What is the American Dream? How
is it illustrated in media/literature?
Example Thesis:
The American Dream is the hope to
achieve more than the last generation, the
right to equality and one’s ability to have
control over their life. It is illustrated in
literature and media by questioning
injustice and presenting new ideas.
5 sentence paragraph format
 Topic Sentence (TS)
 Concrete Detail (CD)
 Commentary (CM)
 Commentary (CM)
 Commentary (CM)
 Concluding Sentence (CS)
Terminology Used in Writing Essays
Topic sentence (TS)
Concrete detail (CD)
Commentary (CM)
Concluding sentence (CS)
Topic Sentence (TS)
 Is NOT a FACT
 Must present an informed opinion
 An opinion that can be supported by facts from the text
 Ask yourself: Could someone logically argue against it?
 Yes=good TS
 No= rewrite TS
Sample TS
 Part of the American Dream is having the hope to
achieve more than the last generation.
 Could someone logically argue against it?
 Yes
 You do not need hope to work hard
 Doing the same as the last generation is fine
Sample TS
 Part of the American Dream is having the hope to
achieve more than the last generation.
 Is this a fact from the text?
 No, but I can support it with facts.
Practice- TS
Sentence starters:
Part of the American Dream is ….
The American Dream is…..
…. is part of the American Dream.
Concrete Detail (CD)
 Ideas from a story
 Fact
 Evidence
 Quote
Sample CD
 TS: Part of the American Dream is having the hope to
achieve more than the last generation.
What fact/action from the text supports this?
 CD: In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
illustrates hope for a better tomorrow, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll
be at the table/ when company comes” (8-10).
Why is this a CD?
 CD: In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
illustrates hope for a better tomorrow, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll
be at the table/ when company comes” (8-10).
 Action/fact from the text
 It’s from the surface. I didn’t have to dig deep and be a
rocket scientist to find this out. It’s straight out of the
text.
Practice- CD
 Make sure to use “quotations” and place
the period after the (parenthesis).
 Example: In Langston Hughes poem I,
Too, Sing America he illustrates hope for
a better tomorrow, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at
the table/ when company comes” (8-10).
Where are we now?
 TS: Part of the American Dream is having the hope to
achieve more than the last generation.
 CD: In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
illustrates hope for a better tomorrow, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll
be at the table/ when company comes” (8-10).
 How many commentary sentences do I need?
 For every 1 CD, YOU need 2+ CMs
Commentary (CM)
 Thoughts from your head
 The “so what?” “why?” or “how”
 Analysis
 Interpretation
Sample CM
 CD: In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
illustrates hope for a better tomorrow, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll
be at the table/ when company comes” (8-10).
CM: This quote shows the importance of hope because
without it Hughes would have given up.
Why is this a CM?
CM: This quote shows the importance of hope because
without it Hughes would have given up.
 Has commentary words (importance; determination
 It’s your interpretation of what the quote means or
shows about the American Dream.
Practice- CM
 Write your first Commentary Sentence
Sentence starters:
This quote shows…
The quote illustrates…
Hughes highlights…
Sample of Second CM

CM: This quote shows the importance of hope
because without it Hughes would have given up.
Why is this part of the American Dream?
How is it illustrated in the text?
CM2: Hope is part of the American Dream because it is
what drives Americans to work hard.
CM3 Hughes illustrates this value by giving a personal
example of what he hopes for.
Why is this a CM?
CMs: Hope is part of the American Dream because it is
what drives Americans to work hard. Hughes
illustrates this value by giving a personal example of
what he hopes for.


Commentary words
More interpretation of what text means/shows
Practice- CM
Sentence Starters:
_____ is part of the American Dream because…
_______ illustrates this value by …
________ demonstrates this value by…
________ confirms this value by …
Looks good, but what’s missing?
Part of the American Dream is having the
hope to achieve more than the last generation. In
Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
“Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table/ when company
comes” (8-10). This quote shows the importance of
hope because without it Hughes would have given
up. Hope is part of the American Dream because it
is what drives Americans to work hard. Hughes
illustrates this value by giving a personal example
of what he hopes for.
What is a CS?
 Do not REPEAT the TS
 No Concrete Details from the story
 All Commentary
 Transitions into your next point.
Sample CS
 The hope for more than the last generation often
reveals the lack of equality in America.
 All Commentary
 No Concrete Detail
 Refers to TS without repeating the vocabulary
 Transitions to next idea
Practice
 Write concluding sentence
Part of the American Dream is having the
hope to achieve more than the last generation. In
Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
“Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table/ when company
comes” (8-10). This quote shows the importance of
hope because without it Hughes would have given
up. Hope is part of the American Dream because it
is what drives Americans to work hard. Hughes
illustrates this value by giving a personal example
of what he hopes for. The hope for more than the
last generation often reveals the lack of equality in
America.
 TS
 CD
 CM1- explain what the quote means
 CD
 CM1-explain what the quote means
 CM2 Why is part of the American Dream?
 CM3 How is it illustrated?
 CS