Recently, the students of Ms. Boudreau’s AP English Language and Composition enjoyed a new change of pace from the sometimes rigorous coursework that the class has to offer.
While wrapping up reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, students were presented with a unique assignment in the form of a project. The task was simple: tie a real-life song to a scene from The Great Gatsby, and quote both lyrics from the song and excerpts from the book to create a well-illustrated comparison between the two.
Students used a variety of songs over a wide range of genres, but every song seemed to work in its own unique way.
“[My group] did ‘Devil in a New Dress’ by Kanye West,” Junior Andrew Koenig said, “I like to listen to that song and I know the lyrics. And it pairs up with the scene we were learning about, which was the whole point of the project.”
Junior Lailand Duncan and his group chose an entirely different class of music.
“We did ‘When Doves Cry’ by Prince because it’s a great song, and it was perfect for our scene,” Duncan said.
Projects often give students the chance to showcase their creative side while keeping them engaged, something the usual worksheets and notes often fail to accomplish.
“I enjoy doing hands-on activities because they distract your brain from regular educational activities and give your brain something to look forward to,” Duncan said. “And it gives you a way to express yourself.”
Especially considering how dense The Great Gatsby tends to be, projects like this can significantly boost comprehension and take understanding of the novel to the next level.
“I felt like I started to understand the book on a deeper level and less of a surface level,” Koenig said.
That deeper understanding is reflected in the posters themselves that now line the walls of Ms. Boudreau’s classroom, each one reflecting the creativity and effort students put into connecting music with literature.