YEAR 12 LESSON FIVE [11th Oct 12]: Homework.

Students received last week's written 'paragraph' which was outstanding. Nearly all students produced written work of genuine AS Level quality. Very well done literature freaks.

The aim of this lesson was to reinforce the ability of students to produce written work that is precise and detailed. There was a brief exploration of Chapter Two and Tom Buchanan's treatment of Myrtle before the class considered the significance of the opening section of Chapter Three. Students were asked to consider the representation of Gatsby's Party and the representation of America being offered by Fitzgerald in the opening chapters of the novel.

Class discussion attempted to identify key quotes and consider why Fitzgerald contrasts the Valley of Ashes with the spectacular excitement of Gatsby's world. More perceptive students managed to identify Carraway's dismissive attitude.

The last twenty minutes of the session involved students constructing a two paragraph written response. The aim of this written task was for students to develop the ability to support their opinion with specific textual reference and provide a clear consideration of author's aim. THIS IS A KEY SKILL.

HOMEWORK: Students need to read the novel. Our focus in the next session will be the first THREE CHAPTERS therefore students need to prepare themselves for class discussion by reading these three chapters in a critical and thorough manner. Next week's homework will be a Gatsby essay and this week's reading will inform the content of this essay. IF YOU DO NOT READ YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO OFFER A DETAILED WRITTEN RESPONSE. THE QUALITY OF YOUR WRITING IS DEPENDENT UPON THE QUALITY OF YOUR READING.

Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby Film Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o
Click on link to access a Gatsby Podcast that I created in the very recent past. I discuss the whole of the novel in this podcast so if you have not read the whole novel, visit this resource at a later date after your eyes have eaten the final page:
http://soundcloud.com/fishymedia/literature-podcast-an-as-level
This resource is superb. Excellent editing and stimulating commentary. WATCH IT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VhYMdnAsyM

For OQ...hope you are feeling more human OQ. Here are the two 'paragraph' questions:

1. How does Fitzgerald represent Gatsby's Party at the beginning of Ch3?
2. How does Fitzgerald represent America in the opening section of the novel?

This second question demands that students consider why Fitzgerald presents the Valley of Ashes and Gatsby's Party. What kind of America is being represented here and why? I only want a one paragraph response to each question but the paragraph needs to follow my A Level paragraph structure. Good Luck.