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On your phone, go to
http://padlet.com/abond4/americandreams
Follow directions there to share your
thoughts on what the American Dream is and
how one achieves it.
Once everyone has responded, we will
discuss and see if there are any patterns to
notice among your answers.
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Do you think the American Dream may have been
interpreted differently at other times in history?
When and why?
Is it possible for everyone to reach their American
Dream? What factors might prohibit someone from
reaching their dream in this country?
Write for at least 10 minutes total on these
questions before we discuss together.
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Following is a clip from the HBO Show “The Newsroom.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYBabXmA
We will watch it twice. The first time, just watch/listen, and
take it all in.
After the first viewing, we will come up with an explanatory
thesis statement about the text: In other words, what does
the main character think about the American Dream? What’s
his point of view? What’s his main claim? Main argument?
The second time we watch, be prepared to write down facts
from the character’s speech that function as evidence for
the statement we constructed.
Disclaimer: There are some curse words.
In the HBO show “The Newsroom”, the main character
Will McAvoy angrily explains that America is not the
best country in the world because there is excessive,
uninformed political conflict, deficiency in the areas of
education, good leadership, and technological
advancements, and a general decline in humanity,
resulting in more selfishness and fear, and less
generosity. On the other hand, he also argues that
America used to be great when we were the primary
global superpower, and people were more open to
ideas, education, and other points of view.
What he’s angry about now
 Liberals are smart but always lose
elections
 We pride ourselves on freedom, but
we are one of 180 countries that have
freedom
 Education stats: 7th in literacy, 27th in
math, 22nd in science
 Quality of life/health care stats: 49th
in life expectancy; 178th in infant
mortality
 Economy stats: 4th in labor, 4th in
exports, 3rd in median household
income
 #1 in only 3 categories: # of citizens
in jail, adults who believe angels are
real, and defense spending
What he admired about America’s past
 Waged wars on poverty instead of
alienating poor people
 “Stood up for what was right, waged
wars for moral reasons”
 “Put our money where our mouths were,
and never beat our chests” (we didn’t
brag, we did what we could actually do
and did not just talk about it)
 Seems to refer to the glory days of WWII
and post-WWII
 Technological advancements
 World’s greatest economy
 Cured diseases
 “We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t
belittle it”
 “We didn’t identify ourselves based on
who we voted for in the last election”
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Defense spending stats are inaccurate and somewhat
skewed
It is difficult to compare a wartime/victory context to a
relatively peaceful time and expect the same advancements
It is not necessarily bad to have medium-high rankings in
many areas; there are different conditions in different
countries that affect the stats
It is not necessarily true that we are dumber now, but
through media we are exposed to more, both the intelligent
and the stupid
Politics has always played a major role in people’s identities
Imperialistic wars were not moral (ex: Spanish-American
War)
Read “Keeping the Dream Alive” and annotate it
in the following way, with three different color
highlighters or three symbols/ways of
underlining.
Color 1: Highlight comments that SUPPORT the
existence of the American Dream.
Color 2: Highlight comments that QUESTION or
are AGAINST the existence of the American
Dream.
Color 3: Words/references/general ideas that are
unfamiliar to you or difficult to understand.
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After discussing the article and the evidence it contains in
support of and against the American Dream, we will come up
with an explanatory thesis statement for this text as well.
What’s the author’s overall point of view/claim/argument
about the American Dream?
In “Keeping the Dream Alive” by Jon Meacham of Time
Magazine, the author believes that the American
Dream is a concept of the past that is slipping away,
but Americans can regain it if they unify and truly
attempt to reach their potential.
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Follow same process as with “Keeping the
Dream Alive” to annotate for HW.
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On your own, come up with an explanatory
thesis statement for this text as well. What’s the
author’s overall point of view/claim/argument
about the American Dream?
Model it after the ones you have for “The
Newsroom” and “Keeping the Dream Alive”.
