aiMOOC

ABI - The American Dream – Idea and criticism

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ABI - The American Dream – Idea and criticism

The American Dream is not one fixed promise. In this aiMOOC you investigate changing definitions of the American Dream and compare ideals such as freedom, equality, opportunity and the pursuit of happiness with literary representations, historical evidence, social experience and statistical data. You learn to distinguish an attractive national narrative from claims that can be tested with evidence.

Mini-description: Untersuche unterschiedliche Definitionen, historische Veränderungen und dokumentierte Kritik am American Dream anhand literarischer, gesellschaftlicher und statistischer Materialien. Der Kurs ist für Basisfach (BF) und Leistungsfach (LF) Englisch in der Kursstufe Baden-Württemberg angelegt.

Media starter – Look, think, connect: What ideas can the Statue of Liberty communicate about the United States? Write three nouns, two tensions and one question. Do not start with a German translation. Start with what you can see and infer.

Einleitung

Guiding question: To what extent is the American Dream an ideal, a lived reality, a persuasive story, or a contested promise?

The term can refer to different things. It may describe a civic ideal of freedom and equal opportunity, a personal aspiration for a better life, a social narrative about self-reliance and merit, or an empirical claim about upward mobility. A strong analysis therefore asks first: Which version of the American Dream is being discussed?

The phrase became especially influential after historian James Truslow Adams used it in 1931. His formulation was broader than simply becoming rich: it connected a better life with opportunity and individual development. Long before 1931, however, ideas that later became associated with the Dream appeared in foundational political language, migration stories, literature and debates about who could actually enjoy promised rights and opportunities.

Core principle: An ideal is not automatically a description of reality. Criticism of unequal access to opportunity is not the same as proving that every form of the American Dream is meaningless. Your task is to define claims precisely, test them against evidence and explain limitations.

Media starter: ideals and realities

Visual task: Identify what the painting presents as a founding moment. Then ask whose experiences are not visible in the image. Separate description from historical interpretation.

Reading bridge: Emma Lazarus's 1883 sonnet The New Colossus helped connect the Statue of Liberty with immigration and refuge. Work with a lawful public-domain edition or a teacher-provided excerpt. Analyze how imagery can turn a monument into a national promise.

Listening/Viewing task – Ellis Island: First viewing: note the overall process and two challenges faced by immigrants. Second viewing: add key details and evaluate how the video frames migration. Captions may support the second viewing. Do not copy the transcript as a substitute for listening.

I-can goals

By the end of this course, I can …

define the American Dream in more than one historically plausible way and explain why definitions matter.
distinguish claim, evidence and limitation in literary, visual and statistical material.
connect ideals and realities across selected historical periods without reducing U.S. history to a simple success-or-failure story.
analyze language, structure, symbolism, narrative perspective and communicative strategies with precise evidence.
interpret selected data without confusing correlation, perception and causation.
develop an evidence-based argument that integrates several materials instead of listing them.
present and discuss a nuanced position in clear, audience-appropriate English.
mediate relevant information from German into English according to purpose and audience.
use current operators and move deliberately between AFB I, II and III.
check sources and AI-assisted claims before using them in assessed work.

Before you start: activate prior knowledge

Write for three minutes without researching: What does the American Dream mean to you? Then sort your ideas into values, material goals, social mobility, migration/belonging and criticism. Mark each statement as knowledge, assumption or question.

Think-pair-share: Compare definitions. Where do you agree? Where are you using the same phrase for different ideas?

English-first language route

When meaning is unclear, use this order:

Context: infer meaning from the sentence, source type and topic.
Word formation: identify roots, prefixes, suffixes and related words.
Visual clue: connect the word with an image, diagram, contrast or example.
English explanation: paraphrase the idea in simple English.
Monolingual dictionary: verify meaning, register, pronunciation and collocation.
German rescue help: use a short German equivalent only if the previous steps do not solve the problem.

Example: mobility → mobile → move → social mobility → movement between socioeconomic positions. German help comes last: soziale Mobilität.

