Allayna Garrett

The American Dream: Then And Now
by Joan Roux

Allayna Garrett and her English 3 students will explore the phenomenon of the American Dream since James T. Adams coined the term in 1931, and trace its evolution through subsequent decades.

“What does it mean to be American?” This is the overarching question that the English 3 curriculum examines through a variety of texts. The Dream is woven into the fabric of American literature, and students become familiar with a cast of characters who search for their identity both as individuals in a certain time and place, and also as members of a larger community that shapes their world view.

Ms. Garrett will give her students firsthand exposure to the aspirations of generations of Americans as they pursue the illusive and ever-changing dream.

Students will do group research of news articles from three assigned decades, looking for trends in how the American Dream has evolved. They will familiarize themselves with how people thought and felt about their hopes and dreams, and what might have impacted those aspirations.

Once they have compiled this information, the group members will collaborate to make a list of interview questions. Each student will then find and interview at least one person who came of age in the assigned decade. These interviews will be recorded on their iPads for their final presentation.

The groups will extract overlapping and contrasting ideas from their interviews and create charts to identify indicators and illustrate how and why these thoughts developed.

Next each class will create a pie chart comprised of 3 colorful wedges to graphically illustrate the cultural shifts over three decades.

Finally, students will present an oral and video presentation using their notes and clips from their interviews.

The outcome will be that her students will have personal connections with and first hand knowledge of preceding generations of Americans whose legacy helped to shape current culture. This empowers these young people to reach their own conclusions, and make mature and well informed assessments of the ubiquitous American Dream.