The Internet TESL Journal

Bringing Gatsby into the EFL/ESL Classroom

Heather Lynn Doiron
heatherdoiron(at)yahoo.com
Aichi Shukutoku (Nagakute, Japan)
How do you motivate students to read? While the exercises and drills offered in standard textbook serve a purpose, it is important to encourage students to read outside the textbook.

Introduction

Appreciation for real literature may be seen as out of reach for many EFL/ESL readers, but with careful scaffolding teachers can activate a student’s schemata. The Great Gatsby is one of the most influential American novels. It can open up a whole new world of cultural information for our students. The complex characters with the backdrop of the roaring 20's are definitely topics of interest. In a five unit lesson plan under the headings of 1) setting the scene, 2) character exploration, 3) visualization, 4) understanding the climax, and 5) student presentations, The Great Gatsby can take on meaning and understanding for EFL/ESL students.

Level

Aim

Materials

List of Major The Great Gatsby Characters

It is important to provide character descriptions that are both stimulating and accessible to the EFL/ESL reader. While there are several online sources available, it is best to go with descriptions that are applicable to your class level. Please see the appendix for a suggested character list.

Lesson 1

Setting the Scene

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Homework

Read The Great Gatsby page 72-75.

Lesson 2

Character Exploration

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Homework

Lesson 3

Visualization

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Homework

Lesson 4

Understanding the Climax

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Homework

Lesson 5

Appendix

Example 1 - Character List

Example 2 - Using Adjectives to Describe Characters

Character Name: Gatsby

Action
Adjective

Gatsy invited Nick to his party
kind














Extra Activities

Discussion

“What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive”
             Sir Walter Scott.
Explain this quote to students and ask them to think how it relates to The Great Gatsby.

What would happen if Daisy decided to end her marriage with Tom and begin a new life with Gatsby?

What would happen if Nick refused to have Daisy and Gatsby meet at his cottage?

Using the song, Ain’t We Got Fun (by Richard A. Whiting, lyrics by Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn), ask students to find similarities between the message of the song and The Great Gatsby.

Have students do an online search on the personal life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ask them to discuss whether there are any similarities between Daisy and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.

Conclusion

Character exploration and background reading enriches the appreciation and understanding of any novel. These activities are designed to encourage students to read real literature and to understand the importance of reading for meaning as well as the fulfillment in the visualization of the written word. Additionally, students will have the chance to use their newly acquired vocabulary in their character description presentations.

The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XV, No. 3, March 2009
http://iteslj.org/
http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Doiron-Gatsby.html