Context vocabulary and word formation

Word / phrase	English-first meaning	Word family / useful collocation	Quick contrast
aspiration	a strong hope or aim for the future	aspire, aspirational; personal aspiration	aspiration ≠ guaranteed outcome
opportunity	a situation that makes progress possible	opportunity gap; equal opportunity	opportunity ≠ result
mobility	movement between social or economic positions	mobile, upward mobility, intergenerational mobility	mobility ≠ wealth
meritocracy	a system claimed to reward ability and achievement	merit, meritorious; meritocratic ideal	merit ≠ inherited advantage
inequality	unequal distribution of resources, outcomes or opportunities	equal, equality, unequal, inequitable	inequality ≠ difference in every sense
disparity	a measurable gap between groups or outcomes	income disparity, wealth disparity	disparity describes a gap; it does not alone explain its cause
self-reliance	dependence on one's own abilities and decisions	self-reliant; individual responsibility	agency ≠ complete control of circumstances
structural barrier	a recurring institutional or social condition that can limit access	barrier to housing / education / credit	barrier ≠ proof that nobody can succeed
symbolism	the use of objects, places or images to suggest wider meanings	symbol, symbolic, symbolize	symbol ≠ literal fact
counterargument	a reasoned challenge to a claim	counter, rebuttal, concession	counterargument ≠ contradiction without evidence

Word-building challenge: Build one sentence each with equal → equality → unequal → inequality and aspire → aspiration → aspirational. Explain how the suffix changes the word class or meaning.

Historical change: a selective timeline

The American Dream developed through conflict between ideals, institutions and lived experience. The following timeline is selective: it is an analytical framework, not a complete history of the United States.

Founding ideals and exclusions

The Declaration of Independence famously articulated ideals of equality, rights and the pursuit of happiness. In practice, the new republic coexisted with slavery, restricted political participation and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples. This gap between universal language and unequal access became a recurring feature of later debates about American ideals.

Analysis move: Do not write “America promised equality and failed.” Make the claim more precise: Which text formulated which ideal? Who was legally or socially excluded at a particular time? Which later actors reused the ideal to demand change?

Migration, self-making and belonging

Industrialization and large-scale immigration strengthened stories of self-making, work and social advancement. At the same time, migrants encountered difficult labor conditions, nativism and changing immigration restrictions. Migration therefore offers both a classic Dream narrative and a way to test who was imagined as belonging.

Photo analysis: Describe posture, grouping, setting and gaze before interpreting the family as a symbol. Then ask what the photograph cannot tell you about their later lives.

The 1920s: wealth, status and literary criticism

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can be used as a literary lens on wealth, status, self-invention, desire and social barriers. It is useful here as an additional lens and is not presented as a compulsory 2027 Baden-Württemberg text.

Viewing task – Crash Course: Note three claims about money, status or symbolism. After watching, verify each claim against the novel or a teacher-provided excerpt. A video interpretation is evidence of an interpretation, not a replacement for textual analysis.

Literary focus: Analyze how symbols such as the green light, spaces such as East Egg/West Egg and patterns of looking/desire can contribute to a critique of the idea that determination alone guarantees belonging or fulfillment.

The Great Depression: insecurity and the language of the Dream

The Great Depression exposed economic insecurity on a mass scale. Around this period James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase American Dream in 1931. His formulation emphasized a fuller and better life with opportunity, not merely material luxury.

Image task: Analyze framing, facial expression, direction of gaze and the relationship between individual suffering and wider social conditions. Then write one sentence on what the photograph supports and one sentence on what it cannot prove.

Compare two images: How do Migrant Mother and American Gothic construct ideas of work, dignity, hardship, stability or rural identity? Avoid assuming the artists' intentions without evidence.

Postwar prosperity, suburbia and unequal access

After World War II, mass homeownership and suburban growth became powerful images of middle-class success. Yet access to mortgages, neighborhoods and accumulated housing wealth was not distributed equally.

Historical redlining maps and discriminatory housing practices are important evidence when examining unequal access to homeownership and neighborhood investment. A map should be analyzed as an institutional document: Who produced it? What categories did it use? What decisions could follow from those categories?

Caution: A historical map documents a practice and classification system. It does not by itself quantify every later effect. For causal claims, combine historical sources with research designed to test those effects.

