Media-Rich Lesson Template
Melinda Crimmins
LESSON TITLE
“Anatomy of the American Dream”
GRADE LEVELS
9-12
TIME ALLOTMENT
2-3 days as a pre-activity or culminating activity at the end of a unit.
OVERVIEW
This assignment can be done before beginning the study of Puritanism, or might be used
in connection with literature that explores the American Dream such as The Great
Gatsby, A Raisin in the Sun, and Death of a Salesman. If done as a pre-activity, the
teacher will introduce the concept of the American dream as a motivating factor in the
immigration of the first settlers or literary characters striving for their American Dream.
As a culminating activity at the end of the units the assignment will reinforce the units.
Students will explore the meaning of the American Dream as it might have been for
immigrants coming to the United Stated through video. They will discuss what the
American Dream means today and identify and present their own American Dream.
SUBJECT MATTER
The American Dream.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
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develop an understanding of the meaning of the concept the American Dream
through readings, discussion, and authentic research.
learn to work cooperatively with other students to pool data and draw
conclusions.
will be able to navigate using technology ; Google Classroom, kahoot, and
paperrater.com
demonstrate the ability to present thoughtful and well-documented conclusions in
writing including creative (Recipe) and a formal paper.
STANDARDS
National Standards
College and Career Readiness Standards
R.1.AE ( Level C (4–5) ): Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
R.1.AE ( Level C (4–5) ): Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text
says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
R.2.AE ( Level C (4–5) ): Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details
in the text; summarize the text.
R.2.AE ( Level E (9-12) ): Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in
detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped
and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
R.3.AE ( Level A (K–1) ): Describe the connection between two individuals, events,
ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
R.3.AE ( Level E (9-12) ): Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and
explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of
the text.
R.6.AE ( Level B (2–3) ): Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the
author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Cite strong
and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters
uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Determine two
or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Analyze the
impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters
are introduced and developed).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.9 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Demonstrate
knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of
American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar
themes or topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Cite strong and
thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Determine a
theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an
objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Analyze how
complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the
course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10a ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): By the end
of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the
grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10b ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): By the end
of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the
high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Determine two
or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Analyze the
impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters
are introduced and developed).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.6 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Analyze a case
in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text
from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.9 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Demonstrate
knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of
American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar
themes or topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.10a ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): By the end of
grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the
grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the
high end of the range.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.10b ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): By the end of
grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the
high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Determine a
theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an
objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3b ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Use narrative
techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to
develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3c ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Use a variety
of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent
whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense,
growth, or resolution).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3d ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Use precise
words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the
experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3e ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Provide a
conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved
over the course of the narrative.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Produce clear
and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.5 ( Grades 11-12 English Language Arts ): Develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and
audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3b ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Use narrative
techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to
develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3c ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Use a variety of
techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent
whole.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3d ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Use precise
words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the
experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3e ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Provide a
conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved
over the course of the narrative.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Produce clear and
coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and
audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 ( Grades 9-10 English Language Arts ): Use technology,
including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information
and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
DIGITAL MEDIA COMPONENTS
Google Classroom https://classroom.google.com
paperrater.com www.paperrater.com
Kahoot www.kahoot.it
PBS Learning Media : American Dream Video
http://tpt.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/aml15.ela.lit.amdream/what-is-the-americandream/
PBS Learning Media: Gatsby Guide
http://www.neabigread.org/books/greatgatsby/teachers-guide/schedule-lesson-plans/
PBS Learning Media: Gatsby Video
http://tpt.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/aml15.ela.lit.gatsamdream/gatsby-chases-theamerican-dream/
NY American Dream Interview
http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_high_intermediate.php?id=13271
MATERIALS
Internet connection
Recipe of My American Dream pdf
PREP FOR TEACHERS
Using Google classroom set up a class and have students join. To create class, go to
classroom.google. After the class is created, have students “join by typing in the code
that is given for each class. Create the assignments in the class. Have students view and
complete the assignments. If you prefer paper copies print the NY Interview questions
handout, the Recipe of My American Dream, and the Essay assignment handout.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY: SETTING THE STAGE
The American Dream is something we sing about, hear about, read about, and of course,
dream about. The American Dream drew nearly 14 million immigrants to the U.S. in the
past decades, but the American Dream means different things to different people.
Students will study a variety of American Dreams throughout history then form their own
definition of the American Dream and depict it in different medians.
1. Have students go to kahoot.it and type in pin code 461877 to take the What is the
American Dream quiz. Students will be given four questions to answer and think
about. The results from this quiz will be tallied and should be discussed as a
whole-class activity.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Have students take the Kahoot quiz and discuss the results. Ask students to discuss
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any knowledge they have of inaliable rights. Discuss what Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness might have meant to immigrants coming to the U.S. and what
it means to them.
Distribute the NY Interview questions and have students view the video. You may
want to stop the video and discuss each question as a class.
Explain to students the topic of the next video and a larger theme of The Great
Gatsby is the concept of the American Dream. These teaching tips all incorporate
the notion of this American ideal. To provide context, explore the video What is
the American Dream?
Have students Answer the questions listed below the video.
Have students complete one or all of the following culminating activitites.
