Okemos High School

American Literature with Mrs. Reed

Students in American Literature in Mrs. Reed's courses

Just world

This piece is about the American dream of equal opportunity. This work is specifically focused on the just world hypothesis and how it leads to the misconception that is the American dream.

Our Fiercely Unique Nation

An essay about our individualistic principles.

Discussion on Midterms and other subjects

7 friends have a discussion around the recent midterm elections and their effects on the US moving forward

Immigration Stories

The story of three different immigrants, and the reasons why they came.

Core American Values

What are the values that we share as Americans?

How Does Education Connect to Our American Dream?

A Letter to our Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

American Creed Interview

Inspired by the American Creed documentary, we decided to make our own version by interviewing people of different ages, races and gender to get the diverse views of students at our high school. We found many commonalities and many differences among Americans.

Our Historical Journey to America

Nick Balesky and I compare and share our grandparents adventures from Europe to Michigan today.

American Teamwork

Our piece talks about teamwork in America, unity, and how it should be more valued in our country

The Future of America

What is your dream? How do you plan to achieve your dream? Do you believe your dream aligns with the American dream?

Becoming a U.S. Citizen

This passage is about the process of becoming a U.S. citizen and a specific perspective of that process from the eyes of my parents.

Inequality in American Education

In this article I discuss inequalities that plague American education.

An American Medley (Poetry)

Composed by Mia Colony and Sydney Stephens. Poems Used: "We Leave To-Night" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "Growing Up" by E.H. "How Would You Describe America?" is an original poem by Mia Colony and Abe Frank.

How do Traditions, Customs, and Holidays Change Through Immigration?

American Creed

The Scape Goats of America

We often focus so much on what is the American Creed or dream when in reality this one dream or creed is made up of every citizen's individual dream. This is an in depth look at the Jewish people's view on life in America.

Creed

My grandpa's American dream.

American Creed Video Essay

Thoughts on American Creed as shown by robot.

America from an Immigrant's Perspective

For our American Creed project, we decided to interview our parents, who are immigrants, and showcase their ideas around what it is to be American.

Immigration Stories

These immigration stories are supposed to see the point of view of immigrants. It's supposed to help you understand their struggles.

Our American Creed

I decided to make my poem about my parents and what it took for them to come here. How they see us (my siblings and I) as Pakistani Americans and their perspective on America and what it holds for us.

The American Dream Fulfilled

The following work talks about the important values of American creed that exist to this day. There is no doubt that the values written in the nation’s documents are still in use today. By reading this piece, you will discover how well America has kept these values throughout these years.

American Creed: The Significance of Immigration

I had to put the images into chunks so it can show up more clearly. However, there can be words that are still not clear. My poster is basically about immigration. My explanation and reason why this is significant to American Creed is explained below. Please enjoy.

Perseverance and Our American Creed

This explains how perseverance is a key topic in our American creed.

American Education

American education is essential to achieving the American dream and it molds our American values into what they are today. Getting a good education helps get you a better job and better quality of life. American education makes us into who we are.

My Great Grandparents Journey

My grandparents made a great journey to the U.S. to better their lives.

How is American Creed defined by its members?

A narrative of how my immigrant mother overcame hardships to become American, relating to Gone with the Wind and the Great Gatsby, defining what American Creed is, defined by those whom belong to it.

American Creed

This essay is about politics and media in the United States of America.

My Identity Story

This is my identity story on how my ancestors came over to the United States. I'm showing how I ended up where I live today and showing how we all can come from different places and still end up at the same high school.

The Vitality of American Entertainment and Sports

Exploring how entertainment is a vital part of the United States of America and her culture.

Dear Grandchild

I created a scrapbook which is composed of pictures and letters. I wrote these letters to myself as if I were my grandmother just after moving to the United States. I composed this because in the film, American Creed, Condoleezza Rice said, “It doesn’t matter where you came from, it matters where...

American Values in the Political Climate of 2018

This is a video conference with teens across the country examining how today's political climate has affected our lives and American Values.