Civil Rights: claiming the ideals more fully

The Civil Rights Movement repeatedly invoked founding ideals while documenting unequal rights and demanding legal and social change. This rhetorical strategy is central to the American Dream debate: criticism can work through national ideals rather than simply rejecting them.

Rhetorical lens: Look for allusion, repetition, contrast, audience address and the movement from diagnosis to demand. Do not reproduce a full copyrighted speech. Use lawful excerpts supplied for teaching and cite them.

Definitions: four lenses for one phrase

Lens	Core question	Useful evidence	Typical risk
Civic ideal	What should freedom, equality and opportunity mean?	founding documents, speeches, law, political rhetoric	treating ideals as proof of reality
Personal aspiration	What better life does an individual seek?	memoir, fiction, interview, migration narrative	generalizing from one life
Merit / self-making narrative	How strongly is success linked to effort and achievement?	fiction, advertising, public discourse, biographies	ignoring starting conditions or luck
Mobility hypothesis	How often do people actually move economically or socially?	longitudinal research, income data, housing and education data	reducing a cultural idea to one statistic

Key insight: A source may support one lens while saying little about another. A decline in absolute income mobility challenges one economic version of the Dream; it does not directly measure personal freedom, belonging or life satisfaction.

Statistics: testing claims

Real evidence: three data windows

Source	Selected finding	What it can show	What it cannot show alone
Chetty et al., Science / Opportunity Insights, 2017	Estimated absolute income mobility fell from about 90% for children born in 1940 to about 50% for children born in the 1980s.	A long-term change in the share of children earning more than their parents under the study's income definition.	Whether every other dimension of the American Dream declined; individual causes in a single case.
Pew Research Center, 2024, survey of 8,709 U.S. adults	53% said the American Dream was still possible; 41% said it once was but no longer was; 6% said it never was.	Public perception at the time of the survey.	Objective mobility or the correctness of respondents' beliefs.
U.S. Census Bureau, Q4 2025	Overall homeownership rate: 65.7%. Reported rates differed across Census racial/ethnic householder categories.	A current snapshot of homeownership and group-level disparities under Census definitions.	The cause of a disparity or an individual's probability of owning a home.

Data literacy rule: Always state source + date + population + measure + limitation.

LF extension – economic mobility: Use the academic lecture as a source for concepts and research design. Extract one claim, one piece of evidence and one methodological limitation or open question. BF learners may work with a teacher-selected short segment instead of the whole lecture.

A fictional practice dataset

Important: The following numbers are fictional and exist only for method practice. They are not U.S. statistics.

Fictional cohort	Reports stable housing	Expects upward mobility	Says education is the main route to success
Group North	62%	54%	71%
Group Central	49%	46%	65%
Group South	57%	51%	68%

Task: Turn one column into a bar chart. Write a three-sentence description: trend → comparison → limitation. Then add: Because the data are fictional, no claim about U.S. society can be inferred.

Reading lab

Source A: founding language

Use a lawful public-domain edition of the Declaration of Independence. Read only the teacher-selected passage relevant to equality, rights and the pursuit of happiness.

BF: Identify the central ideal and one rhetorical feature. Use the frame: The text presents … as …, which is emphasized by …

LF: Analyze how universalizing language creates a normative claim. Then relate the wording to one documented historical contradiction without turning the analysis into a general history essay.

Source B: Frederick Douglass as counter-voice

Use a public-domain excerpt from Frederick Douglass's 1852 speech commonly known as What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Analyze how the speaker contrasts national ideals with the realities of slavery.

BF focus: contrast, repetition, audience address.

LF focus: rhetorical situation, irony, moral argument, strategic use of foundational values.

Transfer question: How can criticism strengthen the importance of an ideal by demanding that it be applied consistently?

Source C: literary lens

Choose a teacher-provided lawful excerpt from The Great Gatsby or another suitable literary text. Do not paste or upload a full copyrighted work.

BF route: one extract + one visual source + guided evidence table.

LF route: two literary moments + one non-literary source; synthesize symbolism, characterization and social context.

