Teacher: Alena Munro

Lesson Title: Collaborative Mural Project and The Great Gatsby

Grade/Subject:9th Grade English Language Arts
Central focus/why are you teaching this lesson and what will it do? What do you want your
students to be able to know as a result of this lesson?

The central focus of this lesson is to explore the concept of theme and how it relates to The Great
Gatsby. Students will be able to recognize themes in the novel. Students will also be placed into
groups for this project so they can learn how to collaborate with their peers.

Themes that will be assigned to groups: LOVE, THE AMERICAN DREAM, SOCIETY/ CLASS,
LIES/DECIET, MORALITY, MONEY/MATERIALISM

Essential Question: What are important themes in The Great Gatsby? How can we depict these
themes through art?

Visual Arts and/or Media Standard(s): Collaborative Mural Project Students will be placed into
groups of 5; 30 children in the class; 6 groups and 6 different collaborative murals.

Learning Objectives
Content Objectives (conceptually, historically, culturally, aesthetically):
Students will aesthetically use silhouettes in their murals to depict the themes of the novel. They
will conceptualize the theme and pick symbols to depict the theme.

Process/Skill Objectives (technically, elements of art/design, new art ed standards, including Gude, etc.)

Students will use the concept of silhouettes in order to make their mural.

Academic Language (Language function, vocab, discourse overlap with each other....the most important thing is
for you recognize the language aspects of your lessons and explicitly write about it in your commentaries).
Syntax/writing about art: construction of sentences in a more formal or professional style.
Discourse/talking about art: the way that professionals speak/write in the discipline, the ARTS!)

For your lesson plan identify the primary language function that will be essential for students to investigate
your central focus in relation to visual art.

Possible language functions include: analyze, compare/contrast, critique, describe, interpret,

question. Describe specific learning tasks/activities that will engage students in at least one of
these functions.
Students will ANALYZE the novel and how there theme is relevant to the understanding of the tect.

Identify vocabulary that will be introduced in the lesson.

Theme: A central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art
Collaborative Mural: A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or
other permanent surface. A distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural
elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.

How will you utilize experiences with reading, writing, artmaking, and discussion within the lesson to
address academic language?

I will use the vocabulary when I explain the project to the students so they are fully aware of the
 academic language. I will explain the purpose of the mural and how it can help students show,
through art, the themes of the novel.

Monitoring Student Learning: Formal & Informal Assessments prior to, during & after learning
How will you know students are on track during lesson?
Students will show that they are on track during the lesson by: Day 1 is a research day (having the
students research their theme).
End of Day 2 students will hand in individual paragraphs about the research they found, and
students will find quotes from the novel that relates to their theme.

How will you know at the end of the lesson what students learned?
Since Day 3-4 are ART WORK DAYS, At the end of the lesson, Day 5 (Friday) students will share
their murals with the class (the symbols they chose to use and why. Students will explain their
themes and 1 example they pulled from the book. (5 min presentations)
Students will hand in a 5 page, double spaced (one page per group member) collaborative write up
by the end of the following week that discusses: the importance of theme (1 page), general
explanation of the theme that was assigned (1 page), 2 examples from the novel with explanations
(2 pages), and an explanation of the mural and why the symbols were chosen (1 page).

Instructional Resources and Materials: the art materials, books, videos, fieldtrips, handouts, etc. that
you will use.
Materials include: The novel, laptops.
Art Materials: Large Black Paper, Pencils, Scissors, Stickers, Puffer Paint, Glitter Markers.
Connection to prior academic learning and requisite skills: Identity what they learned prior to this unit
or lesson.
Prior to this lesson, students would have finished reading the novel. We would have has
class discussions about the novel so students are well versed in the work.
Connections to cultural/personal/community assets: How does this lesson link to students lives
inside and outside of school? Their communities, their cultures?

Students can think about if there are any murals in their communities and draw from that for
inspiration.

Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that support diverse student needs
Motivation: Good place to include essential question posing and if pertinent, hands-on activity to prompt
engagement with the new lesson

What are important themes in The Great Gatsby? How can we depict these themes
through art?

Procedure:
Time: Teacher Action (include higher order Student Action
One thinking questions, grouping
School strategies)
Week
Day 1: Day 1: Teacher will explain the collaborative Day 1: Students will take notes during the short lecture
Intro/ mural and the idea of silhouettes. (10 mins) from teacher so they are informed about the project.
Research the rest of the class time is for research! 5 Students will then start researching.
minute check in at the end of class.

Day 2: Another research day. Teacher will Day 2: Students will finish their research and are
 Day 2: walk around the room and check in with the responsible for handing in their write-up assignment at
Research groups to see if anyone is struggling with the end of class.
the assignment. 5 minute check-in, and
collecting the research write-ups from each
group!

Day 3-4: Teacher will supervise the Day 3-4: Students will collaborate with their group
Day 3-4 classroom as students start their mural members on these days and create their murals!
Mural projects; walking around the room to make
sure everyone is on task, or if anyone needs
help/has any questions.

Day 5: Day 5: The teacher will have a rubric for Day 5: Group presentations! Students will present their
grading the presentations while the students theme and murals to the class. The other groups are
Presentat
are in front of the class presenting their taking notes during the presentations!
ions! work.

Following Week: Teacher will collect the Following Week: Students will hand in their collaborative
Following essay at the beginning of the class. essays at the beginning of the class period.
Week:
Essay

Closure: how will you end the lesson? 5 minute check in to see if there are questions?; a recap of what
was covered and whats coming next?
For Day 1-4 I will do 5 minute check ins at the end of the class to see if anyone has any
questions or needs clarification/guidance.

How students will reflect on their own learning: will you have them keep sketchbooks? Write artist
statements? Grade each others work or their own work? Do in-process gallery walks or sharing?

Students will keep a copy of their own research as notes.

Students will take notes during the presentation day so that they have notes from their peers!
Students will sketch in their notebooks during the mural work days.

Accommodation/Modification based on IEP or 504 plans (special needs students): Some of our
students need accommodations. When we teach, we need to make sure we organize our lessons to align
with their needs. You fill this in only if you are teaching in a class and have students with IEPs or 504
plans.

Differentiation strategies FOR ALL STUDENTS:

We all learn differently. Some of us are kinesthetic (movement-based) learners, others are visual or
listeners or readers How do you make sure that how you teach enables all of your students to access
the learning? HINT: most art lessons address multiple learning styles.

The collaborative mural project as a whole employs differentiation strategies. Students who love
reading will enjoy looking through the novel to find the examples; students who are technologically
savvy will enjoy the research portion of the project! Students who love the arts will take charge
during the mural making, and students who enjoy writing will flourish during the essay portion of
the novel.
Technology integration to support learning: will you use a smartboard? Projected imagery? Or
perhaps one of your lessons will work with technology as an art material like the 3Doodler or Makey
Makey.

Students will use the novel to find examples from the text.
Students will have laptops for the research day.