Week Four
In this week, we're in the thick of Gatsby. As we practice applying the Marxist lens, we begin expanding our interpretation by exploring the intersection of lenses. We make a brief aside following the shocking racist caricatures in chapter 4 for a foray into critical race theory. We use Marxist theory as a conduit into racial criticism, which is modeled by reading an excerpt of a CRT reading of Gatsby by Lois Tyson. Again, this new type of interpretation will be practiced through analysis of visual images: the photograph, World's Highest Standard of Living (pictured below). We reinforce this intersection of lenses by returning to feminist criticism with an excerpt from an essay on the character of Daisy by Judith Fetterly. This leads students into more complex criticism, modeling excellent thought and academic writing--a secondary emphasis of these lessons is an intentional study of critical writing which will inform their essays next week.
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Extension- Group Symbols Project
Partially to switch up the flow of class a bit and partially due to an unexpected windfall of butcher paper, I implemented this group project in this week of this unit. Each table group received a key symbol or collection of symbols. Collaboratively, students reread passages featuring that symbol and created a poster which included quotes from the novel, their analysis of the symbol, and some illustrations. This proved to be a valuable assignment for the end of the book, as it got students working collaboratively on analyzing key passages that could be incorporated into their essays as evidence. Look below for the assignment sheet and lesson plan with feedback.
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