Evidence	Technique / feature	Effect	Link to the Dream
short textual reference	symbolism / diction / narrative perspective	explain reader effect or characterization	ideal, aspiration, access, status, disillusionment

Listening and viewing lab

Use embedded videos as sources to question, not as final authorities.

First pass: listen/view for gist without stopping.
Second pass: record keywords, claims, examples and speaker perspective.
Source check: identify channel, date, purpose and possible simplifications.
Connection: connect one point to a text, image or statistic.
Limitation: state what the clip does not establish.

Accessibility: Captions, slower playback and a teacher-selected segment may be used as support. Listening remains the target skill; captions should not become a transcript-copying exercise.

Analysis toolkit

Literary texts

Use the chain feature → evidence → effect → interpretation → link to task.

Useful features include diction, lexical fields, tone, imagery, symbolism, syntax, narrative perspective, characterization, setting, structure and contrast.

Weak: The green light is a symbol.

Stronger: The recurring distant light turns Gatsby's desire into something visible yet physically separated from him; the spatial distance supports an interpretation of aspiration as perpetually deferred.

Non-literary texts

Analyze line of argument, register, tone, forms of address, examples, statistics, quotations, framing and communicative strategies.

Check: Does the source inform, persuade, mobilize, criticize, reassure or sell? A source can combine purposes.

Visual and statistical material

For images, examine composition, scale, perspective, symbolism, captions and selection. For data, identify variable, unit, population, date, comparison and uncertainty.

Do not write: The graph proves inequality causes the Dream to fail.

Write more precisely: The data show a difference / trend under a defined measure. Explaining causes requires additional evidence.

Speaking

60-second claim–evidence–warrant

Speak for about one minute:

Claim: Give one precise answer to the guiding question.
Evidence: Refer to one text, image or dataset.
Warrant: Explain why the evidence supports the claim.
Qualification: Add one limitation or counterpoint.

BF support: One version of the American Dream is … / This is supported by … / However, the source cannot show …

LF extension: Integrate two source types and distinguish normative from empirical claims.

Seminar question

Is the American Dream most useful as an ideal to work toward, a description of opportunity, a personal narrative, or a myth that should be critically examined?

The aim is not to win. Paraphrase another speaker fairly before responding: If I understand your point correctly, you argue that … Then add evidence.

Recording rule: Audio/video recording is optional. Keep recordings private unless everyone involved has knowingly agreed to another use. No upload is required.

Writing

Exam-style analytical writing

Possible task: Analyze how the material presents the relationship between individual aspiration and social conditions. Focus on use of language and communicative strategies.

Plan with four boxes: task words → thesis → evidence → analytical link.

Paragraph model: topic sentence → short evidence/reference → technique → effect → connection to argument. Avoid retelling the source.

Argumentative synthesis

Possible task: Assess to what extent the idea of the American Dream remains a useful framework for discussing opportunity in the United States.

BF: Use a manageable source set, for example one historical text, one literary/visual source and one statistic. Structure the response with a clear thesis and one counterargument.

LF: Connect several source types independently. Compare definitions of the Dream, weigh competing evidence, include methodological limitations and develop a nuanced judgement about the claim, not about a political party or candidate.

Important: This differentiation is a course design choice, not an official word-count rule.

Creative writing with analytical control

Possible target genres include article, blog entry, email, letter, letter to the editor and speech manuscript. Before writing, identify audience, purpose, register, material link and intended effect.

Creative does not mean evidence-free. If the task refers back to material, transform relevant ideas accurately rather than inventing source claims.

Mediation

A German school website is preparing an English-language page on social mobility. Mediate the relevant information from this short German source note for an international student audience. Do not translate sentence by sentence.

Source note for practice: Eine Studie von Chetty und weiteren Forschenden schätzt, dass rund 90 Prozent der 1940 geborenen Kinder später ein höheres Einkommen als ihre Eltern erzielten. Für in den 1980er-Jahren Geborene lag der geschätzte Anteil bei ungefähr 50 Prozent. Die Kennzahl erfasst absolute Einkommensmobilität und nicht sämtliche Vorstellungen vom American Dream. Eine Pew-Umfrage von 2024 misst dagegen Einstellungen: 53 Prozent der befragten US-Erwachsenen hielten den American Dream weiterhin für erreichbar.

