Concept: Students reports of their dream life vary from some saying they never dream to others describing vivid dreams on a frequent basis. You can more closely evaluate your dream life by completing this activity that challenges you to keep a journal of your dreams over a period of time and writing an analysis. Overview: You have approximately two weeks to record a minimum of 3 dreams and complete the additional assignments that will be described below. All of the requirements should be compiled into a journal. It does not have to be typed but it cannot be written on notebook paper. First, here are the rules: You should not describe in detail dreams of a sexual nature or those that are too personal to share. You should also feel free not to share names of people you dream about, especially if the dream is bad or uncomfortable. You are NOT allowed to make up dreams-if you do you are only cheating yourself. Do not try to make sense of your dream in your dream write-ups; you should just record what you remember. This will be done in the analysis. Presentation: Your journal should be put together with a front and back cover. The front should have a title, your name, period number, and visual. This can be a photo of you or a printed image that relates to sleeping/dreaming. First Page: What is the Stuff Dreams Are Made Of? Complete the handout bellow
Directions: Choose two types of dreams from the list below to write about. These are dreams that have already occurred before the dream journal assignment. Since they are past dreams that might have happened quite some time ago, try your best to be as descriptive as possible without creating false information. Describe the dream, when it happened (an approximation of how old you were), and how it made you feel in the dream or once you woke up. Each must be about 4-5 sentences. Recurring Trying repeatedly to do something Eating Memorable Embarrassing Fire Worst Nightmare Being smothered, unable to breathe Failing an exam Falling Arriving too late A loved one dying Finding Money Snakes Seeing oneself as dead Being attacked or pursued Schools, teachers, studying Being locked up Swimming Shopping Type of Dream Description
Pages 2 and 3: For each dream you will write a paragraph of at least 4-5 sentences. It s best to describe the dream as much as possible. For each dream you must illustrate it with drawings or a collage that depicts your dream/the things that you saw At the top of each page you must record the date and approximately what time you went to sleep and when you woke up Example: Wednesday, April 12, 2014 (10:45pm/8:05am) I don't remember the start, but at some point a coworker told me not to let anyone lick me, that there are zombies that spread whatever they have by licking someone. The zombies make their way in, and some coworkers get licked and become like the zombies. Thankfully, the zombies are very weak and only a punch or two, or a kick take them out. I fight them off one by one for a while, though a few of them do grab me but aren't able to lick me. This was a long dream of fighting with no real details that stood out. Don t let the zombie lick you!!!!
Page 4: REM Sleep Your third dream requires you to take a 90-minute nap. Plan some time one afternoon to take a nap that lasts approximately 90 minutes. Have someone wake you up gently after the allotted time or set an alarm clock to wake you (not jarringly, though). If you have someone wake you, have that person look to see whether or not your eyes are moving under your eyelids before they wake you( this is to find out if you are in REM sleep) When you wake up, record what dreams you might be having or explain why you feel you didn t dream during your nap. Write a paragraph of at least 4-5 sentences. Include your illustration (if you didn t have a dream draw a dream you would ve liked to have had) Record the date and approximately what time you went to sleep and when you woke up. (It should look like pages 2 & 3) Page 5: Dream Analysis Sigmund Freud called dreams, the royal road to the unconscious mind. Many psychologists believe dreams have great meanings, while others believe they are nothing more than random thoughts. There have been many books written on dreams, including Freud s famous Interpretation of Dreams, and many theories discussed. However, the best person to interpret your dreams is YOU! Once you have about 3 of the recent dreams in your journal, try to analyze them using the following questions as guides (but feel to create your own "questions" also). Write your analysis in a 5-6 sentence paragraph. Questions to consider a. Were there any common threads, common ideas, running through the journal? b. Are your dreams bizarre? Mundane? c. Which dreams are most disturbing? Why? What do they mean to you? What common symbols or objects did you record? What do you think these symbols mean? d. Were you able to control your dreams as you remembered more and more of them? e. How are your dreams relevant to your waking life? f. Was the content of two or more dreams identical? What does this tell you? g. What seems to be the main function of your dreams? h. In other words, what did you learn about yourself by recording your dreams in a journal?
*If for whatever reason you did not have a total of 3 dreams in the two weeks you may elaborate on one of the dreams OR ask a friend or relative to share a dream (you still need to provide an illustration) Tips: Remembering Your Dreams 1. Place a pen and pad (or phone/tape recorder) next to your bed before retiring to sleep. 2. Make sure the light switch can be easily reached or place a flashlight by your bedside. 3. Before you fall asleep tell yourself several times, I m going to wake up after a dream or I will remember my dreams. Be patient; it may take a night or 2 for your unconscious to get the message. 4. When you do awaken, keep your eyes closed and run through the dream until it is fixed in your mind. 5. Gently sit up, turn on the light, and record your dream. Include whatever information you can remember about the: a. Setting (indoors or outdoors) b. Characters (relatives, friends, strangers) c. Nature of the interaction (friendly, aggressive) d. Activities (running, climbing, speaking) e. Outcome (success, failure) f. Emotions (fear, happiness, confusion) g. Dialogue or any words h. Timing in the dream (morning, afternoon) i. Relations to the dream and you (are you an observer, participant, seeing yourself?) You may have more than one entry per night (everyone dreams between 4 and 6 times) of varying lengths (REM sleep gets longer, therefore, your dreams get longer later on in the night). The most important thing to remember is that EVERYONE dreams and that once you believe you will remember them, you will! Grading Rubric Criteria Assessment Value 5 Presentation (in journal form-front cover with all the requirements) Page 1: What is the stuff dreams are made of? 10 (has completed the worksheet by providing a write-up for 2 past dreams) Page 2: Dream (4-5 sentence write-up and illustration) 10 Page 3: Dream (4-5 sentence write up and illustration) 10 Page 4: REM Sleep/Dream (4-5 sentence write up and illustration) 10 Page 5: Dream analysis(5-6 sentence analysis) 5 Total 50