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Lesson Plan
Utah Education Network

Uen: American Dream and the Great Gatsby

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Analyze the argument in articles about the American dream.
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Website
Yale University

Beineicke Library: America and the Utopian Dream

For Students 9th - 10th
This exhibition documents the quest for utopian society through the literary works and manuscripts in the collection of Yale University's Beinecke Library, beginning with Thomas More's Utopia. With additional information on utopian...
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Website
American Library Association

American Library Association (Ala): Coretta Scott King Award Winners

For Students 3rd - 8th
The Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners are listed in chronological order from the present back to 1970. The purpose of the award is also explained. Many awards winners also feature a brief synopsis.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Novel Reflections on the American Dream

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a collection of five videos of Novel Reflections on the American Dream including Fitzgerald's Gatsby, Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," Ann Petry's "The Street," and Gish Jen's "Traditional American."
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: The American Dream

For Teachers 9th - 10th
With the help of digitized primary documents -- pictures, photograph, recordings, and written accounts -- students will explore and define what the "American Dream" meant for people over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Quest for the American Dream in "Raisin"

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This unique online lesson explores the term "The American Dream," and applies it to Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun." Learners define what they believe is "The American Dream," and then modify that belief based on a thorough study...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: American Dream: Spotlight on 1965

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Use quotes from people in 1965 to talk about culture, the 1960s, and the American Dream. Students write about them and discuss their ideas in groups. The quotes are included on a handout, and there is a link that explains who said each...
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Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: A Raisin in the Sun

For Students 9th - 10th
This site features discussion questions to go along with each scene of the play "A Raisin in the Sun," by Lorraine Hansberry. Learners will gain a broader perspective of Hansberry's work when they visit this site.
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Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: The American Dream

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using music, video and readings, students will explore their views of the American Dream, and use this information to create "Animoto" videos that express a personal opinion or take on the dream. Students will develop and support their...
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: New Attitutdes Toward Wealth

For Students 5th - 8th
The accumulation of wealth went beyond inheritance in the late 19th century. Read about three different ideas for the ordinary person to become wealthy.
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller

For Students 9th - 10th
In this play, Willy Loman, an aging traveling salesman, struggles to come to terms with his "failures," reconnect with his sons, and let go of the ideal of the American Dream. Selected (9) reading passages (grades 8-12) to pair with...
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Primary
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: Postwar Rise of the Suburbs

For Students 9th - 10th
Primary source documents include photographs, documents, cartoons, and advertisements that help to paint a picture of this unique time and place in American history.
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Lesson Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts, Grade 11: American Dream

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Students learn about the American Dream through various texts. They explore how foundational American literature treats the topic and consider different perspectives.
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Lesson Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts: Grade 5: Shutting Out the Sky

For Teachers 5th Standards
Focused on immigrant life in the United States and how families sought the American dream, this unit offers students an understanding of how members of a culture meld into communities while trying to maintain cultural identity and honor...
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Lesson Plan
Google

Louisiana Curriculum Hub: Ela Guidebooks: Grade 5: Shutting Out the Sky: Unit Files

For Teachers 5th
A Google Drive folder with instructional presentations, discussion questions, student activities, and assessments for the book, Shutting Out the Sky.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Pbs American Portrait Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS American Portrait is a national storytelling project that invites individuals to participate in a conversation about what it really means to be an American today. To answer this question, PBS and its partners are collecting photos,...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Now With Bill Moyers: Starting From Behind

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson that helps students examine the immigrant experience from an adolescent's point of view by exploring how the American dream motivates students to succeed.
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Website
Other

Center for a New American Dream

For Students 9th - 10th
Has the American Dream become jaded? Has it turned into a materialistic nightmare? The New American Dream center has information to keep the Dream alive and healthy.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Suburban Growth

For Students 5th - 8th
Find out how many veterans returning from World War II were able to realize the American Dream of home ownership, and see how this resulted in the growth of suburban areas across the nation.