The Transformation of Jay Gatsby – A Common Core Approach

Over the last several weeks, my students have been working through Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.  With such intimate writing and attention to detail, Fitzgerald is still able to capture the attention of sixteen year old students.  In this lesson, students are using the text to identify the transformation of James Gatz to the wealthy Jay Gatsby.  With help from their classmates, students are analyzing how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or theme (RL.10.3).

Using the attached template, students review chapters 6-7 and identify major events, places, and people that make up the life history of James Gatz.  After identifying those aspects, students use passages from the text that identify how the character has developed over the course of his life.  For example, “Then he drifted back [from St. Olaf College] to Lake Superior…still searching for something to do” (Great Gatsby – 105) depicts James Gatz dropping out of college to return to his previous job as a fisherman and clam digger. 

This is the beginning of the transformation from James Gatz to the wealthy Jay Gatsby.  From this point, students will identify how this complex character changes over the course of his life.

When finished with the individual/small group exercise, students use the template to determine the most important quotes/passages.  As a class, students must work together to create the Transformation Timeline (picture attached).  With only ten passages, students must work together to determine which quotes are most essential and how to organize them on the time line. 

At the end of the lesson, students understand the transformation of Jay Gatsby.  Using the text to drive analysis, students will have analyzed how this complex character developed and learned about the motivation that drives the rest of the story. 

Helpful Text: The Great Gatsby in the Classroom: Searching for the American Dream by David Dowling. 

PARCC Accommodations for SWD and ELL Students

PARCC has recently released its draft of accommodations available for students with disabilities and English language learners.  Understanding that the document is still in DRAFT form, it may still be necessary to examine the language that will set the ground work for the future final draft. 

Below are a few pros and cons that I’ve extracted from this initial draft.  Keep in mind that I am applying this information to my own school and the unique population of students that I see every day. 

Pros

·         Allows for multiply interventions to be used with any student who needs accommodations (i.e. Braille, videos, and audio)

·         Uses buzz words such as Embedded Supports, Accessibility Features,  Response Interventions and “Special Access” Accommodations

·         Accommodations for ELL students are selected by teachers and administrators within the school

·         Paper and pencil test versions are available for students

Con’s

·         This document dictates certain requirements that must be included on a 504 plan or an IEP (i.e. time of day the test must be taken – Fact Sheet SWD3)

·         PARCC Consortium is dictating the definition of English Language Learner and how student are classified as ELL

·         PARCC Consortium is creating common methods for equating English proficiency performance levels

·         Students who get district support as ELL but are not officially classified by PARCC as ELL will not be allowed to use any accommodations

·         Accommodations used by ELL students must be “tried out” in regular classroom instruction and their effectiveness documented before taking the PARCC assessment

·         PARCC does not address difficulties that ELL students and IEP students may have in navigating the technology required to take the assessment

At first glance, it seems ELL students will be affected greatly.  If the test designers get to dictate who is and isn’t proficient and dictate who is and isn’t allowed to use accommodations, students who may need accommodations but do not fit their criteria may not be successful. 

Additionally, this draft of accommodations puts a new, heavier burden on intervention specialists and ELL teachers to document accommodations on IEPs and 504 plans.  It is difficult to understand that test makers are dictating the information that should be required on a student’s IEP or 504 plan when this kind of assessment should come organically from the teacher and classroom assessments. 

While there is still much to be discovered with these new accommodations, I predict that there will much controversy before the final draft is revealed.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my ELL and IEP students will be thoughtfully considered as the PARCC consortium continues their work. 

Let me know your thoughts on this new document! 

To read the draft, go to: http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCCDraftAccommodationsManualforSWDEL.pdf

Teaching Literary Terms through Games

Bioshock: Infinite, the latest game from Ken Levine and the creative team at Irrational Games, has redefined a seemingly stale video game genre.  Amassing numerous awards before its release, Infinite has received positive public and critical praise after its release for its striking visuals, innovative game play, and engaging narrative.  In my time with the game, however, I found so much more.

While teaching literary terms like metaphor and symbolism is necessary in any English classroom, getting students to remember and apply those terms is sometimes difficult.  When I review these kinds of terms in class, I am usually met with eye rolls and deep sighs, but when test time comes my students sometimes miss the boat.  Video games are another avenue to explore when teaching these types of literary terms. 

In one of the opening sequences of Bioshock: Infinite, the player character finds himself walking down a path of knee high water to a group of citizens waiting to be baptized.  As the player character emerges from behind, it is striking to see the visual metaphor at work. 

Water, in this sequence, is symbolic of rebirth and life.  The player character wades through this water before he can enter the glowing city of Columbia.    Taking on the role of the player character, players are drawn to believe that they too are being reborn and emerging into this new world. 

Another example of the symbolism that emerges in the game can be seen shortly after rescuing Elizabeth from her ominous tower.  Once rescued, she provides you with a choice: choose which necklace she should wear during the game. 

Choosing either the cage or the bird for Elizabeth to wear has significant meaning for the rest of the game.  Each pendant is symbolic of a different stage of development for Elizabeth that is revealed at the end of the game. 

While these are only two examples of how visual metaphor and symbolism can be taught using video games, and this is certainly only one game that can be explored, many video games use similar visual metaphors and symbolism to carry players through their narratives.  Much like in traditional literature where metaphor and symbolism are important for readers to reach the meaning behind the words, game writers and designers want the player to experience the same depth behind their words. 

For more information about using video games in the classroom, stay tuned to www.teachingtolead.blogspot.com