Gatsby and The American Dream: A Non-Fiction Lesson

One of the shifts in the Common Core State Standards is the focus on informational texts. As English teachers, many of us tend to overlook rich non-fiction that exists because fiction is such an important mainstay of our field. This lesson specifically focuses on the informational text standards, but it ties in with a beloved classic of literature, The Great Gatsby.

This lesson asks students to question the idea of the American dream and read contemporary news and magazine articles on the topic. The ideas from the non-fiction articles can segue into discussions about The Great Gatsby, or the lesson can stand alone.

Included:

- The American Dream Lesson Plan

- A List of Rich Non-Fiction Articles on The American Dream

- A Non-Fiction Informational Text Worksheet that can be applied to any number of non-fictional texts

- American Dream PowerPoint and Lecture