Objective: This worksheet aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the "American Dream," contrasting its historical principles and hopeful origins with the socio-economic realities and challenges of the 21st century.

Content and methods: The worksheet utilizes a multi-modal approach, starting with a definition of the American Dream and an audio-based case study of an immigrant to build empathy and listening skills. It then transitions to a detailed reading passage that explores the evolution of the concept from James Truslow Adams to modern-day statistics on wealth inequality and social mobility. Finally, students are prompted to synthesize this information through a reflective essay focusing on the attainability and enduring power of the ideal.

Competencies:

• Listening and Reading Comprehension: Extracting specific information from an immigrant's monologue and a dense historical/sociological text
• Critical Thinking: Analyzing the discrepancy between the "ideal" of equal opportunity and the "reality" of systemic inequality and declining social mobility
• Historical and Cultural Awareness: Identifying the origins of the American ethos in documents like the Declaration of Independence
• Argumentative Writing: Formulating a structured reflection on the persistence of national myths despite conflicting evidence

Target group:

Grade 10 and above