Why Our Values Are Our Values

How we view the values of others.

How the American Dream Has Changed

A video on how the American Dream has changed over time.

What America could use

A few things America could use to make the country a better place overall.

American Division

We always say we want to be The UNITED States of America. But how true is that?

Immigration and America

I decided to craft an American Bald Eagle, since it often used to represent America. On it, I put snippets of stories from people who have immigrated to America.

Was Every Man "Created Equal" ?

The Declaration of Independence says that "all Men are created equal". Looking at the treatment of minorities during and after of which it was written, that statement says otherwise.

American Creed Interviews

For my American Creed project I interviewed people of different races and genders about the issues that America is having today. I made sure to ask everyone the same questions, so I could see the difference in answer. I turned these interviews into a scrapbook:

Dear Grandpa

Years after my grandfather passed away I have written a letter to him explaining how his stories have changed my life.

The Lost Dream

The United States has lost its common luster known as the American Dream. Through my essay, I explain the problems caused by the parts of the American Dream that have been lost and how those parts affects the American people today.

Education in America

Why education has been and is still a strong aspect of our American culture.

Equality For All

Equality is arguably the most important American Creed, in this piece you will read about events that either represent equality or fail to.

American Creed in Communities

American Creed is found in individuals and in their communities. The values for each group of people is different and unique but all of these values still affect the people around them and create a united country.

American Citizenship

We researched the process of naturalization through the lives of our family members and other people with similar stories.

American Culture and Values

Roots

This work is a narrative describing the story of my Great Grandpa Lewis J. Minor and how he and his family came to America from Ireland in order to live the American Dream.

To Be American

Poem

The Immigrant Dream

Immigration has been an integral part of american history since its conception. Although immigration has taken many forms immigrants have always had the same goal, to seize opportunities in order to lead a better life and fulfill their american dream.

Gen-Z

What is Gen-Z?

Is the Immigration Ban Changing Our American Values?

A letter addressing the immigration ban and how it affects our American values.

Interview with exchange students

I’m an exchange student from Germany and I’m really happy to be here in U.S., but I was wondering was other exchange students think about the U.S. and what they experience are compared to their different background and their different countries.

American Values

This is a piece by a high school student on the core American Values and what his views are on the subject. And it shows how the values affect people, and what experiences have led to the values.

Land of the Free as Symbolic as Can Be

Symbols show up on our lives everyday. America has many objects and items that represent the nation and they all have their own meanings and history.

What is the American Dream?

In this project, we interviewed 3 different age groups to see each age groups perception of the American Dream, and how it related to other age groups.

Who's America Is It?

An interview of a family member and a reflection on who runs the country.

The Failure of Our Affirmative Action System

In the United States, affirmative action is used to promote diversity in universities. Universities take race into consideration during their admissions process. But how exactly did we get here? What have people done about this? And should we even keep our current system?

Privacy in America: How We Have Changed

How has American people's value of privacy been affected by our new technological age?

Family History

To make this paper and further my understanding, I decided to interview my Grandpa to complete this task.

The American Creed and its Environment

Could concern for the environment unify the United States?

Immigration

A family's Immigration story.

Impoverished Education

How does your community's wealth affect the quality of education?

More responses from Michigan

Surprise Me

The Vitality of American Entertainment and Sports

Exploring how entertainment is a vital part of the United States of America and her culture.

What It Means To Me To Be American

I talk about what I think it means to be America.

American Creed Interviews

For my American Creed project I interviewed people of different races and genders about the issues that America is having today. I made sure to ask everyone the same questions, so I could see the difference in answer. I turned these interviews into a scrapbook:

A Country of Immigrants

A very large majority of the people currently living in America are immigrants, or from immigrant families. Despite the large immigrant population in our countries, we still face challenges prompted by our different backgrounds.

The American Dream

The American Dream is Achieved by Hard Work

Core American Values

What are the values that we share as Americans?

What is the American Creed?

Everyone's idea of the American Creed is different. This piece discusses my personal opinions on what I believe America stands for and how we can set aside our differences and truly symbolize the ideologies that many believe America stands for.