Mediation checklist: select → adapt → explain → avoid unnecessary detail → preserve numbers and source type → write natural English.

Feedback and error analysis

Use feedback to diagnose the next move, not only the error.

Common issue	Diagnosis	Revision move
summary instead of analysis	tells what happens but not how meaning is created	add feature + effect + task link
claim without evidence	assertion is plausible but unsupported	add a precise source reference
statistic without context	number has no population/date/measure	name source, date, population and variable
correlation becomes causation	relationship is described as a cause without design evidence	change wording or add causal evidence
overgeneralization	one source becomes all Americans	qualify scope and population
quotation dominates paragraph	source language replaces your explanation	shorten evidence and expand analysis
vague evaluation	good, bad, effective lacks criterion	state criterion and evidence
language error hides logic	sentence too complex for the intended claim	simplify syntax, then rebuild precision

Language repair: Keep an error log with three columns: my sentence → corrected sentence → rule/pattern. Reuse the corrected pattern in a new sentence.

Source and AI literacy

Your reasoning must remain yours. AI-generated text is not a replacement essay.

Verify factual claims against reliable, traceable sources.
Disclose AI assistance if your teacher or institution requires it.
Check names, quotations, statistics, publication dates and page references independently.
Do not upload complete copyrighted compulsory texts, films or private recordings to external services.
Protect privacy: use fictional or anonymized practice data; never enter personal data just because a task asks for an example.
Write independently: use tools for questions, vocabulary, feedback or source discovery only within your school's rules; do not submit generated replacement essays.
No unasked external AI access is required for this MOOC.

BF/LF differentiation

Dimension	Basisfach BF	Leistungsfach LF
Material	selected, manageable source set	broader source set and more independent linking
Text complexity	accessible authentic material with scaffolds	denser, more abstract and potentially longer material
Analysis	guided focus on central techniques and effects	deeper analysis of form, context, ambiguity and competing interpretations
Synthesis	connect two or three clearly assigned materials	independently integrate several source types
Support	sentence frames, evidence tables, vocabulary support	reduced scaffolding and more self-directed planning
AFB emphasis in this course	secure AFB I/II and build toward supported AFB III	stronger emphasis on AFB II/III and independent evaluation

Both tracks aim at demanding, natural English rather than artificial difficulty. B2 is the core orientation; parts may reach toward C1 where appropriate.

Abi-Check Baden-Württemberg

Checked: 03 October 2026. Relevant exam year: Abitur 2027.

The official 2027 subject decree for English places the USA under “Politics, culture, society – between tradition and change” and explicitly names “From past to present: American ideals and realities – freedom, equality and the pursuit of happiness”. This aiMOOC supports that field. It does not replace the separate 2027 focus topic “On the Move: Migration and Cross-Cultural Encounters” or its compulsory works.

For the 2027 cohort, the decree refers to the Bildungsplan 2016. The revised English V3 plan that entered into force in 2026 is being introduced for younger cohorts; learners already in the upper secondary phase remain under the continuing earlier version.

LF: Across course assessment, all three AFB are required, with AFB II and III more strongly emphasized than AFB I. The written Abitur includes listening and writing; the writing part may use an unknown literary or non-literary text plus extended-text materials such as images, statistics or diagrams. Analysis must be evidence-based.

BF: The 2027 focus topic and compulsory works correspond to the LF, but the treatment is adjusted to BF level and extent. Across the four half-years, listening, reading, analysis, mediation and two different writing types are to be covered. AFB I and II receive stronger emphasis than AFB III.

Operators: From examination year 2027, the revised IQB operator list applies. For example, analyze/examine requires detailed description and explanation supported by evidence and related to language/form; assess/evaluate requires a well-founded judgement backed by evidence and examples.

Language level: Baden-Württemberg describes BF and LF as differing in complexity, abstraction, breadth, depth and differentiation. The upper-secondary target is B2, in parts C1.

Always check again for your own exam year. Official requirements can change.

Official source check

Evidence bank: research and public data

Research habit: Open the original source before citing it. Record title, institution/author, date, population or corpus, method and one limitation.

