Immigration for Grades 6-8

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The focus for students in this age group is on researching the effects of immigration on American history and culture.

OBJECTIVE

Students will:

1. Use Web technology to access immigration history
2. Develop an understanding of the concept of immigration
3. Develop oral history writing skills, including note-taking and conducting an interview
4. Read for detail
5. Use real-world examples as models for writing an oral history
6. Compare and contrast immigration stories of the past with the present
7. Compare and contrast immigration through Ellis Island and Angel Island
8. Use technology to explore a historical place and event
9. Use graphs and facts to respond to several research-based questions and activities
10. Create a time line

MATERIALS

1. Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today Activities
2. KWL Chart (PDF)
3. Concept Map (PDF)

SET UP AND PREPARE

1. Depending on the grade level and maturity level of each class, activities can be facilitated as independent work, collaborative group work, or whole class instruction.
2. If a computer is available for each student, guide students to the activities either through printed URLs on handouts or on the board.
3. If you are working in a lab, set up the computers to be on the desired Web site as students walk into class. If there are fewer computers than students, group the students by reading level. Assign each student a role: a "driver" who navigates the web, a timer who keeps the group on task, and a note taker. If there are more than three students per computer, you can add roles like a team leader, a team reporter, etc.
4. If you are working in a learning station in your classroom, break out your class into different groups. Have rotating groups working on the computer (s), reading printed background information, holding smaller group discussions, writing first drafts of their scrapbook, etc. Details described further in the Teaching sections.
5. You may also want to create a special display for your classroom library in honor of Immigration. Check out the unit booklist for suggested print materials. Be sure to keep a shelf available for students' oral history scrapbooks!

REPRODUCIBLES

1. KWL Chart (PDF)
   
2. Concept Map (PDF)
   

DIRECTIONS
Activity 1: Immigration introduction 1-2 days
Introduce the topic of immigration to the United States through a class discussion (See Discussion starters below). Ask students to volunteer any information they may already know about immigrants coming to the United States, both in the past and the present. Encourage students to share family stories. Write repeating themes on the board for students to copy in their notebooks.

Depending on the time available and the number of computers available, have students explore the Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today. Hand out the KWL graphic organizer (PDF) for students to fill out as they explore the activity. If computers are not available for all students, print and hand out copies of Seymour Rechtzeit and Li Keng Wong's stories for home or class reading. Encourage students to think about and even write thoughts about each "Think About it" or "Write About it" question they encounter in the stories.

Activity 2: Who Lives in America? 1-2 days
Explore Who Lives in America? Look over the various charts and tables with students. Ask volunteers to describe the kind of information each chart is showing. Have them support findings with examples from each chart.

• Ask students to compare two graphic organizers that give the same information. How are they similar and different?
• Have students state the advantages and disadvantages to using each one.

Divide the class into groups to take part in the Make Your Own Immigration Graph activity. Read aloud the page with students before assigning the activity. Then assign a different graphic for each group: pie chart, table, bar graph, line chart, two-column chart, and so on. Following directions in the activity, invite students to create a graphic organizer showing the class's immigrant history. Then have students investigate and discuss the following questions, among others, about the immigrant history of your area.

• Was your area primarily settled by people from one country?
• Why would immigrants have chosen your region in America?

Learning About Immigration Patterns
Have groups of students respond to the five questions addressing the information in the Immigrant table. Remind students that they should use reference materials, such as Web sites or the library to find answers to the questions. Refer students to the Immigration books resources for this unit plan.

When groups have finished answering the questions, challenge them to create an immigration time line using the Immigrant table and the information they have gathered.

First assign each group a decade from the table to research. Have students find worldwide events - taking place in the decade - which affected or caused immigration to the United States.

Then begin the whole-class time line. Schedule time for each group to contribute to the creation of the time line. Distribute butcher paper and colored marking pens. Share the time line checklist with students, and ask them to keep in mind this information as they create the graphic. Then have each group add their decade information to the appropriate area of the time line. Have the whole class assess the time line using the criteria from the checklist. Discuss a title and any changes that should be made. Ask: Is this time line a useful document of American immigration? Why or why not?

Time Line Checklist
Does the time line include:

• clear and neat lines, writing, bullet points, etc?
• information that is relevant to the questions?
• extra historically important events that fill some of the time gaps?
• correct grammar and spelling?

Activity 3: Research Starter: Immigration 4-6 days
Regroup as a class to discuss what students learned in exploring the activity and reading the stories. Have students reference their completed KWL Graphic Organizer (PDF). Are there more themes for the board? Are there more questions which students want to pursue?

Explain to students that they will be writing a research report on immigration to the United States and the contributions they have made to our culture and history. Using their KWL graphic organizers, the class should come up with a list of things they want to learn, and pose those "wants" as questions. Write the list of questions on the board and have students pick one of the questions to research.

