Okemos High School

American Literature with Mrs. Reed

Students in American Literature in Mrs. Reed's courses

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Immigration Stories

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

Our Historical Journey to America

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

How the American Dream Has Changed

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

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 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.

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?

What America could use

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

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:

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.

Privacy in America: How We Have Changed

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

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.

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

American Creed

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.

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.

Inequality in American Education

In this article I discuss inequalities that plague American education.

To Be American

Poem

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.

Is the Immigration Ban Changing Our American Values?

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

My Great Grandparents Journey

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

American Culture and Values

Who's America Is It?

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

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.

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.

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.

Creed

My grandpa's American dream.

Immigration Stories

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

Core American Values

What are the values that we share as Americans?

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.

Dear Grandpa

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

Education in America

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

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.

Why Our Values Are Our Values

How we view the values of others.

Discussion on Midterms and other subjects

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

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.

Our Fiercely Unique Nation

An essay about our individualistic principles.

Gen-Z

What is Gen-Z?

The American Creed and its Environment

Could concern for the environment unify the United States?

Impoverished Education

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

The Vitality of American Entertainment and Sports

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

Immigration

A family's Immigration story.

Family History

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

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.

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.

American Creed Video Essay

Thoughts on American Creed as shown by robot.

How Does Education Connect to Our American Dream?

A Letter to our Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

American Citizenship

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

American Creed

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

Immigration and the American Dream

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

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.

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.

American Teamwork

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

American Division

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

Perseverance and Our American Creed

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

More responses from Michigan

Surprise Me

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.

Marching Toward our American Creed

I discuss the ways we can reach the original American Dream by communicating with those with differing backgrounds and beliefs, and by joining together to make our voice stronger. I also discuss how we can become closer to understanding our American Creed by communicating.

What Connection?

The first computer was released in 1981. My mother was born in 1964. 17 years. For 17 years, my parents generation lived day to day life without wifi, but some would argue they had a much better connection

Problems in America

America is a great country, but with problems that need to be fixed. Luckily many Americans are aware of the problems in America like police brutality, high incarceration rates, low ill-maintained education system, etc.

Attitudes and Success in Life

This is about how a good attitude affects your successes in life.

The American Creed and the death of spirituality

The American Creed and the ideals that built America. Where do these ideals lead people? Why do these ideals lead people? The truth behind the ideals and actions of America as a whole, and it's connection to life itself and mine and many others' spiritual views on life.

Traveling is My American Creed

I love to travel. Having opportunities to travel and getting to experience new cultures and environments have made me who I am. I wrote about two life changing and amazing experiences that i hope to remember forever.

Almost Losing My Best Friend

I found out my beloved Grandmother had cancer. It destroyed me, but a new person grew, one who's more loving and conscious of every moment.

An Immigrant's Journey

The story of my grandparent's journeys to America and the freedom they found here.

The American Dream Was Worth It

The following story is realistic fiction.

A Divided America

America is divided but an American Creed is something to help unify us.

Is the Immigration Ban Changing Our American Values?

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

More responses about "immigration" and "symbolism"

Surprise Me

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.

Immigration Travel Processes

Immigration has changed since Ellis Island travelers first started coming over to America. Today immigrants risk everything to find a safe place to stay. When Ellis Island travelers came over they came for work and to live the American dream.

Illegal Immigration and the American Creed

Do illegal immigrants deserve to fulfill their American Creed?

Immigration and its Effects on the American Dream

As the daughter of immigrants I have been able to see and get a second-hand experience of how their hardships and battle scars have affected their political and social views. Find out how immigration affects one´s views of the American Dream.

American Creed

An essay about immigration and being American.

American Creeds Future

American identity and culture will be shaped not by the adults, but the children and immigrants that are moving into society.

What it Means to be American

America is a nation that was created to thrive in greatness, from the day it was deemed a country they had one goal, to give freedom to those who don’t have it.

The American Opportunity

This is about how my family shaped my American Creed through their story and beliefs of how they succeeded.

Same Motivations, Different Century

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

The American Creed

My response describes how their are similarities in everyone's view on the American Creed.

American Creed Op-Ed

These are my opinions on what it means to be an American

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.

Immigrants and their Role in the American Creed

The United States has been called a "country of immigrants." Immigrants play a major role in our life as Americans and they have shaped our country over the past hundreds of years.

What is Your American Creed

My American Creed is based on acceptance, integrity, diversity, and perseverance.

America: Religious Freedom is a Right

My American Creed is the importance of religious freedom. It is something America offers that gives individuals a sense of security.

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.

What Being American Means

This opinion piece is my view on what it means to be an American.

How America is Represented

How America is represented using symbols, words and phrases

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.

What does it mean to be an American?

To be an American is to have unlimited possibilities, be different and unique, and to unite with your community.

How does your family & community history connect to your American creed?

My American Creed is about both sides of my family immigrating from both Italy and Russia.

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.

My American Creed

My piece is about how I believe if you’re determined, you don’t have to be born in America to achieve the American Dream.

American Creed Video Essay

Thoughts on American Creed as shown by robot.

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.