The Great Gatsby Web Quest

One of the most successful activities I had my 11th graders do last year was a JIGSAW on the historical context of Native Son. I gave each group a packet of resources on a historical person/group/event related to the novel (i.e. the NAACP, the Jim Crow laws, the Great Migration, etc.) and had them present their findings to the whole class. They really seemed to enjoy working as a group, gaining knowledge on a subject through a focused set of resources, and then being the experts on it for the whole class. it also really enriched their understanding of Native Son. This Web Quest on the historical context of The Great Gatsby employs a similar technique while saving me the hassle of gathering resources and making dozens of photocopied packets. It really seems to have some great resources on The Roaring Twenties, and a few more final products than a simple oral presentation. I would have liked to see a cleaner layout and some guiding questions for each group, but this is still a very useful resource.