American Dream BrainstormOn 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.

Journal Entry/Discussion Topic 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.

“The Newsroom” 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.

“The Newsroom” Thesis Statement

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.

Evidence to support the text’s (the episode’s) two- part thesis

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”

Counter-arguments 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)

Article Reading/Annotation 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.

Thesis Statement about the American Dream from “Keeping the Dream Alive”

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.

“What Land of Opportunity?”

Follow same process as with “Keeping the Dream Alive” to annotate for HW.

Thesis Statement about the American Dream from “What Land of Opportunity?”

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.

Three More Sources about the American Dream—take notes on each!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsAVZrUIm-g (The Onion: Last Believer in the American Dream)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno (John Oliver and the wealth gap)

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/372029/the-american-dream-is-alive-and-its-really-tiny/ (Tiny Houses Movement)

Independent Assignment #1 (HW) 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 pro-American 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.

Song discussions 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.?)

Independent Assignment #2 (HW)

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.

Article discussionsEach person in the group will:

1. 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.

American Dream Paragraph

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

Draft 2: Structure (HW) 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)

Journal Entry

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?

Draft 3: Integration of text 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!

Example of properly integrated text

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!

Draft 4: Upgrading language

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!

Evaluating example paragraphs 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.

Due Thursday 2/11: Final Draft 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.

American Dream Paragraph-Purpose/Skills Gained

You have now studied a topic (the American Dream) in depth, and have done the following:

Shared your initial impressions of it (journal entry) Studied multi-media sources that discuss it (articles,

video, 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

Purpose/Skills Gained cont.

You have written about this, and have improved the CONTENT, STRUCTURE, INTEGRATION OF TEXT, AND LANGUAGE in your writing

Done multiple drafts and 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)

Moving forward…

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, but what you learned about structure, integration of text, and academic language still applies.

Areas for improvement

Based on the Am. Dream paras, these are areas that many of you need to continue to work on:

1. Having enough commentary after evidence2. Having commentary after evidence that is

relevant and actually explains how the evidence helps to prove your main point from your TS

3. Deliberately choosing the order of your evidence so that your ideas progress and develop instead of falling flat or being repetitive

4. Using more formal/academic language 5. Following general guidelines (turning things in on

time, having a Works Cited when told to, actually using Easy Bib to make a correct Works Cited, etc.)