Purpose
For the practice assignment, students must write a summary paragraph defining the concept of the American dream. Identify, summarize, and write a definition of the American dream. The source of the definition can be a book or an online database. Use the MLA documentation style to accurately cite the source. See the Defining section under Developing Paragraphs/Strategies for Developing the Main Point in The Little Seagull Handbook.
Instructions
The length of the summary paragraph should be about one page. Submit the assignment as directed by the instructor.
Complete the following when writing the summary paragraph.
Students should expand upon the definition of the American dream by giving an example of what their family has achieved or are attempting to achieve to fulfill their dream. Consider the following questions. What is the American dream? Has the effort to achieve the dream been inspiring or frustrating?
Check the summary for accuracy and give credit to the author of the article (or the title of the article if no author is listed) through the use of a citation in the text of the paragraph. Provide a Works Cited entry for the source of the definition at the end of the paragraph.
The practice paragraph should demonstrate good structure through the use of a topic sentence, several coherent supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. Refer to Section W-4b, Developing Paragraphs, particularly the section on Defining, in The Little Seagull Handbook.
When the practice assignment is complete, submit it here. Click on the Submit Assignment button in the top right of this window. Either upload your paragraph as a PDF or select the text entry tab and type your paragraph into the text box. Then, click the Submit Assignment button at the bottom of the the page.
