The American Dream, where dreams come true and hard work leads to success. Is it real?

“The goals are that the unit is taking a look at the American Dream like the perceptions of it and also how it is reflected in literature,” Mrs Linda Williams, English teacher, said. 

The juniors are putting lots of effort into this project to get it perfect and ready to present to their fellow classmates. 

“We start by looking at different texts that speak on the American dream from different perspectives. We’ve looked at poems, nonfiction essays, and first person accounts of their lives. They have analyzed these for several weeks, and it has sparked lots of amazing discussions. It all began with them and what they think the American Dream is and if it is real or not,” Mrs. Williams said. 

This is an interesting topic to research and helps students understand their world. 

“I feel that this project is a lot, but it is very interesting, and I like how we get to choose our own topics. I’m excited to do this project because I feel like I will have a better understanding and interpretation of the significance of it,” junior Jalee Brown, said

This project is teaching them real world scenarios and higher education expectations. 

“We are doing this in order to prepare us for future research papers in senior year and even college. It has been a lot of work, but if you just break it down, then it isn’t too bad and actually pretty interesting,” junior Davis Authur said. 

It is not just a research paper. They will be formally presenting their understanding to the rest of the junior class and the Greenwood Community school board. The board will give the students feedback which will be a big part of their grade. 

“They’re doing their outline and their research paper on their topic, and they are going to present. They can also do an interview, which is a little separate from their project, but it all comes together, and they can connect all of that together and let them form their own opinion,” Mrs. Williams said. 

There are so many benefits to this project and most importantly, it is fun to dive deeper into such a vague topic and explore the bigger meaning. 

“They also have had the chance to interview someone about it, which is super exciting, and they can choose from someone who came of age during like the 50s, 60s, 70s, and etcetera so they can really look at it from the adult perspective because it affects you when you become an adult and you are beginning to create your own life,” Mrs. Williams said.