Okemos High School

American Literature with Mrs. Reed

Students in American Literature in Mrs. Reed's courses

Immigration and the American Dream

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

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.

Our Historical Journey to America

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

Immigration

A family's Immigration story.

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.

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.

American Division

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

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 Does Education Connect to Our American Dream?

A Letter to our Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

American Teamwork

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

Privacy in America: How We Have Changed

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

Gen-Z

What is Gen-Z?

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.

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.

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?

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.

Who's America Is It?

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

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.

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...

Core American Values

What are the values that we share as Americans?

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 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?

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.

Why Our Values Are Our Values

How we view the values of others.

Creed

My grandpa's American dream.

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

American Creed

Education in America

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

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.

What America could use

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

Immigration Stories

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

American Citizenship

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

The American Creed and its Environment

Could concern for the environment unify the United States?

To Be American

Poem

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.

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.

Perseverance and Our American Creed

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

Is the Immigration Ban Changing Our American Values?

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

Discussion on Midterms and other subjects

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

Family History

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

American Culture and Values

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 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.

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.

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.

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 Video Essay

Thoughts on American Creed as shown by robot.

How the American Dream Has Changed

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

American Creed

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

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.

Dear Grandpa

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

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 Fiercely Unique Nation

An essay about our individualistic principles.

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.

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.

Immigration Stories

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

Impoverished Education

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

My Great Grandparents Journey

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

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.

More responses from Michigan

Surprise Me

Supporting America

A major part of being American is that you don't have to support America. In fact, this helps the country grow and change.

My Family's Past

My Writing is about the American Dream my family's past and heritage.

Immigration in America

In this podcast, we discuss the issue of immigration and how it affects everyday life in the US. We discuss why it is important to the success of America, and how it affects other countries, as well.

Same Motivations, Different Century

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

Preserving Family Culture

Preserving family culture is essential to my American Creed. Remembering and acknowledged our family's history helps increase the diversity in America, which is beautiful and unique.

What does it mean to be American?

In our English class this year, we have been working on a variety of things. This recent project was about what we thought it meant to be American. What we all thought it meant to be American is to have freedom and to live an American Dream of your own.

American Activism

This piece is about why activism is important to American culture and the overall American identity. It explores how older and more recent movements have impacted American history and how they represent American ideals.

Do Sports Help Shape Your Identity?

Knowing who you are is important to self development and discovery. I believe that anything people are a part of helps to shape their identity one way or another.

Symbols that represent American Creed

American creed can be symbolized by different words/ symbols. Everyone has their own sense of what they think American Creed is and how it can affect them.

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 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.

This Is America

Growing up as a African-Amrican in America comes with several challeges. How we have to deal with the court system and enforcement with the police. How different cultures come to America to live a better life and have to deal with the world not accepting them and their religion.

More responses about "creed", "interview", "issues", and "scrapbook "

Surprise Me

American Creed

How do Words, Symbols and Rituals express the American Creed?

My American Creed

Americans should strive to succeed to improve their own lives and make a difference in their communities.

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.

Canadian/American Dream

An interview with my Grandfather who grew up in Italy during World War II, and moved to Canada when he was 18 to live the "American Dream", but in Canada, and his views on how the Ideals and Creeds of western nations have changed since he came over.

Honor and Integrity

My American Creed

Credo Americano

In America, hearing the phrase “I can accomplish my dreams and whatever goal I set” sparks a lot of commotion. It is a touchy subject that not everyone agrees with. I chose to interview my mother regarding this topic, an educated, successful, Mexican American immigrant.

My American Creed.

Living in America, gives everyone the privilege to earn an education. Taking your education seriously, can lead you to prosperity and achieving your American dreams.

The American Creed: What is Your Idea of the American Creed?

This piece encompasses the American Creed by explaining the ideals set down through the history of America and, using the American Creed, applies them to the people of this nation.

Family history and the American Creed

An essay about my family history and origin, and how it connects to the American Creed.

My American Creed

My Creed Is about Patriotism, Citizenship, and hard work. I hope I can love up to these things and be a good American.

My Struggles with Education

In my piece I am trying to help the people who are reading this understand that the accessibility that people have to education isn't the same for everyone. I to help people realize that some may have to work harder to achieve their goals in life and education they desire.

United by our Differences

I interviewed people in my community and asked them what the American Dream means to them. I got a wide variety of answers that mentioned the economic opportunities, freedom and rights, and even that the American Dream is a way of life.

The American Creed: Veteran's Perspective

A brief overview of the American Creed from the perspective of two local military veterans and whether their view of America changed over the course of their service.

American Creed

My essay is about what it means about being an American.

My American Dream

This essay is a discription of my American Dream and how the American Dream is broad enough for everyone to chase their own indivisual dream.

America Dream

Everyone has often wondered what "The American Dream" really is; this poem is just a short version of my American Dream.

My American Creed

My American creed consist of my language freedoms and responsibilities and how they will shape me as a person and shape my future.

Alisha's American Creed

Being American means you have the ability to be who you want, do what you want to do, and remake yourself as long as you work hard. You have the right to equal opportunity and to express yourself. It means to accept it's not always about you.

How To Bleed the American Creed

In this piece of writing I try and demonstrate how everyone can express their American creed through various actions.

Every American's Creed

My photoshop masking image portraits the bald eagle which is the symbol of America.It symbolizes liberty, justice, fraternity, and equality.

Strive To Succeed

We should all follow our own American Creed. How all the immigration statuses are breaking everyone apart. We should all just be united and keep striving to get a better life than we already have.

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.

Gen-Z

What is Gen-Z?

What America Means to Me

My piece is simply about how my relatives of the past struggled in their home land and moved to America despite all the difficulties and dangers they faced. They saw America as a land of opportunity and freedom and I wrote this piece to honor them and spread their story.

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.