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In this unit, students will take a look at the historical vision of the American Dream as put together by our Founding Fathers. They will be asked: How, if at all, has this dream changed? Is this dream your dream? First students will participate in an American Dream Convention, acting as a particular historical figure arguing for his or her vision of the American Dream, and then they will write an argument laying out and defending their personal view of what the American Dream should be.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Students read and annotate closely one of the documents that they feel expresses the American Dream.
- Students participate in an American Dream Convention, acting as a particular historical figure arguing his or her vision of the American Dream.
- Students write a paper, taking into consideration the different points of view in the documents read, answering the question “What is the American Dream now?”
- Students write their own argument describing and defending their vision of what the American Dream should be.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.
- What has been the historical vision of the American Dream?
- What should the American Dream be? (What should we as individuals and as a nation aspire to?)
- How would women, former slaves, and other disenfranchised groups living during the time these documents were written respond to them?
BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read
During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.
- Subject:
- English Language Arts, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Speaking and Listening
- Material Type:
- Unit of Study
- Level:
- High School
- Grade:
- 11
- Tags:
-
- American Dream
- Founding Fathers
- Grade 11 ELA
![American Dreamers](https://oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com/media/courseware/unit/image/11-ela-ela-11-9780133246070-studio-images-ip3-ela-11-1_uvt_americandreamers.png)
Education Standards
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Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g., Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s Modern American English) as needed.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Observe hyphenation conventions.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Spell correctly.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: 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.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Determine two or more 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 provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: 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.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Learning Domain: Reading for Literature
Standard: 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.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range or formal and informal tasks.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11-12 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specific expectations.)
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11-12 on page 55.)
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Draw evidence form literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “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”).
Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g., Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, Garner's Modern American English) as needed.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Observe hyphenation conventions.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Spell correctly.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Language
Standard: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: 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.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Determine two or more 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 provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: 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.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text
Standard: Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln�۪s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Reading Literature
Standard: 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.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11���12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others�۪ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range or formal and informal tasks.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Speaking and Listening
Standard: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11-12 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specific expectations.)
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience�۪s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1���3 above.)
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1���3 up to and including grades 11-12 on page 55.)
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Draw evidence form literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "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").
Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards
Grades 11-12Learning Domain: Writing
Standard: Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]").
Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: 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.
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.
Standard: 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.
Cluster: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity.
Standard: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.
Standard: Determine two or more 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 provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.
Standard: 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.
Cluster: Craft and Structure.
Standard: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
Cluster: Craft and Structure.
Standard: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
Cluster: Craft and Structure.
Standard: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.
Standard: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Cluster: Range of Writing.
Standard: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.
Standard: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.
Standard: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.
Standard: Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.
Standard: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.
Standard: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing.
Standard: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing.
Standard: 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11-12 on page 55.)
Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing.
Standard: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge.
Standard: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge.
Standard: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge.
Standard: Draw evidence form literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge.
Standard: Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “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”).
Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge.
Standard: Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration.
Standard: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range or formal and informal tasks.
Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas.
Standard: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11-12 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specific expectations.)
Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.
Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.
Standard: Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested.
Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.
Standard: Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g., Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s Modern American English) as needed.
Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.
Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.
Standard: Observe hyphenation conventions.
Cluster: Conventions of Standard English.
Standard: Spell correctly.
Cluster: Knowledge of Language.
Standard: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Cluster: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.
Standard: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Cluster: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.
Standard: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Cluster: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.
Standard: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Argument Evaluation
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Preamble Dialectical Journal
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Character Introduction Sheet
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Discussion Preparation
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Unit Accomplishment
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Independent Reading Group Organizer
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“What is an American?” Annotation
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Strategy Paper
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Declaration of Independence Dialectical Journal
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Audience Appeal Dialectical Journal
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Unit Reflection
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Argument Development Organizer
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Map Your Argument Paper Planning
File size 45.5 KB
Document Message Dialectical Journal
File size 42.1 KB
Independent Reading Dialectical Journal
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Convincing Lines Dialectical Journal
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Close Reading Dialectical Journal
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Learning Survey
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Bill of Rights Annotations
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Jefferson’s Audience Dialectical Journal
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American Dream Convention Overview
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American Dream Convention Procedures
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Discussion Protocol
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Paper Planning Packet
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- Setting the Stage
Lesson 1
Using this CourseLesson 2
Defining the American DreamLesson 3
The Founders' American DreamsLesson 4
Benchmark AssessmentLesson 5
How is an argument structured?Lesson 6
Audience AppealLesson 7
Bill of RightsLesson 8
The Founders' American DreamLesson 9
Productive DiscussionsLesson 10
Independent Reading Groups
- Meeting the Players
Lesson 11
American Dream ConventionLesson 12
Defining Your AudienceLesson 13
Close ReadingLesson 14
Effective ArgumentsLesson 15
Tailoring Your Argument
- Making the Case for...
Lesson 16
Portraying Your CharacterLesson 17
Informational WritingLesson 18
Presenting InformationLesson 19
Group Presentation WorkLesson 20
Introducing Your CharacterLesson 21
Visions of the American DreamLesson 22
Evaluating ArgumentsLesson 23
Reading about the American Dream
- Evaluating and Responding
Lesson 25
Final Paper: American DreamLesson 26
Peer Response GroupsLesson 27
Revising Your PaperLesson 28
Group Sharing