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Lesson 1: The Possibilities of Words Language arts goal: Use precise and descriptive language to clarify and enhance ideas. Social studies goal: Articulate personal connections to time, place, and societal/cultural systems. Time required: 40 minutes. Materials Needed: The The Possibilities of Words student reproducible, Why Say It? student resource, pencil/pen, paper. Directions: 2. Instruct students to use three of these quotes and the concept of endless possibilities as a launch for a creative composition. Have students "free-write" (record thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, goals) their reactions for ten minutes. Remind them to write on every other line for easy editing later. 3. As a group, discuss how this free-writing drew upon students' own life experiences (family, school, life opportunities) and how these personal experiences affect their understanding of the American dream. Instruct students to reread their writing and highlight key thoughts and phrases that best capture what they are trying to say. Wrap-up: Read the following description aloud of one person's perception of the American dream: "It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are." (J. T. Adams, The Epic of America ) As a class, consider how the quotations and the free-writing compositions connect to Adams's definition of the American dream. Provide five minutes for students to add any new ideas to their free-write. NOTE: See Why Say It? student resource A for the historical context of each quote.
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