This document provides a rationale for integrating technology into a unit on The Great Gatsby and the literary period of Modernism for an 11th grade class. It argues that using videos, online resources, and digital tools will help students better understand the historical context of the period and engage with the material. A variety of free digital resources are recommended, including educational websites, YouTube videos, blogs, podcasts, and collaborative applications to supplement lessons on themes, characters, and research.

1. Modernism &
The Great
GatsbyIntended for Grade: 11
Amanda McCormack

2.  Before reading The Great Gatsby, or any other novel, it is
imperative to understand the literary and historical context
in which the novel lives in. Some students glaze over the
historical context, simply because they don’t understand
the material. By showing videos of what was happening in
the time period, students will be able to fully grasp the
context and apply it to the novel.
 Since we live in a generation of technology, students will
be more engaged
 Since this unit will end in a research paper, it is important
to start using online resources to better prepare students
to conduct their own research
RATIONALE FOR TECHNOLOGY
INTEGRATION

3. RATIONALE FOR TECHNOLOGY
INTEGRATION (CONTINUED)
 Having experiences make for
better understanding; however, no
one who is currently reading The
Great Gatsby in a high school
classroom has lived through the
Roaring 20s. By watching videos
on the 20s, students will feel the
experience and make for better
understanding.
 Through videos, pictures,
applications, online resources,
book audio clips, and other
teaching materials, students will
be able to apply knowledge in new
ways.

4. INTERNET CONTENT
All websites are designed for
and related to English, The
Great Gatsby, Modernism, or
teaching as a whole
All sites are reputable, safe,
and verified sources from
government or university
approved sources
All links are sited in the notes
section of this presentation

5. BLOG
BlogSpot (Click here!)
 Blogger is a blog-publishing service that
allows multi-user blogs; developed by Pyra
Labs, which was bought by Google in
2003
 This blog shows the themes, symbols,
and motifs of The Great Gatsby
 This will help be when teaching the novel
by reading about the most important
aspects of the novel

6. PODCAST
NEA Big Read (Click Here!)
 The Great Gatsby podcast / audio book is
available on iTunes and also available
through the website
 This site also offers teachers lesson
plans, essay topics, and includes learning
standards

7. YOUTUBE VIDEO
• YouTube Clip (Click Here!)
 CrashCourse is a YouTube verified
account ran by Hank Green. These
serious of videos use humor to
educate the viewers on complicated
content, such as the Roaring 20s,
used in the video linked above.
 Hank Green relates the information
to fit the needs of students and takes
into consideration what they already
know. He uses that information to
build on new material and relates it
to everyday information in humorous
student-friendly ways.

8. INTERNET RESOURCES
 Kids Konnect (Click here!) provides teachers and
students with educational materials, printable
worksheets, and resources to use in the classroom. The
link will connect you to a fact sheet on the Roaring 20s
and has a downloadable worksheet as a review.
 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)(Click
here!) includes credible and high quality classroom
resources such as lesson plans and publications that
you can filter by grade level and English content
.
 One Stop English is a teacher resource site, part of
Macmillan Education, one of the world’s leading
publishers of English language teaching materials.

9. INSPIRATION
Inspiration (Click Here!)
 This site is perfect for outlining
key points in The Great Gatsby
as well as the literary period.
 Using a graphic organizer is
great for mapping out characters
and relationships in the novel,
especially since there are many
characters and many different
connections.
 All of these integrate learning for
students who are visual learners.

10. INSPIRATION

11. TEACHING MATERIALS
Puzzle Maker (Click here!)
 With novels, comes vocabulary quizzes and tests.
With PuzzleMaker, I am able to engage students in
activities that make vocabulary fun and interesting.
Vocabulary List (Click here!)
 This site, similar to Quizlet, allows students to
interactively learn vocabulary from each chapter of The
Great Gatsby. Each word is provided with a definition
and the sentence, and how the character is using the
word in the novel. Additionally, there are assignments
and games.

12. TEACHING MATERIALS
Character Cell Phones Activity (TpT)
(Click here!)
 This is an easy to use worksheet
where students will choose a
character from the novel and fill
his/her fictional cell phone with
email messages, playlist entries,
and wallpaper images.
Character Film/Novel Analysis (TpT)
(Click here!)
 This chart allows students to make
character analysis’ between the film
and the novel.

13. SUBJECT SPECIFIC
MATERIAL
Read, Write, Think (Click here!)
 Read Write Think allows teachers to look for grade
specific English activities. This site includes podcasts,
organizing and summary tools, writing and publishing,
critical thinking strategies, etc.
 I can use this while teaching Modernism & The Great
Gatsby by having students access these tools. This is also
a great resource for teachers, as there is a professional
development tab that includes: strategy guides,
professional library, and online access tools.
 This site also provides parent resources and after school
activities.

14. COLLABORATIVE
APPLICATION
Emodo (Click here!)
 Edmodo is a global education network that connects
teachers with learners and parents through collaboration
with technology
 Teachers can create groups, assign homework, schedule
quizzes, manage progress, and create a digital
classroom

15. COLLABORATIVE
APPLICATIONLive Binder (Click here!)
 Livebinders helps teachers stay organized with all
of their digital information, including cloud
documents, website links, and desktop documents.
This service also helps with accessing, sharing,
and updating information.
 Students can look at LiveBinders to access teacher
resources and assignments.
 This is great for teachers who are new to
technology or are new to the teaching subject. This
service allows teachers to view other teacher’s
binders as well as their own.

16. SLIDESHARE
 This powerpoint is also available for
viewing at:
 Thanks for watching!