Media rights and responsible use

The images used here are linked from Wikimedia Commons. Check the individual file page for the precise public-domain statement or free license and attribution requirements before reusing an image outside the wiki. YouTube items are embedded as links from the platform; do not download, cut or re-upload copyrighted video material without permission. Availability can change.

No complete compulsory literary text and no unauthorized film sequence is provided here. Use licensed school editions, lawful public-domain texts or short teacher-provided excerpts.

Transfer

Choose one everyday statement such as “If you work hard, you can make it in America.” Transform it through four levels:

Definition: What does make it mean?
Evidence: Which source could test the statement?
Qualification: For which population, period and dimension?
Evaluation: What would count as support, contradiction or mixed evidence?

Then compare this with a different national or family narrative of success. Avoid declaring one culture superior; analyze assumptions, institutions and evidence.

Folgekurs

Continue with ABI - On the Move – Migration and Cross-Cultural Encounters to connect the American Dream with migration, belonging and cross-cultural encounters. A second pathway is ABI - USA – Politics, culture, society between tradition and change for broader work on identity and social development.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Why is it useful to define the American Dream before evaluating it? (Because different definitions refer to different ideals claims and measures) (!Because every source uses exactly the same definition) (!Because a definition automatically proves whether the Dream exists) (!Because statistics cannot be used for cultural topics)

Who is associated with popularizing the phrase American Dream in 1931? (James Truslow Adams) (!F Scott Fitzgerald) (!Frederick Douglass) (!Emma Lazarus)

Which distinction is essential when using a survey about the American Dream? (Perception data are not the same as objective mobility data) (!A survey directly proves historical causation) (!A survey result applies equally to every individual) (!Perception data cannot be analyzed at all)

What did the Chetty study estimate about absolute income mobility? (It fell from about 90 percent for the 1940 cohort to about 50 percent for 1980s cohorts) (!It stayed at about 90 percent for every cohort) (!It measured only attitudes toward success) (!It proved that no child can earn more than their parents)

What is the strongest analytical use of a literary symbol? (Explain how the symbol contributes to meaning and connect it to the task) (!Name the symbol and end the paragraph) (!Assume the author's intention without evidence) (!Replace textual evidence with a plot summary)

What does a historical redlining map best provide? (Evidence of an institutional classification practice) (!Proof of every later individual housing outcome) (!A complete explanation of all present inequality) (!A neutral map without social consequences or context)

What should come after presenting a statistic in a strong analysis? (Explain its relevance and limitation) (!Repeat the number several times) (!Treat correlation as causation) (!Remove the source date and population)

Which statement best describes BF and LF differentiation? (BF uses more structure while LF expects greater breadth depth and independent linkage) (!BF and LF must use completely unrelated topics) (!LF means using difficult words without analytical purpose) (!BF does not require analysis)

What is required by the revised IQB meaning of analyze or examine? (Describe and explain in detail and support points with evidence) (!Give only a personal opinion) (!Retell the text without discussing form) (!Translate the source into German)

What is good practice when using AI assistance for assessed work? (Verify claims and sources and keep the final reasoning and writing your own) (!Submit a generated replacement essay) (!Assume invented quotations are acceptable) (!Upload copyrighted texts and private recordings automatically)

Memory

Social mobility	movement between social or economic positions
Aspiration	a strong hope or aim for the future
Meritocracy	the idea that achievement should determine advancement
Redlining	historical discriminatory grading and lending practices linked to neighborhoods
Symbolism	meaning created beyond the literal object or image
Disparity	a measurable gap between outcomes or groups
Counterargument	a reasoned challenge to a claim
Evidence	information used to support or test a claim

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Declaration of Independence	Founding ideals
Migrant Mother	Economic insecurity
The Great Gatsby	Wealth status and aspiration
HOLC map	Institutional housing discrimination
Pew survey	Public perception

Kreuzworträtsel

Mobility	What term describes movement between social or economic positions?
Equality	Which ideal concerns equal status or rights?
Gatsby	Which surname identifies Fitzgerald's famous dreamer?
Redlining	What term names a historical discriminatory housing and lending practice?
Evidence	What must support a strong analytical claim?
Aspiration	What word means a strong hope or future aim?

