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Lesson 2

We will read and analyze a 1988 newspaper article that articulates why many Americans at that time continued to want to purchase and own homes. The text presents the first opportunity to analyze an informational source for perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence, as we move toward analyzing and delineating arguments later in the unit.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I understand the meanings of and relationships among key concepts of argumentation (perspective, position, claims, evidence, and reasoning) as they apply to a text about the dream of homeownership?

  • Can I identify claims and supporting evidence in an article about homeownership and explain the author’s reasoning?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • Chapter 5: “Detached Houses: The Dream of Home Ownership,” excerpt from The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, Jim Cullen, Oxford University Press, 2003
    • “Why Owning a Home Is the American Dream,” Anthony Depalma, The New York Times Company, 1988

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

In a class discussion, we will review the first seven paragraphs of “Why Owning A Home Is The American Dream” to learn about what Americans were thinking about homeownership in 1988 and how the author establishes his perspective and his thesis at the start of the article.

Consider the questions that guided your reading of the first seven paragraphs of "Why Owning a Home Is the American Dream."

  1. How do the patterns of homeownership in the United States compare with those of other industrialized nations? Why might this be?

  2. According to the author, what are the motivations for owning a home? In 1988, what was the "essential motivation"? Cite evidence from your text to support your answer.

Share and compare the details from the text you annotated during your reading, and explain what you have learned from those details.

Review the concept of authorial perspective in an informational or argumentative text by discussing what the first section of this article suggests about its author’s view of his topic. Then respond to the following question:

  1. What is the author suggesting when he says, "A family's physical shelter could be its financial shelter as well"? What evidence from the text supports your answer?

In preparation for reading and analyzing the rest of the text, discuss this sentence as a thesis for the article.

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will begin working with vocabulary and adding words to our Vocabulary Journals.

For this activity, you will use a Vocabulary Journal, which you will maintain for the entire unit. You might use a Vocabulary in Context Tool for words you can decipher from the text; for others, you might use morphology to decipher the meaning, or a reference resource to check if your meaning is accurate. For some words, your teacher might present you with definitions.

Write down the words and definitions from your annotations, the Vocabulary List, or a list your teacher provides in your Vocabulary Journal. For each word, identify the vocabulary strategy (e.g., context, morphology, reference resource) you used to determine its meaning.

Activity 3: Discuss – Write

We will reinforce our understanding of concepts and terms related to argumentation through a vocabulary-building exercise.

Review the definitions for the terms issue, perspective, position, supporting claim and evidence in the Argument Terminology section of the Argument Reference Guide.

Discuss your understanding of each of these terms with a partner, using examples from the article you are examining in this lesson.

In your Vocabulary Journal, paraphrase the definitions for these five concepts and terms. When paraphrasing a piece of writing, you write it in your own words.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss

We will read and analyze the rest of “Why Owning A Home Is The American Dream” to learn about the reasoning and evidence presented by the author as he develops his perspective and his thesis.

On your own, read and annotate the rest of "Why Owning a Home Is the American Dream," considering the following questions:

  1. As the author develops his position about homeownership, he states, "For most families, a house is the centerpiece and predominant part of the household wealth." What details does he present to support this claim?

  2. Identify a supporting claim made by the author to develop his position. What information or examples does he present to support this claim?

  3. Choose one of the young couples who decide to invest in owning a home. How does the author present this couple’s reasoning behind their decision? What was the couple’s thought process?

Join a discussion team with other students. Compare your responses to the three guiding questions.

Activity 5: Write

We will write down what we have learned from reading and analyzing “Why Owning A Home Is The American Dream.”

In your Learning Log, explain what you have learned from reading and analyzing "Why Owning a Home Is the American Dream" and how the article relates to the following question:

  1. Why has homeownership been considered a part of the American Dream?

Write about how the information presented in the article might influence your own thinking about owning or not owning a home.

Activity 6: Read – Write

For homework, we will read about author Jim Cullen’s experiences as his family migrated from new york city to the surrounding suburbs of long island in an excerpt from “Detached Houses: The Dream Of Home Ownership,” a chapter in The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation.

For homework, read and annotate the text excerpt from "Detached Houses: The Dream of Home Ownership," using a copy of the Attending to Details Tool to note key details in response to one of the following questions:

  1. What details does the author present to explain why his parents chose to move from the city to the suburbs?

  2. What details does the author present about his experiences growing up in the suburbs?

  3. What details does the author present to explain why he feels a sense of shame about his upbringing in the suburbs?