Hand out the Concept Map (PDF) for students to fill out as they research their activity. Direct students to start with the Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today but encourage them to focus on the Research Starter: Immigration, 1880-1914.

For information and tips on writing a research paper, see the Writing Workshop: Research Paper to record their findings and answer their research questions.

Allow students to use the Oral History activity as a source of information, if applicable. When students are finished with their research, they may publish their results in various ways. Here are some suggestions: write a research paper, a power-point presentation, a poster board, or an oral report for the class.

When the research reports are complete, students can present their work through an oral presentation to the rest of the class.

SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today helps students meet the following standards Sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA).

• Read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world. (1)
• Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions. (7)
• Students use a variety of technological and informational resources (libraries, databases, computer networks) to gather and synthesize information in order to create and communicate knowledge. (8)
• Participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. (11)
• Students use spoken, written, and visual language for learning, persuasion, and exchange of information. (12)

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS):

Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today meets the standards of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), which promote the development of students as good citizens in a culturally diverse, interdependent world. The content and activities of this project are especially appropriate for the themes of:

• Culture: Students learn how to understand multiple perspectives that derive from different cultural vantage points.
• Time, Continuity, and Change: Students focus on how the world has changed in order to gain perspective on the present and the future.
• Individual Development and Identity: Students learn to ask questions such as "What influences how people learn, perceive, and grow?"
• People, Places, and Environments: Students utilize technological advances to connect to the world beyond their personal locations. The study of people, places, and human-environment interactions assists learners as they create their spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world.
• Global Connections: Students analyze patterns and relationships within and among world cultures.
• Civic Ideals and Practices: Students gain an understanding of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

Technology Foundation Standards for Students:

• use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity use technology tools to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences
• use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences
• use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources
• use technology tools to process data and report results employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world

LESSON EXTENSION
Classroom Geography
Use this activity to visually identify connections students have to other countries in the world. Display a large map of the world or create one using an overhead projector. Have students draw self-portraits or bring in photos of themselves. Place the pictures around the border of the map. Have each student stretch a piece of yarn from his or her picture to a country or region where his or her ancestors lived, and secure it with push pins. You may want to color code the yarn by country, continent, or world region. Take time to discuss the finished map.

Hall of Fame
Invite the class to create a Hall of Fame of immigrants who have made important contributions. Guide students to search for biographies of the individuals using reference materials from the library or from online sources. For their Hall of Fame submission, each student should provide a photograph or other likeness of the person, identify birthplace and when he or she came to America, and explain in a paragraph his or her accomplishments.

Music from around the World
Work with students to investigate examples of music and literature from other lands that have influenced American writing and music.

Social Studies
Have students investigate words, foods, sports, and fashion that have their origins in other countries.

Discussion starters:

• What is the definition of immigration?
• What are some reasons people immigrate?
• Why is America a popular destination for immigrants?
• What are the differences between immigrate, emigrate and migrate?
• What are some of the obstacles that an immigrant faced in the past?
• What are some of the obstacles that an immigrant faces today?
• Who were some famous immigrants that made important contributions to America?
• What are some controversial issues surrounding immigration today?
• What is an illegal immigrant?
• What is the process of becoming a legal immigrant?
• What may happen if you are an illegal immigrant living in the United States?
• How many immigrants does the United States allow each year?
• What is the estimated population of illegal immigrants moving to the United States each year?
• What does it mean to be "Americanized"?
• What is the meaning of assimilation?
• What are some creative ways Americans can assist newly arrived immigrants?
• What are the pros and cons of assimilation?
• What are the pros and cons of Americanization?

ASSESS STUDENTS

Formal Assessment Ideas

Immigration Written Reflection

Students will reflect upon and answer the following questions. Convey to students that they are to be thinking about the Immigration online activity's overarching concepts and ideas.

• What are some reasons that people have immigrated to the United States?
• What can we learn about American attitudes toward immigrants from the experiences of immigrants themselves?
• See Discussion Starters for a list of interesting questions to use for the written reflection.

Oral History and Research Paper Writing

Have students publish their stories for the Oral History Scrapbook or the Writing Workshop: Research Paper online and post them on your class homepage or publish them in a printed booklet. Encourage students to read one another's submissions.

Students can also present their learning to their peers with a PowerPoint presentation, a poster board, or an oral report for the class.

Writing Rubric

Use the writing rubric as a way to assess your students' writing skills. This rubric can also serve as a model for a modified version that might include your state's writing standards.

Oral History Scrapbook Project Writing Rubric

Research Paper Writing Rubric

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ARTICLE	Books for Teaching About Immigration Provides a list of books for teaching about immigration. Includes classroom tips for using each book.
UNIT PLAN	Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today Students learn the various reasons people come to America through oral histories of recent and historic immigrants, recognize immigrant contributions,and...
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today Find out what it means to come to the U.S. as an immigrant from the early 20th century through today! Talk to recent immigrants, take a tour...