LearningApps

Lückentext

The American Dream is best treated as a changing

rather than one fixed definition. A study that compares children's income with their parents' income examines

. A survey about whether people believe the Dream is possible measures

. When a writer uses an object to suggest a wider meaning, the technique is called

. A measurable difference between outcomes can be described as a

. A strong analytical paragraph links evidence to an explicit

. When two variables move together, this does not automatically prove

. In an evaluation, a well-developed challenge to your own position can function as a

.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Visual vocabulary: Create a one-page English visual glossary for six key terms. Use your own examples and a small icon or sketch for each.
Image analysis: Choose one Commons image from this course and annotate five visible details before adding two interpretations.
Timeline: Build a six-stop timeline of changing American Dream meanings. Add one source type to each stop.
Source check: Take one claim from a video and verify it with a reliable written source. Record where the claim is supported, qualified or contradicted.

Standard

Podcast script: Write a two-minute podcast script called One Dream, Four Definitions. Recording is optional and, if made, may remain private.
Data visualization: Turn one real statistic from the evidence bank into a clearly labeled chart and write a caption that includes source, date and limitation.
Literary comparison: Compare one literary symbol with one historical image. Explain how each constructs aspiration or exclusion differently.
Mediation project: Create a short English information text for visiting students from a teacher-provided German source on social mobility. Select rather than translate.

Schwer

Synthesis essay plan: Design an independent plan for the question To what extent is the American Dream still a useful concept? Link at least four different source types without writing a replacement model essay.
Method critique: Compare what a survey, an income-mobility study and a historical photograph can each establish. Identify one methodological limitation of each.
Mini exhibition: Curate a six-item digital exhibition called Dream / Reality. Use lawful media, your own captions, source notes and a coherent interpretive sequence.
Oral defense: Prepare a five-minute thesis and a follow-up discussion in which you defend, qualify and revise your position after two evidence-based objections.

Lernkontrolle

Definition transfer: You receive a new newspaper commentary that uses American Dream without defining it. Reconstruct its implied definition from language and examples, then test whether the evidence actually fits that definition.
Source synthesis: Combine a literary excerpt, a historical image and a mobility statistic into one argument. Explain what each source contributes that the others cannot.
Data reasoning: A graph shows two groups with different homeownership rates. Explain three different reasons why the graph alone cannot establish the cause of the gap and name additional evidence you would need.
Rhetorical analysis: Analyze how a new speech uses a founding ideal to criticize a current social problem. Distinguish rhetorical effectiveness from factual accuracy.
Counterargument: Develop the strongest evidence-based counterargument to your own thesis about the American Dream and then revise your thesis so that it becomes more precise.
Abitur transfer: Convert one broad question about the American Dream into three tasks that clearly target AFB I, II and III. Justify the progression.

Lernnachweis

For a strong learning record, you should be able to demonstrate:

Conceptual precision: several definitions of the American Dream and the ability to state which one is relevant.
Historical context: selected changes from founding ideals through migration, economic crisis, postwar homeownership, Civil Rights and contemporary debates.
Literary analysis: evidence-based interpretation of language, narrative technique, symbolism and characterization.
Non-fiction analysis: structure, communicative strategy, tone, statistics and source purpose.
Data literacy: source, date, population, measure, comparison and limitation.
Synthesis: meaningful links between literary, historical, visual and statistical evidence.
Argumentation: clear thesis, evidence, reasoning, counterargument and qualification.
Communication: audience-appropriate speaking, writing and mediation.
Language: clear B2 English with increasing precision and selected C1-oriented complexity where it serves meaning.
Source literacy: transparent citation, verification of AI-assisted claims and responsible handling of copyrighted/private material.
Abitur readiness: confident use of current operators and awareness of the BF/LF expectations relevant to the examination year.

OERs zum Thema

Further open-media routes: Use Wikimedia Commons file pages linked through the images above to inspect licensing, metadata and original collections. For public-domain historical texts, prefer institutional collections such as the U.S. National Archives or Library of Congress and document the exact edition used.

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