Aurora Staggs

Lesson 3: Characterization
11th grade
Time: 45 minutes

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are
introduced and developed

NCTE/IRA.3
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate
texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers,
their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and
their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure,
context, graphics).

Educational Objectives:
 I can make a playlist that represents a character from The Great Gatsby
 I can use evidence from the text in order to justify my song choices.
Assessment on Learning:
 Spotify playlist with at least 5 songs that represent each character
 8-10 sentence paragraph explaining song choices
Central Focus
 The central focus of this lesson is to create a Spotify playlist in order to show
understanding of characterization in The Great Gatsby.
Accommodations for students with specific learning needs:
 Not applicable
Language Function (select 1):

Analyze Compare/Contras Construct Describe Evaluate

t

Examine Identify Interpret Justify Locate

Explain Prove Argue Synthesize

Identify a learning task from your plan that provides students with opportunities to
practice using the language function identified above:
The task from my plan that provides students with opportunities to practice using the language
function above is the Characterization Playlist Activity. Students must analyze each character in
order to find appropriate songs for each one.
Additional Language Demands. Given the language function and learning task identified
above, describe the following associated language demands (written or oral) students need to
understand and/or use:
Vocabulary:
 Characterization- literary device that occurs any time the author uses details to teach us
about a person. This is used over the course of a story in order to tell the tale.
Materials:
Teacher: Students:
Laptop Phone or laptop with access to Spotify
Copy of The Great Gatsby Copy of The Great Gatsby
Instructions for activity Paper and writing utensil
Link to Characterization video
Anticipatory Set:
 Show characterization video (2 minutes)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCshdu8loDo
 Have short discussion about the video (2-3 minutes)
o Do the students have any questions?
o What did they think of the video?
o Can students summarize video in their own words?

Sequence of events:
 Introduce characterization playlist activity
o Students will be split into four groups
o Each group will be assigned a character from The Great Gatsby (Gatsby, Nick,
Daisy, or Tom)
o Choose one person to create the Spotify playlist
o Each playlist must have at least five songs that your group feels accurately
represents the character based on evidence from the book
o Songs must be school appropriate (no swearing, etc.)
o When the playlist is complete, email me the link to the playlist (include all group
members’ names in the email)
o After the playlist is done, each person will write an 8-10 sentence paragraph
explaining your group’s song choices, citing evidence from the book as to how it
fits the character. (be sure to use examples of both direct and indirect
characterization)
o Students can work together on this, but each student must turn in their own
paragraph.
 Split students into four breakout rooms and assign each room a character
o Give 20 minutes to work on activity
 o During this time, check in on each group
o Give more time if needed
 Come back together as a class and have each group share the songs in their playlist and
a brief explanation of each one (should not take more than 10 minutes for all groups to
go)
Conclusion:
 Ask for student feedback on the lesson
o Did they like it?
o Was it too easy or too hard?