 The students will be graded on a rubric that determines how well the student
developed their characterization.
 Feedback from their peers and the detective will also be taken into
consideration when grading on the rubric

TECHNOLOGY:
 No technology is used for this portion
The Case Files Characterization Project is innovative because it allows students to think about

real world situations while also learning about key concepts. The Great Gatsby is a novel that is

required to read, and if students could connect the novel with a real-world problem, then they

would gain more than just an understanding of the text. They will gain skills that they can use in

the real world, beyond the classroom. This project is also innovative because it brings in the

expertise of a trained professional. While students are learning about the law, indictment process,

and profiling, they can receive feedback from a professional who does this for a living. Overall,

this project adds a tremendous amount of value to a student and should be something that can be

used in the classroom.