This 26-day unit introduces the historical concept of the American Dream. Five days of the unit are devoted to "A Raisin in the Sun." We also read some articles about the American Dream today, and students write an essay on literature's depiction of the American Dream and its relevance today.
At the beginning, each day focuses on an aspect of the dream, plus an aspect of reading poetry (such as persona/tone, poetic language, form, etc.). After that, we read "A Raisin in the Sun." Finally, we re