Then look back at the article and put a * next to
three pieces of evidence that you think best
support this thesis.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsAVZr
UIm-g (The Onion: Last Believer in the
American Dream)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwj
Aeno (John Oliver and the wealth gap)
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/3720
29/the-american-dream-is-alive-and-itsreally-tiny/ (Tiny Houses Movement)
Find a song that relates to the American Dream.
Think outside the box!
 The song may reflect on real events in American
history and the American Dream as a whole, or
focus more on aspects of American life or
individualized American Dreams. It may be proAmerican Dream OR critical of it.
 Bring in the lyrics printed or accessible on your
phone, and we will work on analyzing these songs in
class tomorrow.
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Each person should share out which song they chose and what
made them think of it.
 Each person will explain to their group WHAT their chosen song is
about, WHY it was written, and HOW the song gets its message
across through use of language.
 Once all have shared out in the group, discuss the following
questions together:
1) What definition of the American Dream do the songs relate to?
2) Any similarities between the songs and other texts we
read/viewed about the American Dream?
3) What genres of music are represented in the group? Is there a
pattern in terms of what each music genre tends to focus on? (For
example, do country songs tend to focus on certain aspects of the
American Dream, different from pop, rap, etc.?)
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Choose one of the American Dream articles listed under
“American Dream Links” on the website to read.
Browse the titles and perhaps click on a few to see what
they are about before you settle on one.
When done reading, construct an explanatory thesis
statement that explains what that author believes about
the American Dream. (write in your notebook or on the
article itself)
Last step: gather evidence to support the thesis  either
print the article and highlight 3+ quotes to support, OR
write out 3+ quotes (with citations) in your notebook as
support.
Each person in the group will:
Explain the article you read to your group: What topics did it
cover? Why did you choose it? What did you find most
interesting about it? (even if there is more than one person in
your group who read the same article, this can still be done by
each person)
2. Share at least one quote that you thought was significant.
3. Explain if you agree or disagree with the main claim(s) of the
article and why.
*When everyone has shared, consider and discuss the similarities
and differences between the articles in the group.
1.
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Analytical paragraph
Analysis = argument + explanation
Your thesis will state your argument (your point of view
on the American Dream) without using first person
Then you will explain why there is so much controversy
over this topic, using evidence to demonstrate (think of
this as a mini-essay, and this is the background part of
the intro; a few sentences)
Then you will argue for your point of view, using
various pieces of evidence to support
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Write a second draft of your paragraph, focusing on writing structure as
reviewed in class today.
Topic sentence/thesis statement (TS), brief explanation of controversy
with evidence, at least two chunks (two textual truths (TTs)/pieces of
evidence (EV) to support your argument about what is happening to the
American Dream & commentary/analysis (CMs)) for those pieces of
evidence, and a concluding sentence (CS).
The explanatory thesis statements you have for some of the sources
could potentially function as your TTs, but it depends on what you are
discussing and what evidence you are using.
Use evidence from at least two different sources. Remember, evidence
refers to quotes and paraphrases, both of which need to be cited.
“The Newsroom” citation: (Sorkin); refer to as TV show on HBO
The Onion video: (The Onion News Network)
John Oliver video: (Oliver)
Tiny Houses video: (The Atlantic)
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What differences did you see between your
first and second drafts? What did you do well
in your opinion? What do you think you still
need to improve?
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You must use evidence from at least 2 of the sources you have studied. DO
NOT use only one source---that is not balanced!
Remember, one piece of EV goes in the explanatory part of the paragraph,
and the other two are in the argument part. You can of course have more as
you see fit.
Make sure the quotes and paraphrases you have chosen are the BEST pieces
of evidence to support your ideas.
You will integrate at least two quotes correctly (of the three required pieces
of evidence), using an effective transition and lead-in before the quotes
(TLQ). The other piece of EV may be a paraphrase if you wish.
