Okemos High School

American Literature with Mrs. Reed

Students in American Literature in Mrs. Reed's courses

Immigration

A family's Immigration story.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Creed

My grandpa's American dream.

American Culture and Values

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?

Is the Immigration Ban Changing Our American Values?

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

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?

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.

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.

Immigration Stories

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

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.

American Teamwork

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

Discussion on Midterms and other subjects

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

The Vitality of American Entertainment and Sports

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

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.

How Does Education Connect to Our American Dream?

A Letter to our Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

How the American Dream Has Changed

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

Perseverance and Our American Creed

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

Our Fiercely Unique Nation

An essay about our individualistic principles.

To Be American

Poem

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.

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

American Creed

Gen-Z

What is Gen-Z?

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.

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.

American Creed Video Essay

Thoughts on American Creed as shown by robot.

Who's America Is It?

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

American Creed

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

Core American Values

What are the values that we share as Americans?

American Citizenship

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

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:

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.

Why Our Values Are Our Values

How we view the values of others.

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.

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.

The American Creed and its Environment

Could concern for the environment unify the United States?

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...

Dear Grandpa

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

What America could use

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

Family History

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

American Division

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

Impoverished Education

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

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.

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.

Privacy in America: How We Have Changed

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

My Great Grandparents Journey

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

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.

Education in America

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

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.

Immigration Stories

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

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.

Inequality in American Education

In this article I discuss inequalities that plague American education.

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.

Immigration and the American Dream

Immigration to America changed throughout the decades and this is how.

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.

Our Historical Journey to America

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

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.

More responses from Michigan

Surprise Me

Being Black in America

This is a short video explaining my perception of being a young black man in America and my view on our country's history of what it was being black in America. Has there been much progress? Is there still more progress to be made?

Learning What it Means to be an American in New York City

In one trip, I learned some of the most important values of what it truly means to be an American.

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.

Mental Creed

How my family and community history has affected my journey for a healthy mindset and personal growth.

Education Leading To Success

This writing is about the importance of education in America and how it helps our lives be successful.

INEQUALITY

My story is about how America is not really what it is sought out to be. America is showed as this free, equal place. My essay is here to show my side of the real story .

The Land of Opportunity

A comparison of the American Creed throughout my families history.

The Impact of Religion

Religion has completely changed our past, making our free exercise of religion one of the most important parts of America.

Identity In America

In this piece I expose the ideas of identity in America and how it reflects American 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.

My American Creed

This is a short essay about how my father's actions have inspired me through the years and shaped who I am today.

Privacy in America: How We Have Changed

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

More responses about "equality"

Surprise Me

Privilege

Privilege

American Creed

Talented educated people are stuck living in a place where they are not able to take opportunities that will benefit them for their own good. They are not able to take their talents to better themselves because they are too poor to move away and take the opportunities.

Diversity & Equality

Diversity and equality go hand in hand. One's culture can determine how much they are open to the issue of diversity and being different and how, other than those who are open minded, there still are people who cause conflicts due to their biases.

When I Think of Home

The American Creed is not always as equally attainable as it may seem.

A Country of Immigrants

Through the experiences of talking to my mother, who was born and raised and Ukraine, I came to learn an important lesson on what it means to be "American".

American Mentor

I chose an image of Oprah to represent the American Creed because she has been a very impactful person on America. The words I used were, Freedom, Equality, Service and Diversity.

Compassion Connects People

Sometimes the best way to discover a person's American creed is through the way they help their community and relate with the people in need around them.

My American Creed

Being an individual that is quite diverse, I have been profoundly influenced by my parents' experiences.

The Sculpting Form of Equality

Everybody deserves to be treated equally no matter their race/cultural background. Everyone should also be able to express their feelings and beliefs in order to help others understand their situation.

My Beliefs on Women Equality

My topic is about how women equality is something that women strive to have but haven't yet accomplished. In this country that we are living in men have a bigger say in what happens to women.

Rights And Freedoms Make Us Equal

Rights and Freedoms that are given to Americans are very important. We should not judge one other based on looks or physical characteristics.

Sydnee's American Creed

This video that I have made is an articulation of my American creed. Throughout this video I have interviewed three family members on my dad's side. American Creed Citation: Ball, Sam, director. American Creed. WTTW and Citizen Film, 2018.

'Murican Creed

The issue of Immigration

What America is...

America to me is freedom, expression, diversity and equality. I made these words in the shape of an eagle to represent what America means to me.

My American Creed

My speech is about my personal American creed and what it means to me. What I believe makes me American is my freedom, responsibility, and equality. Everyone in America is held to the same standard and has the same opportunity to achieve greatness.

The Creed of The Past, Present and Future

As we have wrapped up our unit on the American Creed, we wrote an expository essay in which we wrote what the American Creed means to us personally. I wrote that the American Creed encompasses our past, the present, and the future, as well as everything America was meant to be.

My American Creed

America is portrayed as the land of the free but not many people get the freedom they need. Many groups of people are challenged in the U.S and struggle to better their lives, I believe that everyone should be given the same opportunities .

Treat Others How They ALL Deserve

This letter encourages others to treat others with equality and to realize that everyone is in fact, human.

The Problematic System

Mary K., Hollie E., and Hero F. interviewed the administrator of our local hospital, Jonathon Andrus. He shared the problems with the current healthcare system and its impact on Fairchild Medical Center.

Minorities Migration for their American Creed

My project is to explain how the American Creed isn’t always exemplified through immigrants and people of color in America. While America was founded by immigrants, and built on the backs of people of color, time and time again these people are discr

Is there really a true "american"?

I wrote this essay with the intended goal of explaining the idea that even though America is "ideal" there is an unspoken animosity against specific communities. Prejudice and ignorance need to be addressed and conquered. If not then history will repeat itself.

Being An LGBT American

This is about the growth of being a member of the LGBT community in America in 2018.

American Evolution

Our final paper for Senior year (2018), my thoughts on how to improve or somewhat improve the conditions of American lives, by increasing communication.

Eclipse Glasses

Colored storms meets the catastrophic miracle.

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.