Have you tried our intermediate-level Discussion Starters lesson about The American Dream? In this ready-made lesson, students explore different viewpoints about the dream and discuss whether it’s dead and gone or alive and well. This lesson also includes punctuation practice (using apostrophes with words ending in -s) and an optional video challenge.

In this lesson, your students will get a chance to complete this sentence:

My definition of the American dream is…

Here is the video shared in our ready-made lesson. This video could also inspire your students to write and record their own selfie video about what the American dream means to them.

The American Dream

In this video, New Yorkers were interviewed about their own definition of the American dream. After you show the video, ask your students to decide which of the following align the closest with their own definition of the American dream.

• to live in a nice house with a nice family and to be happy
• to be a millionaire
• to be able to work hard and to be able to really achieve greatness
• to have the chance to make a better life than what I had growing up
• to be able to pursue the job that I want to pursue
• to be able to live where I want to live
• to really prosper the way I want to
• to be able to go to school
• to have freedom to pursue my dreams