Cite quotes and paraphrases in MLA format: (author last name pg#)
Use the authors’ names in the paragraph as well as the titles of the
articles/publications and their dates if they boost credibility.
Use Transition Words sheet handed out to you today!
In “Keeping the Dream Alive” by Jon
Meacham published in Time Magazine in
2012, the author seems to try to persuade
readers to step up and help keep the
American dream alive, perhaps by becoming
leaders. Specifically, he states “we are the
only ones who can create a climate for the
American Dream to survive another
generation…” (5).
****This contains the article title, author, publication, year, author’s
point of view/thesis, a transition, lead-in, quote, and citation. Whew!
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You will make sure your topic and concluding sentences
are strong, specific, and insightful.
Your CS should not be the same as your TS – you should
have a new level of insight to share by the end of the
paragraph.
Identify words that are too elementary or not specific
enough, and find synonyms that are more sophisticated
and specific.
Get rid of any 1st person (I) and make sure 2nd person
(you) is limited.
Correct, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Look at the three different Academic Verbs documents
at the top of 11CP Docs for help!
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We will now look at some example paragraphs together
to prepare you for your final draft.
You will read paragraph #1 and label its structural
components (find the TS, TTs, EVs, CMs, and CS).
Complete the chart below it indicating the strengths
and weaknesses of this paragraph.
Score it according to the textual analysis rubric provided
for you (to keep in your folder).
Read/discuss paragraph #2 on the back.
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Revise everything you need to as pointed out from peer reviews
and your own understanding of the expectations.
Bring printed copy to class Thursday and submit to turnitin by
7am that day.
Should be in MLA format (check the top of 11CP Documents for
guidance on font, heading, spacing, header, margins, etc.)
Make a Works Cited page for all sources (formatted example at
the top of 11CP Docs or use EasyBib.com)
When you turn it in, you will have the final draft on top and all
previous drafts plus the peer review sheet stapled behind it so
you can get credit for the HWs and classwork as well as the final
draft grade.
No credit will be given for final drafts turned in without a Works
Cited.
You have now studied a topic (the American Dream) in depth,
and have done the following:
 Shared your initial impressions of it (journal entry and Padlet)
 Studied multi-media sources that discuss it (articles, videos,
songs)
 Figured out how the authors of the sources feel about it (author’s
point of view/perspective)
 Used the sources to explain something about the American
Dream (that it is “controversial”, that it is a myth, that it can be
restored, etc.)
 Perhaps you have manipulated the facts in the sources to prove
what your view of the American Dream is, without using first
person
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You have written about this, and have improved the CONTENT,
STRUCTURE, INTEGRATION OF TEXT, AND LANGUAGE in
your writing
Done multiple drafts (and some are working on a revision, using
the writing center as a resource)
This semester, we will repeat this process in some way, shape
or form with every unit, as we will always look at related
sources in addition to the main piece of literature we are
reading
You have also practiced important skills you will need for your
research paper, which is similar, except it is about a whole book
and the ideas in it, not just one idea or topic (the American
Dream)
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Based on the Am. Dream paras, these are areas that many of
you need to continue to work on:
Taking a position on a topic while also explaining why it is
controversial
Having enough evidence for your position as well as the
explanation of the controversy
Having commentary after evidence that is relevant and
actually explains how the evidence helps to prove your main
point from your TS
Deliberately choosing the order of your evidence so that your
ideas progress and develop instead of falling flat or being
repetitive
Using more formal/academic language
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You are now going to apply these skills to write a written
analysis of “The Trial of Arthur Miller” and how/why it is so
persuasive, using your new knowledge about rhetorical
devices and persuasive language.
This time, you will only be analyzing one source and how it
presents its argument instead of forming your own
argument, but what you learned about structure, integration
of text, and academic language still applies. Something to
keep in mind is to make sure your writing develops and that
you choose evidence from the article that is cohesive and
builds towards an effective point instead of all the evidence
being separate/unrelated.