Once students comprehend the basic plot in Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, I put them into groups to analyze Nick’s narration. I love to watch their faces once they look again and realize that Nick’s prose (the information many students carelessly skip over) gives readers all the clues they need to understand the motivations of the main characters. “Oh, I see! Fitzgerald uses the word conspire!” This activity works best in groups. I would suggest either allowing students to work on the entire packet over the course of two days or assign each group one section and have the students present each section at the end of class.
This activity includes the following:
1) A detailed lesson plan from warm-up to closure
2) A four-page packet with different instructions for each group
3) An answer key