Group Member’s Names (first and last please!): ______________________________________________
The American Dream Through the Decades
For this first project, you are going to create a PowerPoint presentation in which you share information you
have gathered for one decade of American history. You will then use this information to draw some
conclusions about the definition of the American Dream for your era. While this is a group assignment, the
grade will be primarily an individual grade. Take this opportunity to be creative. Let your PowerPoint truly
represent your era.
Decade Assignments: Circle the decade your group is assigned.
 1920’s
 1960’s
 1930’s
 1970’s
 1950’s
 1980’s
PowerPoint Will Include:
(A) Title Slide (1 slide) Names your decade and all of your group members; neat, creative, incorporates music and/or video from
the decade.
(C) Timeline (2) ............. Timeline of major events that occurred in your era. This timeline should include events from political,
social, cultural (literature and entertainment), and economic areas of concern. Your timeline needs to
include 10 or more events. For your second slide, your need to have a video clip of one of the events
listed on your timeline.
(A) Politics (2)................. Find two sources (primary or secondary) that reflect the political climate of the decade. Cite the sources in
MLA and include the sources (maximum 50 lines single spaced) on the slide.
(A) Cultural/Literature (2) Find two pieces of literature (poem, play, novel, etc) from your era. Cite the sources in MLA and
include the sources (maximum 50 lines single spaced) on the slide.
(B) Cultural/Entertainment (2) Find two sources that reflect the entertainment of this era (music, movies, fashion, etc.). Cite the
sources in MLA and include the sources (maximum 50 lines single spaced) on the slide.
(C) Social (2)…………… Find two sources that reflect the social conflicts and aspirations of your era. Cite the sources in MLA
and include the sources (maximum 50 lines single spaced) on the slide.
(B) Economics/Technology (2) Find two sources that reflect the economic or technological conflicts and/or developments of
your era. Cite the sources in MLA and include the source (maximum 50 lines single spaced) on the slide.
(C) Synthesis (1)………….Write one paragraph defining the American Dream for the decade your group investigated, using the
research you accumulated together to create your definition. Think of this as an encyclopedia (i.e.
Wikipedia) entry on the definition of the American Dream for this decade.
(B) Works Cited (1) ....... MLA formatted list of sources
Research
Use Library of Congress, American Memory Collections, or other library research databases to find your
information. Do NOT use Wikipedia.
Presentation:
All group members must take turns explaining the slides. You also must be prepared to answer any questions
at the end of your presentation. Do not forget to use eye contact and engage your audience with energy and
enthusiasm!
PowerPoint Rubric:
* The following will be for a group grade:
_____/15
Presentation
___/5 Each group member participated
___/5 Used PowerPoint creatively and effectively
___/5 Engaged Audience
* The following will be for an individual grade:
___/10
Title Slide
___/2 Decade and Group Members Listed
___/3 Neat and colorful with a creative title
___/5 Strong incorporation of video and/or music from the decade
___/20
Timeline Slides
___/10 Main Events listed
___/3 Time line is neat/easy to follow
___/7 Strong video clip from one of the events on the timeline
___/20
Politics Slides
___/6 Strength of sources
___/4 Proper MLA Citations
___/10 Excerpt of Sources (50 lines or less)
___/20
Cultural/Literature Slide
___/6 Strength of sources
___/4 Proper MLA Citations
___/10 Excerpt of Sources (50 lines or less)
___/20
Cultural/ Entertainment Slide
___/6 Strength of sources
___/4 Proper MLA Citations
___/10 Excerpts of Source (50 lines or less)
___/20
Social Slide
___/5 ___/6 Strength of sources
___/4 Proper MLA Citations
___/10 Excerpt of Sources (50 lines or less)
___/20
Economics/Technology Slide
___/6 Strength of sources
___/4 Proper MLA Citation
___/10 Excerpt of Source (50 lines or less)
___/10
Synthesis of American Dream Slide
___/5 Strong, well-written explanation of the decade’s American Dream
___/5 Clearly uses the information from the presentation to create this definition
___/10
Works Cited Slide
__5
MLA formatted
__5
Includes all of the sources used in the PowerPoint presentation
Total Points per person = 65 points