CULMINATING ACTIVITY
Have students complete the My American Dream Recipe assignment and, or My
American Dream essay assignment.
Have students run their essay through the paperrater program receiving a grade of B or
higher before turning in to the teacher.
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The following teaching tip is adapted from The Great Gatsby Teacher’s Guide
from The Big Read, a program of The National Endowment for the Arts.
After reading The Great Gatsby, analyze whether Fitzgerald was writing a love story that
embraces American ideals, or a satire that criticizes them. To explore this topic, have
students either write an argumentative essay or hold a class debate. For the essay,
students should choose one side, and build their thesis and reasoning with evidence
derived from passages in the book.
For the debate, divide the class into two groups: one that will argue that Fitzgerald was
writing a story that embraces American dream ideals and another that will argue that his
goal was to criticize the American dream ideals. Have students conduct research, compile
evidence, and prepare opening and closing statements and rebuttals. Students should refer
to passages and quotes from the book as they build their arguments and use the
Embracing or Criticizing the American Dream handout in the Student Handout tab to
organize their evidence and statements.
Dreaming of the Future
Now that students have analyzed the American dream as it applies to the past era of The
Great Gatsby, have them think about what the American dream of the future might entail.
If their American dream is fulfilled, what will their lives look like when they are Nick’s
age (approximately 30)? Consider different mediums for representing what their visions
of their own future American dream will be:
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A monologue, from the perspective of their 30-year-old self
A portrait of themselves as an adult who has realized the dream
A letter to a loved (or not-so-loved) one describing their life
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A news article or report showcasing a major event
CROSS-CURRICULAR EXTENSIONS
Interview:
Ask students to make a brief list of people they know who came of age in each particular
decade (1950’s to the present). These should be people they would be able to interview,
preferably in person though possibly in a phone conversation. Students may work in
groups in order to cover all decades.
Performance:
Ask students to present their American Dream as a song or a acting out a scene from any
piece of literature depicting the American Dream
Music:
Ask students to find and analyze lyrics depicting the American Dream. Play the song for
the class and present their interpretation. An excellent selection of songs can be found on
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website.
History:
Ask students to research an American individual “rags to riches” success story.
Art:
Ask students to create a poster (hard copy or digital) (Glogster.edu) and depict their
American Dream.
Extensions:
Students could watch the animated film Fieval and write a compare and contrast paper
with immigration presented in the film to the American immigration experience.
If time and technology allows, students may be interested in viewing the powerful 1988
documentary American Dream at Groton which focuses on the challenges eighteen-yearold Jo Vega faces as a scholarship student at Groton Academy, a Massachusetts prep
school. Vega was born in Spanish Harlem and struggles in her pursuit of the American
Dream in a very different social milieu.
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Elementary: Ask students what makes them happy? Inform then that the words
“American Dream” is usually associated with what makes people happy. Ask
them to write down or illustrate three events that make them happy and ask them
why they think those events make them happy. Have them write or draw what
they hope their life will be like when they are their parents’ age.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Interview:
Ask students to make a brief list of people they know who came of age in each particular
decade (1950’s to the present). These should be people they would be able to interview,
preferably in person though possibly in a phone conversation. Students may work in
groups in order to cover all decades.
STUDENT MATERIALS
Preview the video for suitability for achieving the lesson’s objectives and students’
learning outcomes.
Select Segments that are relevant to the lesson topic. Show the program in segments in
order for the content to be more easily understood.
Leave the Lights On It may reduce the sharpness of the picture – BUT – it gives the
learners a message that Video Media is a PART of the lesson and the students will be
responsible for the content in the video.
Direct Students’ Focus to a specific task to complete during the video. Tell the students
what they will see and what information from the video they should watch for. Identify
the information during or after viewing the video. The teachers should introduce video
segments with a question and review unfamiliar vocabulary.
Introduce Activities before viewing the video to set the stage for learning. Teachers
should provide background information and teach the new vocabulary words.
Use Culminating Activities to help reinforce, apply, review or extend the information in
the video clip.
Pause the Video to check students’ comprehension. Ask questions, giving the students
time to record information from the video. By pausing the video the teacher and students
can examine a chart, a formula or an image on the screen more closely. Students could
draw a diagram of what they have just seen on the video.
Eliminate Sound or Picture The video clip may have unsuitable narration, but the video
is outstanding. Turn down the sound and provide your own narration, or have the
students describe what they see. Use the closed captioning with students reading along to
reinforce vocabulary and improve reading comprehension.
Why Use Video in the Classroom?
Students:
 retain more information,
 understand concepts more rapidly
 are more enthusiastic about what they are learning
 make new connections between curriculum topics
 discover links between these topics and the world outside the classroom.
Video is Uniquely Suited to . . .
 take students on impossible field trips--inside the human body, or off to Jupiter
 take students around the globe, to meet new people and hear their ideas
 illustrate complex, abstract concepts through animated, 3-D images
 show experiments that can't be done in class
 bring great literature, plays, music, or important scenes from history into the
classroom
Using the Power of Visual Images – Teachers . . .
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reach children with a variety of learning styles, especially visual learners and
students with a variety of information acquisition styles
engage students in problem-solving and investigative activities
begin to dismantle social stereotypes
help students practice media literacy and critical viewing skills
provide a common experience for students.