A Standards-based Middle Grades Movie Guide: Teaching Across the Curriculum using the 2013 movie The Great Gatsby ​ Created by: Abby Trotter & Tori Arnold RE 3070: Media for Young People Spring 2015 Dr. Redmond Appalachian State University About the Movie Guide Concept: The concept of the motion picture/movie study guide used here is taken from those developed by The Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) and, more recently in the United States, by Walden Media. The approach is also consistent with the series, Film Clips for ​ Character Education, sponsored by The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction ​ (www.filmclipsonline.com). Appalachian State University has pioneered this work in the U.S. and our curricular work with movie guides has been featured in The Middle Ground and The ​ ​ ​ Journal of Media Literacy among other publications. ​ Using This Guide: The Great Gatsby (2013) is an engaging and enjoyable film that has appeal to adolescents and ​ adults through its use of comedy, romance, and its realistic connections to the 1920’s. The story is also relevant to several areas of the North Carolina Essential Standards and National Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Some subject areas addressed in this guide include Language Arts, Social Studies, and Music. The guide is organized to clearly connect scenes to state standards. For example, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9 says that students should be able to “Compare and ​ ​ contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.” Our movie guide meets this ​ standard through having students read an excerpt from The Great Gatsby and then watch the ​ ​ same portion of the book as represented on screen in the 2013 The Great Gatsby film. Students ​ ​ will then compare and contrast the two versions of the scene, engaging in complex textual analysis of multiple media texts. In This We Believe, one developmental dimension of early adolescents discussed is ​ ​ social-emotional development. Students will be able to relate to the film because, as seen in the image below, Gatsby is striving to be accepted by his peers. Gatsby is attempting to impress his guests through his extravagant party. This is a theme that goes along with social-emotional development, which is also mentioned in This We Believe. Also, going along with social-emotional development, a third theme is going ​ along with fads, which is very evident in this film. The Social Studies activity will help students understand the extravagance of the 1920’s, which is the fad in which Gatsby was going along with. Cognitive-Intellectual Development is also a developmental dimension of early adolescents in This We Believe. Students will be participating in active learning throughout this ​ ​ movie guide. In the Language Arts activity, students will be forced to begin thinking abstractly, instead of concretely. They will be comparing and contrasting two different forms of media, causing them to really have to think about the similarities and differences within these two different representations of the same scene. By using film, students will have multiple views of one central idea. Students will evaluate two different forms of the same media, but from two different versions. In addition to this, they will also compare a text version and a film version. Students will understand that all media has a specific meaning, even if it is based upon the same ideas. In using film and other media in the classroom, research suggests that students learn more and are more engaged if: ● They view short scenes followed by activities. ● They have been given cues and clues to look and listen for prior to each screening. For example, they might be asked to make inferences about characters, or comment on how different media techniques contribute to the mood created in a scene. This technique is based on a concept called AIME, which was developed by Gavriel Salomon (1984). The term stands for the Amount of Invested Mental Energy or Effort. Salomon’s ​ ​ work proved that students engage in ‘shallow processing’ or ‘cognitive economy’ if they have not been told what to focus on during the viewing of a scene. When teachers preview a scene or clip ahead of time, they are able to provide significant viewing guidance that results in higher student expectations, recall, and comprehension. “The Great Gatsby,” is instructionally purposeful. There are many different historical ​ ​ themes of the 1920’s that are evident throughout the film. Students will grasp an understanding of the culture of the era just by watching the film. Since there are many different forms of “The ​ Great Gatsby,” it is a great piece of media to use for comparing and contrasting. Students will be ​ able to note similarities and differences in the different forms and explain why they think the changes were made the way they were between the different forms. There are a few aspects of the film that may not be developmentally appropriate for middle grades students. The film does include alcohol, but students will be informed that this was just a theme of the era. There is also a scene, included below, which may have to be cut out during viewing, because it is inappropriate for the age range. The inappropriate scene between Tom and Myrtle occurs in their apartment used for sex. Inappropriate Scene: Apartment Scene (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTWumSE8GXM ​ Instead of students watching this scene, it will just be explained that Tom takes his mistress, Myrtle, to the city, to be able to spend time with her. Students should also know that Nick was involved with one of these outings, so he was aware of the situation. About the Movie: The Great Gatsby is a 2013 film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, which is an ​ ​ adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel by the same title. The movie follows the narrator, Nick Carraway, through his experiences during the summer of 1922. Nick is new to New York, and he meets an unlikely neighbor by the name of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is known for his lavish parties, although his face isn’t something everyone knows. He is a ghost at his own parties. Gatsby’s life is very mysterious, and people do not know very much about him, besides scepticism. Nick soon learns of Gatsby’s true meaning for his parties; to bring in a girl by the name of Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is actually Nick’s cousin. She is married to a man named Tom. Despite her being married, Gatsby is more than in love with her. They met earlier in life and instantly fell in love, but Gatsby felt as if he was not good enough for her. Everything he has ever done in his life to get to the point he is at was all for her. Gatsby and Daisy later meet again and ​ rekindle their flame, just as if they were young again, and Daisy was not married. Their love affair does not last forever though, as Daisy ends up back with her husband, Tom. Gatsby ultimately meets his fate by being shot by a man who was encouraged by Tom. Nick experiences it all, and the story is told from his point of view. Character Profiles: Jay Gatsby: Jay “Gatsby” is the title character. He is a very rich bachelor who is next door neighbors with Nick Carraway in West Egg, New York. He is well-known for his over the top parties that he throws, although his face is not familiar to many. His life is just as mysterious as his presence at his own parties. The narrator, Nick, soon learns that Gatsby is not what he seems. He was actually from a very poor family and went by the name of “James Gatz.” He fell in love with Nick’s cousin, Daisy, at a very young age, but did not feel like he was good enough for her. He spent his entire life climbing the social ladder so that he would finally be good enough for Daisy, even though he did this through many illegal activities. Gatsby is seen as a very flawed man, but is also seen as a representation of hope because of his eternal love for Daisy. Gatsby’s favorite phrase, and perhaps the one he is most well-known for, is “Old Sport”. He calls Nick this on a daily basis. Nick Carraway: Nick is the narrator of the story. He is a young man and the cousin of Daisy Buchanan. Nick recently moved to New York City to learn the bond business. As an honest, good listener who refrains from judging others, he often gets sucked into being a confidant for other characters who have serious secrets. When Nick moves into his home in NYC, he immediately reaches out to his neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and they become friends. As Daisy’s cousin, Nick plays a role in bringing Daisy and Gatsby back together. Daisy Buchanan: Daisy Buchanan is a cousin to Nick Carraway. She lives across the way from Gatsby and Nick in East Egg with her husband, Tom, and their daughter. In early life, Daisy fell in love with Gatsby, who was then an officer in the war. She promised to wait for him, but her desire to be loved caused her not to wait for Gatsby to return, and she married a very powerful, wealthy man, Tom. Daisy and Gatsby are reunited and start their love story all over. Throughout the novel, Daisy is torn between whether to be with her husband or to leave him to be with her long lost love, Gatsby.