Expanding Perspectives: Redefining the American Dream

How can we educate students on the other communities living side-by-side with their own and ensure accurate representation of all groups in a way that is engaging and which activates students’ curiosity and hunger to make change?

This curriculum aims to enrich students’ exposure to pertinent, relevant topics that may be underrepresented in school curricula. Through exposure to a variety of different texts, the program’s goal is to be a mirror for students who don’t often see themselves in educational material and to be a window for others to glimpse into the unique experiences of different communities. The program will be loosely structured by subcategories, which include but is not limited to economic inequality, the immigrant experience, the LGBTQ+ community, and living with a physical disability. More self-directed than rigid, the curriculum will allow students to pick where they want to go and holistically learn about experiences through different forms of media such as books, film, music, and visual art. Students will then engage in self-discovery, doing additional research about the era, hardships, or growth the characters in these texts lived through. The final capstone will be a deep dive into an experience or narrative of their choice, allowing the student to pick and pursue a topic that they have developed a passion for throughout this learning process. Students will present their chosen account through the best medium they see fit, whether that be through a formal paper, a video documentary, piece of visual art, play, or song.