The Aspect of Community

I interviewed people I know to find out how a person's community affects their understanding of the American Creed.

Are We TRULY Equal ?

The American Flag symbolizes our nations strength and unity, but we still tend to judge by sight instead of knowledge.

The Italian Perspective

The Italian way of immigration. Through family experiences and other perspectives of Italians. What they went through and how they faced them and let it shape them to be who they are.

American Soldiers

My writing peace is about the soldiers in our military that do not get the respect and recognition they deserve. Our soldiers defend are country to keep us safe and for us to have freedom. Our american soldiers risk everything they have to protect the country they love.

American Creed-Problem in America

This is about the American dream, and what a major problem in America is.

More responses about "dream" and "immigration"

Surprise Me

Who I Really Am

A poem about my American Creed, told in the stories of my grandparents.

The Hope of America

My group discussed how immigration is a very important subject that affects America constantly. We have talked about how many of us are descendants of immigrants, and how America itself was basically brought to life by immigration, so it why not add to the melting pot.

Freedom, Opportunity and the American Creed

My piece is about the history of my grandparents and how their lives in Italy were able to connect to my American Creed.

American Creed Words

I created a Phrankenword and a Line & Caret edited word to respond to the documentary.

What is My American Creed

I wrote about how we should not take guns away.

American Creed

People say they want the American dream but what happens if the dream doesn't turn out to be good?

American Creed

My piece is about how I view America and what I think it is all about from my perspective as an exchange student.

Immigrants Are Humans Not Criminals

This piece is about the issues that immigrants face as part of their day-to-day lives.

A Long Journey

This is a story of how my grandparents Maria Madrigal and Gerado Gomez had a journey of coming from Mexico to the U.S. They both have travelled a long way to reach a town where they are safe from being caught and deported back home, Building a home and claiming a new life...

The American Dream

The American Dream is not a reality or everyone. The incarceration rates in America and jail programs are a big reason why.

American Creed

In order for more United States citizens to achieve the American Dream, the education system that is currently in place needs to be improved with a funding increase.

What it Means to be American

A poem written about what it means to be an American and how our ancestors actions have shaped our country into what it is today.

Growing Up in America With Immigrant Parents

I wrote about how my parents taught me to love who I am by being true to myself.

How my family shapes my American Creed...

My project, looking through the lens of my father's American story, focuses on how my family has shaped my view of the American identity.

Now That I'm Older

A reflection on how my American creed has developed over the last few years.

To Be American

The modern American Dream is a personal definition of success, but there is inadequate community which prevents achievement.

American Creed

A quick thought

My Family and the American Creed

This is the story of how my parents immigrated here from Cambodia and Vietnam and how the American Creed has affected their lives and stories.

Entre Dos Mundos

A recount of my own family history, alternating between English and Spanish representing what it's like to be Between Two Worlds.

My American Creed

This piece of artwork represents some of the different cultures that make up America and how if we stand united together, people in America are one step closer to achieve their version of the American creed.

Same Motivations, Different Century

How our own history shapes our ability to understand others and create an accepting American creed

The American Dream Gives As It Receives

A short poem about how the American Dream should reflect your willingness to give it to others.

The American dream

My essay is about how racism affects the American Dream. I talk about a celebrity who deals with racism everyday, I also talk about my relative and his point of view on things.

This is what it means to be an American.

An American is only truly the embodiment of America if they are exemplary, like George Washington. America is often said to be the embodiment of freedom, but behind the blinds, there is much more which occurs. All Americans strive to live the American Dream, which is even more than what MLK Jr. d...

Writing Our Future: American Creed is part of the National Writing Project’s family of youth publishing projects, all gathered under the Writing Our Future initiative.

Writing Our Future projects are designed by educators for educators and the young people they work with. Intended for use in schools, libraries, and other educational settings. All projects are COPPA compliant and educator-managed. NWP is committed to supporting young people’s writing and civic participation by providing a safe and supportive environment for youth writing, media creation, sharing, and publishing.