1. The Great Gatsby
Journal Prompts

2. Journal Entry 1
Is there value in suffering? Why or why not?

3. Journal Entry 2
Explain the following quote and write about any personal connections that come to mind.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
~Helen Keller

4. Alaska Quiz 1
1. Who is the first person Miles meets at boarding school?
2. What are Alaska’s favorite last words?
3. What are three things that Chip is good at/ known for?
4. What does Colonel/Chip ask Miles to help him do right before Colonel/Chip’s date?
5. What is the boarding school called? What state is it located in?
6. What is significant about Colonel’s real name being Chip?

5. Journal Entry 3 Explain the following quote:
1920 the New Generation of Americans was, “dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken.”
~F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his first novel, This Side of Paradise

6. Rules and Expectations:
“Say Something”…
Rules and Expectations:
You must participate fully
You must practice being an active listener and active speaker
You must read assigned material
You must decide who will say something first
You must press yourself to say something engaging, meaningful, and that challenges your own thinking

7. “Say Something”… Process and Format: Find a partner
Read on your own, silently for 10 minutes
With your partner, “Say Something” for 5 minutes
✶ make a prediction ✶ ask a question  ✶ clarify something you misunderstood  ✶ make a comment  ✶ make a connection ✶ make an argument
4. Repeat the process until the chapter is complete

8. Follow Up Questions Exit Slip:
“Say Something”…
Follow Up Questions Exit Slip:
How has using Say Something changed how you read?
What’s something you discovered through Say Something with the chapter you just finished?
What type of comment do you make the least often? The most often?
What do you want to do to make your Say Something comments more powerful?
What do you need me to do to help you use this strategy more effectively?

9. Journal Entry 4
What is “The Great Perhaps?” What is your Great Perhaps?

10. Journal Entry 5
Write about a difficult or tragic instance in your own life. How were you changed by that experience?

11. Journal Entry 6
What is your favorite movie? In one or two sentences write about the theme of that movie.

12. Journal Entry 7
What are five different ways to be respectful in a conversation?

13. Journal Entry 8
Write your own poem about suffering.

14. Journal Entry 9
Write at least a paragraph about what makes Alaska Young interesting or not interesting. Analyze Alaska’s character. Go deeper than what is obvious.

15. Journal Entry 10
Write your entire thesis statement along with a direct quote from the text that you will use in your literary/ character analysis.