Intermediate Literary Analysis
A Summer Bridge course in literary exploration and critical thought.
ENGLISH | LITERARY ARTS | COMPREHENSION
summer II
July 21th - August 1st
Grades
9-11 (by fall 2025)
Analysis of "The Great Gatsby" by F.Scott Fitzgerald
This two-week intensive explores The Great Gatsby through the lens of literary analysis, cultural critique, and rhetorical inquiry. Students will engage in close reading, seminar-style discussion, and advanced writing tasks to unpack the novel’s treatment of illusion, identity, and the American Dream.
Anchored in both 9th–10th and 11th–12th grade Common Core ELA standards, the course emphasizes argumentation, theme development, and narrative structure. With daily journaling, creative synthesis projects, and Socratic seminars, students will sharpen their critical thinking and gain a deeper understanding of Fitzgerald’s literary craft and its modern implications.
Provided Materials
- The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Composition notebook
- 4-color highlighter set
- 2 mechanical pencils
- Blue, black, and red pens
- Multi-color stick tabs
Shenayah Herschkowitz
LIVE MEETING TIME
TBD (EST)
*The course will meet for two hours daily (Monday–Thursday) for a live online class during this window of time. A third hour is used for online office hours. Students will be admitted to and attend just one course section and time. The exact course time and office hour schedule will be set closer to the start of the program.
ASYNCHRONOUS HOMEWORK TIME
1 to 2 hour(s) per day
The approximate amount of time participants should plan to spend on assignments and projects outside of live class time.
Standards
9th to 11th Grade ELA Standards for Literary Comprehension
- RL.9-10.1–6, RL.11-12.1–6 (Reading Literature: textual evidence, theme, character, structure, language, and point of view)
- RI.9-10.2, RI.11-12.2 (Reading Informational Text: central idea and analysis)
- W.9-10.1–4, 6, 9, W.11-12.1–4, 6, 9 (Writing: argument and narrative, organization, technology use, and text-based analysis)
- L.9-10.1, L.11-12.1 (Language: grammar and usage in context)