The

Great Gatsby and the 1920s

Introductory Information Group Project
In your assigned groups, you will work to answer the questions in one of the following sections. Keep in mind that you
are NOT researching all of these categories only the category assigned to your group. With your group, you will create a
Google Slides presentation that you will present to the class. Presentations must be at least ten slides total, and need to be
visually appealing and easy to read. You will need to use at least three credible sources (more is okay!) that you will cite at
the end of your presentation.
You will present as a group, and will receive a group grade for the Google Slides presentation, along with information
presented to the class, and you will receive an individual grade for effort in the group, PVLEGS, and overall work
contributed. Rubrics can be found on the following page.

1. Fashion, Lifestyle, and Entertainment: What were people wearing? How was fashion
changing? Was everyone on the same page about fashion? What was a normal family life
like? What did people do for fun? How was music changing? What does the rise of the age of
leisure mean, and how does it relate to fun?
2. City Life vs Country Life: How did the two differ? Who lived in the cities? Who lived in the
countries? How did they feel about one another? What might each represent in American
society?
3. Crime and Gangsters: Why was there a rise in crime in the 1920s? Why did gang activity
become a problem in the cities? How was it dealt with? How did it affect the common man?
How were laws changing?
4. Money: Discuss new money vs old money what each means, where the money came
from, and how families in either category were similar or different. How were people earning
money? How were people spending money? What is social mobility and how was it changing
in the 1920s?
5. Prohibition: What was it? Why did it start? How was it enforced? How did the public react to
it? How long did it last? Where did people drink alcohol, and how did they get away with it?
How does this link to crime?
6. American Politics and World Affairs: Who was President? How did people feel about the
President? What were the presidents in the 1920s working towards? What was changing
politically? How did Womens Rights change, and what did this mean for America? How did
people respond? What was happening outside of the U.S. in the 1920s? How did other
countries feel about the U.S.? Were other countries changing as drastically as the U.S. was?
7. Inventions: What was being created, and how did these inventions affect American life?
What new things did the average Americans have in their homes that they didnt have
before? What was invented that changed businesses? How were these inventions received by
Americans were they excited? confused? nervous?
8. Cars and Transportation: How was transportation changing in the 1920s? Why did so many
Americans have cars? How did the normalcy of the automobile change American life? Who
had cars and who didnt? Where were people going? Who was making cars, and how were
they keeping up with the demands of the business?
9. Fitzgerald and Gatsby: Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald? Where did he come from? What
influenced his writing? What else did he write? Was he successful? Did people like The Great
Gatsby or his other works? Why or why not? What are some of the symbols in the novel, and
why are they important? How does The Great Gatsby relate to life in the 1920s? How does it
relate to life today? Why should students be excited to read it? Without giving anything
away what is the novel about?

Steps to follow in your group:

1. Determine group roles and norms:
Roles: In each group, there should be (write each persons name next to their role or roles):
A leader who will make sure that everyone is on-task and completing his or her
assigned jobs
A tech expert who will work on the google slides presentation (formatting,
organizing information and slides, etc) [google slides are just like PowerPoint, so
if you know how to use that, you will know how to use googles version]
A researcher (or two) who will sift through the many responses on google and
send helpful links to other group members to read
An MLA pro who will organize and create the MLA Works Cited slide at the end
of your presentation
An evaluator who will make sure that all of your sources are credible (if your
sources are not credible, your group will lose points!)
Norms: In each group, take a few moments to establish your norms. Norms are general rules
and guidelines for working together as a team. Working with a group is difficult it is important
that each member does his or her part, that work is evenly distributed, that the members of the
group work well together, etc. Discuss what you expect from one another during this group
project.
List 5-8 norms that your group establishes. These will be listed on one of your
google slides to be shared with the class. You will rate one another on how well
each group member followed these norms.

2. Exchange contact information if you have not already done so, including school gmails.

3. Log in to google drive, and create a google slides presentation. Name it: Period#-Gatsby-Group# (so,
for example, if you are in first period and you are group seven, your document would be titled: Period1-
Gatsby-Group7).

4. Share the presentation with me cwertz@bousd.us immediately. Dont worry that you havent put
anything in the presentation yet: it will update for me as you complete it. It is crucial that you share this
with me so that I have access to it on presentation day, so that I can grade it, and so that I can comment
on it as you go.

5. Share the presentation with everyone in your group. Make sure every group member has permission to
edit the slides!

6. Discuss your section: make sure you understand the topic and the questions posed. If you have any
questions, now is the time to come talk to me!

7. Divide the work: determine who will focus on each aspect of the topic. What will each person research?

8. Begin researching! Make sure to check all sources for credibility, and then save relevant information for
your works cited page. While you should all be doing your own share of the work, make sure that you
are communicating with your group members: you dont want to repeat information, or leave anything
out. All information should be linked together and flow smoothly.

9. Organize your slides make sure they flow smoothly and include all relevant information.

10. Practice presenting! You will be graded on your presentation skills, so presentation day should NOT be
the first time you are doing this!

Group Presentation Rubric:

Presentation covers required material and
answers all questions

10 points
possible

Presentation gives thorough, detailed

information

15 points
possible

Slides are easy to read and visually attractive

5 points
possible

Slides are in an order that flows well

5 points
possible

Group functions well during presentation

Presentation is at least ten slides long,
including title slide, norms slide, works cited
slide, and seven slides of information


Individual Rubric:

Poise: Looks calm and confident; knows
information

Voice: Projects, speaks clearly, speaks at a
comfortable pace

Life: Makes information interesting; doesnt
sound bored

Eye Contact: Looks at audience, not at screen

Gestures: Stands up straight; uses hands and
expressions for emphasis

Speed: Doesnt rush through information;
doesnt take too much time by stumbling over
information

Group Effort and Contribution: Worked
diligently during class time; completed
assigned tasks in a timely manner; took the
assignment seriously and found relevant,
useful information

5 points
possible
10 points
possible

Total:

3 points
possible
3 points
possible
3 points
possible
3 points
possible
3 points
possible
3 points
possible
7 points
possible

Total: