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Daily assignments & links to notes, videos & important information will be posted here as we begin unpacking what it means to live the American Dream.
Daily assignments & links to notes, videos & important information will be posted here as we begin unpacking what it means to live the American Dream.
Four Freedoms
9/7/18 | FDR's "Four Freedoms" handout (see me for a copy)
We will first listen to this together. Afterward, as you reread this on your your own...
- Underline or highlight words that define freedom (in the margin, label by name at least two different definition strategies you recognize).
- Circle words that describe concepts of America or of being American.
Four Freedoms: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrthefourfreedoms.htm
Labels
9/5/18 | Growing Up Asian in America: A Hyphenated America
Which categories do you fit into? Name at least 5 “boxes” you would check for yourself.
Answer, using at least 3 complete sentences, how do you imagine your “labels” change the way others perceive you? The way you perceive yourself? Do labels limit who we can become?
Conversations through poetry
8/31/18 | Walt Whitman & Langston Hughes
The idea of a conversation poem is that regardless of when a poet lived, another poet can respond, as if having a literary conversation spanning centuries. Imagine going into a time capsule to continue this conversation with either Walt Whitman or Langston Hughes.
What would you say to either poet about how America has changed? The workforce? The American Dream? How Americans live their lives? To whom does America belong?
Answer any one of these prompts - using at least three sentences - and at least one specific example.
"America & I"
8/29/18 | Finish reading "America & I" in SpringBoard.
As you read, you are looking for the author’s feelings and thoughts about America: What does the American Dream represent to her Complete your Vocab Tree as you read.
After you finish reading & taking notes, grab a Chromebook and check out the "classwork" on Classroom [Due 8/30/18 - 25 points]
- Summary
- Thesis (claim) + evidence
- MLA Citation!
- *Bonus question*
The necessary art of writing summaries
8/28/18 | A simple way of approaching the art of writing summaries:
Somebody: Who is the main character? - or - Who is the main character in the scene you’re summarizing?
Wanted: What did this character want? What was this person motivated to do/say/acquire in this scene?
But: What or who was the problem? What or who got in the way?
So: How did your character try to solve the problem?
Then: What was the resolution to this scene or story or dilemma?
Complete this exercise for chunks 1-3 of “America & I” in SpringBoard (starts on p. 19) - due in your class bin before you leave [10 points].
Definition strategies
Exemplification
Function
Classification
Negation
8/27/18 | Pick & think through one aspect of America or the “American Dream” and interpret its function, values, faults, icons, aspirations, whatever [for example: government, education, sports, music, icons, landscape, etc.). You will define your chosen topic through this lens using all 4 definition strategies -- I highly recommend thinking through this before you start!
Fold your paper into four squares, and use one square for each of the four strategies of definition.
What to include in each square:
1) label the definition strategy; 2) illustrate (draw!) an example of your interpretation; and 3) explain (define) your interpretation using the definition strategy
8/23/18 | Under "Classwork" on Google Classroom, you'll find a self-guided tour of the American Dream. Today (and likely tomorrow), your mission is to answer all questions using complete sentences. In the vein of “working smarter not harder” -- realize that you just might be able to expand upon or quote these sources in your own American Dream essay, which we’ll begin working on after we read OM&M. Use this time to go ahead and collect notes, ideas, and thoughts to use in your essays [30 points - due Friday before you go and enjoy your homework-free weekend!].
8/22/18 | American Dream Survey [<-- click here or on the "Dream" icon to access survey] [5 points]
After you complete assessing your sentiments and attitudes toward each of these statements, click on "see previous responses" to see how your assessment of the American Dream compares with your peers. Choose ONE statement and, on a seperate piece of paper, write down the # of the question you’re responding to.
Answer these questions in thoughtful, complete sentences: Were you surprised by how your peers answered? Why or why not? Why did you answer the way you did? Provide an explanation to defend your stance toward this statement. Provide one example from your life, current events, or popular culture as evidence (turning your thoughts from an *opinion* to a *claim*).
8/21/18 | "How do you personally define the American Dream?" [5 points]
On looseleaf, answer the above question using at least 3 thoughtful, complete sentences. Use at least one personal example (what is your own American Dream or your family's American Dream?) and at least one social/political/religious/cultural movement, icon, or example as evidence to support your idea of what the American Dream means to you.
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