Gatsby Parties

Every time I taught Gatsby before Ivy Tech we would have "Gatsby parties."

During one of the discussions of Chapters 1, 2, and 3, we were talking about the similarities and differences, and someone mentioned that it would be fun if we could re-enact the parties. The wheels started to spin, and before we knew it, I was driving a West Central School Corporation van up and down 421 to not only Amanda's house, but also to Molly's house, then Julie's house for their group's depiction of each party. What fun we had! Amanda's mother had allowed the group to use the good china (brave woman she was). Molly's mom shooed everyone into the basement. Julie's mom had set up card tables all over the house. The other details I will leave to your imagination at this point. Suffice to say, however, that this group of gifted/talented students made an impression on all of their peers---and me!

This first adventure was after school hours. The next ones in the honors classes were not quite as elaborate as that first one. There were too many students to transport in one van with one driver (me). We had just 90 minutes from beginning to end. We used the school's cafegymatoriam(borrowing the term from Ray Barone) and the FACS room. As many groups go, some of the students participated; some didn't. Some enjoyed the activity; others complained and thought it was dumb.

I, for one, always think of that first set of Gatsby parties, the fun we had traveling like we were going to a progressive dinner, how well the students adapted to the roles they played, and the great learning experience that was born of the their discussion of Chapters 1, 2, and 3.