Jazz Age Vocabulary

This vocabulary-focused worksheet is designed for Grades 9-12 and helps students deepen their understanding of The Great Gatsby by exploring expressive, historically grounded words drawn from the novel. Students define each term in their own words and then write original sentences that demonstrate accurate usage, encouraging both comprehension and application. By working with words such as supercilious, fractious, privy, ephemeral, and bootlegger, learners strengthen their ability to interpret tone, character portrayal, and cultural context within Fitzgerald’s prose.

Learning Goals

• Vocabulary Development (Secondary ELA) – Understand and accurately define complex literary vocabulary
• Contextual Understanding – Analyze how word choice contributes to tone, mood, and characterization
• Language Application – Use new vocabulary correctly in original, meaningful sentences
• Historical Awareness – Connect word meanings to the social and cultural context of the Jazz Age

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Aligned with high school ELA standards for vocabulary and literary analysis
• Active Word Learning – Moves beyond memorization through paraphrasing and sentence creation
• Text-Based Focus – Reinforces close reading and attention to Fitzgerald’s language choices
• Flexible Use – Ideal for novel units, bell ringers, homework, review, or test preparation
• Low Prep – Print-and-use worksheet with clear prompts and organized response space

This vocabulary worksheet helps students build precision and confidence in their academic language while deepening their understanding of The Great Gatsby. By defining and applying key terms, learners sharpen their ability to analyze tone, character, and theme through diction. Whether used as part of a novel study or as targeted language practice, this resource supports stronger reading comprehension and more sophisticated literary analysis.

This worksheet is part of our Great Gatsby Worksheets collection.