Based on Eurocentric beauty ideals, give an example of a piece of media (from an advert, social media post, film, show, comic book, magazine, etc.) that you think celebrates a type of beauty that tends to fall outside of those parameters. Do you see yourself reflected in it? Give a few lines on how you think it does this. 

2. Advance Your Career

Language skills can be a significant competitive advantage that sets you apart from your monolingual peers.

They are among the top eight skills required of all occupations- no matter your sector or skill level-and the demand for bilingual professionals is rising exponentially. In fact, between 2010 and 2015, the number of U.S. job postings specifically geared toward bilingual candidates more than doubled.

Write your reflection or opinion. What do you think about what you read?

D. Read independently and work with a partner to write a reflection or opinion about what you read. Share your answer with the class.

The many cognitive benefits of learning languages are undeniable.

People who speak more than one language have improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, enhanced concentration, ability to multitask, and better listening skills.

What do you think about the benefits? Would you like to take advantage of learning a new language?

E. Read independently and work with a partner to write a reflection or opinion about what you read. Share your answer with the class.

4. Deepen Your Connection to Other Cultures

Language is the most direct connection to other cultures. Being able to communicate in another language exposes us to and fosters an appreciation for the traditions, religions, arts, and history of the people associated with that language. Greater understanding, in turn, promotes greater tolerance, empathy, and acceptance of others--with studies showing that children who have studied another language are more open toward and express more positive attitudes toward the culture associated with that language.

Write your reflection or opinion. What do you think about what you read?

F. Read independently and work with a partner to write a reflection or opinion about what you read. Share your answer with the class.

5. See the World

Traveling as a speaker of the local language can revolutionize a trip abroad. While monolingual travelers are capable of visiting the same places, travelers who know more than one language are more easily able to navigate outside the tourist bubble and to connect and interact with the place and its people in a way that is often inaccessible to those without the language. Learning a second language also opens additional doors to opportunities for studying or working abroad.

Write your reflection or opinion. What do you think about what you read?

Re-write the following passages from a student essay so that they no longer contain instances of plagiarism.  Add quotation marks and parenthetical citations when necessary.  Add in-text attributions to alert the reader to upcoming quotations and be sure to differentiate between a source’s voice and the student’s.

1. Americans have always had high expectations about their possibility for success. Though they may not have thought they would reach nirvana, 19th-century Americans believed that they would ultimately have fulfilling lives because they lived in America.
2. The American Dream means that anyone living in this country can rise to the level of his aspiration.
3. Throughout American history, Americans have believed that through hard work they could rise to the level of their aspirations.
4. In the 19th century, the American Dream reflected the belief that anyone in this pragmatic, un-class-conscious society of ours could, by dint of hard work, rise to the level of his aspiration.
5. The American Dream used to mean that people in this pragmatic society could rise to the level of their aspirations.
6. The American Dream seems now to not be about seizing opportunity but about realizing perfection and entering the fabulous worlds Americans see in the movies.
7. Americans are encouraged by what they see in Hollywood: the mere existence of movie stars proves the perfectibility of any man or woman.
8. Though Americans of the 1960s may have been the first generation to live within its illusions, today’s Americans certainly believe from seeing social media posts and digitally perfected images that perfection is possible in their own lives.
9. Though people have always wanted to be rich and famous, America is the first country to democratize dreams and allow Americans to believe in the perfectibility of any man or woman.
10. Anyone perusing social media today can see that Americans have come to believe in their own perfectibility.