The Great Gatsby and the Roaring 20S Research Topics

ENG 3U

1920s Research Project and Presentation

Research one of the following topics related to The Great Gatsby and make a presentation to the class. You may work alone or with a partner. You will need to create your own outline. You should check with me and with others to that your material does not overlap with another group’s topic. Your presentation should conclude with a statement as to what your research tells us about the values and morals of the 1920s.

The Great Gatsby and the Roaring ‘20s Research Topics

Each topic will only be researched/presented once

1.  The Economy – the Roaring 20s; economic and social impacts

2.  F. Scott Fitzgerald (biography, what else he wrote, etc.)

3.  Justice: Sacco and Vanzetti, Scopes trial, Leopold and Loeb

4.  Fashion of the 1920s, especially Flappers

5.  Bootlegging and the rise of organized crime (Capone, Luciano, etc.)

6.  Sports, especially the 1919 World Series

7.  Automobiles (types and who had them)

8.  Prohibition and Temperance

9.  Politics and Politicians; the American Dream

10.  Famous People (actors, sports figures, the rich and influential)

11.  Art and literature (famous works, artists, authors)

12.  Music and Dance (Jazz)

13.  New Technology of the 1920s

14.  Women’s Rights, especially Women’s Suffrage

15.  The Harlem Renaissance (what it was, where was it, and who was involved)

16.  Theater, film and Hollywood

17.  Pop Culture, and Fads

18.  Architecture and Design

The rubric on the reverse of this page outlines the distribution of grades for this project. Keep in mind that the following elements are key to receiving a strong overall mark:

Knowledge/Understanding: - Research is thorough, meaningful and accurate

-  Strong connections are drawn between research and the idea of morals and values in the 1920s

Thinking/Inquiry: - Information is presented in an interesting manner

-  Students are engaged and actively listening/participating

Communication: - Presentation has been rehearsed

-  Adequate volume/diction/eye contact

Application: - Handouts/visual aids/PowerPoint presentations are error free and easy to

follow and to read, and is in the student’s own words, not copied

-  A ‘user friendly’ note-taking outline is provided to the class

Make sure all research comes from a reputable source. Keep track of all resources used (including websites). ALL WRITTEN WORK MUST BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS.