Knowledge Rating

Teacher asks the students if they have ever had a dream come true.


1. Brainstorm "dream" in large group.

2. Continue brainstorming, adding "American" to dream.

3. Read a selected poem that further develops the theme of the American Dream (for
example, Harlem by Langston Hughes).

4. Discuss the American Dream while interpreting the poem.

5. Pass out individual copies of the Knowledge Rating strategy sheet to the students.Go over the directions, perhaps doing the first term together in large group.

6. Have learners analyze each word and note whether the term is familiar. If the student knows the meaning of the word, a short definition is written in the appropriate column.

7. Learners then skim the text noting the location of the vocabulary words in context.

8. Read the text in large group, small groups, or individually.

9. Revisit the vocabulary words and note a definition for each. Note: No glossary or
dictionary is used for this activity.

Closure: Review the definitions so that each learner will have an accurate explanation of each term as it was used in the text.

Evaluation suggestions: The Knowledge Rating sheet; group work participation; writing a
short paragraph describing the topic (to assess comprehension).