Students will encounter a genuine controversy about whether the American Dream is accessible to immigrants or obstructed by systemic invisibility, analyze competing perspectives across mediums, and commit to an initial evidence-based claim with a clear rationale before beginning deep research.

Students will gather, evaluate, and organize credible evidence related to their chosen position on the American Dream debate, intentionally researching both supporting and opposing viewpoints. They will produce a structured 2-column evidence log with credibility analysis and a focused counterargument analysis paragraph that will anchor their argument construction in the next phase.

Students will organize their research into a structured Claim-Evidence-Reasoning argument, draft a full position paper with a strong counterargument section, engage in peer critique focused on logical structure and warrants, and revise their writing in preparation for public defense.

Students will publicly defend their evidence-based positions on the accessibility of the American Dream, respond to real-time challenges using specific cited evidence, and reflect on how their thinking evolved from initial claim to final defense while connecting their arguments to themes of identity, belonging, and narrative perspective.