Why People Immigrate:
Historically and Today
Grade Level: 4th Grade Subject: Social Studies
Time Needed: 3 days Topic: Immigration
Time Needed: 3 days Topic: Immigration
What School of Education Standards did you try to address in this lesson?
· Standard 6: Connects School and Community: This lesson connects students with the larger community by inviting guest speakers to come in and talk about their experiences and immigration story. The students will also interview someone who has immigrated in order to understand why they decided to leave their country and come to the United States.
· Standard 12: Accommodates for All Students: The specific accommodations I have made for my students are listed throughout this document.
· Standard 13: Is a Reflective Practitioner: As an educator I am constantly reflecting on how my lessons are going as well as how my teaching affects my students. Not only would I reflect on this lesson afterwards, but I would also plan to make adjustments during the lesson as I saw it develop.
MMSD Standards
Behavioral Science
· Compare personal cultural history with other diverse cultures
· Give examples of valuable contributions to the United States made by many cultural, ethnic, and racial groups
· Give examples of the importance of multiple viewpoints for understanding people, events, and issues.
NCSS Standards
· Time, continuity, and change
· People, places, and environment
· Individual development and identity
Essential Questions
Overall:
· Why do people immigrate? (historically and today)
Specific:
· What are some of the reasons people left/leave their country of origin?
· Why did/do individuals want to immigrate to the United States?
Materials Needed:
· Interview sheets filled out by students
· Two guest speakers to share their immigration story and experiences
· Chart paper
· Markers
Objectives
· SWBAT describe reasons people have immigrated in the past and today.
· SWBAT conduct an interview with someone who has immigrated to the United States.
· SWBAT make connections between the experiences of immigrants in the past and today.
Lesson Context
In the previous lesson we talked about the historical trends in immigration by different population groups and assembled a timeline of events related to immigration. Students will be wondering why these things occurred and why so many individuals decide or have to leave their country and come to the United States. This lesson will explore some of the reasons that different population groups immigrate(d) to the United States both historically and today.
Lesson Opening
The lesson will cover 3 days (or more if you have additional guest speakers) and will begin by having students pull out their interview sheets I had them fill out as homework. They were given a week to find someone they know, either an adult or child, who has immigrated to the United States and ask them a few questions about their experience. They have recorded their answers on the sheet of paper I provided and have brought them to class to share with the group.
Procedures
Day One (30 minutes)
1. After students pull out their interview sheets we will gather together as a large group on the carpeted area of the room. They will bring their sheets with them.
2. The students will be given an opportunity to share the immigration stories they heard from the people they interviewed. We will document the reasons people decided/had to leave their country and come to the United States, and will categorize them by country/population group.
3. As we create our list we will start looking for trends and commonalities. If there are significant groups or reasons that weren’t covered I can add them to the list after everyone has had a chance to share.
Day Two (One hour)
1. Invite first guest speaker to come in and tell their immigration story and experiences, focusing on why they decided or had to leave and come to the United States.
2. Have a question and answer session where students can ask the guest speaker questions about their experiences.
3. After the guest speaker leaves allow time to debrief and discuss what they learned.
NOTE: I would prefer to have one adult and one younger child come in as the guest speakers to give the perspective of someone in the past and today. It would also be ideal if they have come from different places. If additional people could come in beyond that it would be even better.
Day Three (One hour)
1. Invite second guest speaker to come in and tell their immigration story and experiences, focusing on why they decided or had to leave and come to the United States.
2. Have a question and answer session where students can ask the guest speaker questions about their experiences.
3. After the guest speaker leaves have time to debrief and discuss what they learned.
Closing
At the end of this part of the unit we will take some time to document what we have learned and look back at our original list of questions to see if we have answered any of them. I will give them another exit slip that asks them to pick a group of people and list some of the reasons they have/are immigrating to the United States.
Special Considerations and Accommodations:
· I made the interview assignment very open so that students could interview anyone they feel comfortable talking to. If they have trouble finding someone I could help put them in touch with someone in the school or local community. I will encourage them to interview family members if possible because it would make the assignment more meaningful for them.
· I wanted to choose guest speakers from different time periods and who came from different countries. This would give my students a variety of experiences and stories to listen to.
Assessment:
A lot of informal assessments will occur during our large group discussions and when I listen to their questions and responses while the guest speakers are in the classroom. I will use formal assessments by collecting their interview sheets and looking for completion and quality of work. I will also use the exit slips to see if they understand why different immigrant groups have/are immigrating to the United States and if I need to clarify anything for them.
· Standard 6: Connects School and Community: This lesson connects students with the larger community by inviting guest speakers to come in and talk about their experiences and immigration story. The students will also interview someone who has immigrated in order to understand why they decided to leave their country and come to the United States.
· Standard 12: Accommodates for All Students: The specific accommodations I have made for my students are listed throughout this document.
· Standard 13: Is a Reflective Practitioner: As an educator I am constantly reflecting on how my lessons are going as well as how my teaching affects my students. Not only would I reflect on this lesson afterwards, but I would also plan to make adjustments during the lesson as I saw it develop.
MMSD Standards
Behavioral Science
· Compare personal cultural history with other diverse cultures
· Give examples of valuable contributions to the United States made by many cultural, ethnic, and racial groups
· Give examples of the importance of multiple viewpoints for understanding people, events, and issues.
NCSS Standards
· Time, continuity, and change
· People, places, and environment
· Individual development and identity
Essential Questions
Overall:
· Why do people immigrate? (historically and today)
Specific:
· What are some of the reasons people left/leave their country of origin?
· Why did/do individuals want to immigrate to the United States?
Materials Needed:
· Interview sheets filled out by students
· Two guest speakers to share their immigration story and experiences
· Chart paper
· Markers
Objectives
· SWBAT describe reasons people have immigrated in the past and today.
· SWBAT conduct an interview with someone who has immigrated to the United States.
· SWBAT make connections between the experiences of immigrants in the past and today.
Lesson Context
In the previous lesson we talked about the historical trends in immigration by different population groups and assembled a timeline of events related to immigration. Students will be wondering why these things occurred and why so many individuals decide or have to leave their country and come to the United States. This lesson will explore some of the reasons that different population groups immigrate(d) to the United States both historically and today.
Lesson Opening
The lesson will cover 3 days (or more if you have additional guest speakers) and will begin by having students pull out their interview sheets I had them fill out as homework. They were given a week to find someone they know, either an adult or child, who has immigrated to the United States and ask them a few questions about their experience. They have recorded their answers on the sheet of paper I provided and have brought them to class to share with the group.
Procedures
Day One (30 minutes)
1. After students pull out their interview sheets we will gather together as a large group on the carpeted area of the room. They will bring their sheets with them.
2. The students will be given an opportunity to share the immigration stories they heard from the people they interviewed. We will document the reasons people decided/had to leave their country and come to the United States, and will categorize them by country/population group.
3. As we create our list we will start looking for trends and commonalities. If there are significant groups or reasons that weren’t covered I can add them to the list after everyone has had a chance to share.
Day Two (One hour)
1. Invite first guest speaker to come in and tell their immigration story and experiences, focusing on why they decided or had to leave and come to the United States.
2. Have a question and answer session where students can ask the guest speaker questions about their experiences.
3. After the guest speaker leaves allow time to debrief and discuss what they learned.
NOTE: I would prefer to have one adult and one younger child come in as the guest speakers to give the perspective of someone in the past and today. It would also be ideal if they have come from different places. If additional people could come in beyond that it would be even better.
Day Three (One hour)
1. Invite second guest speaker to come in and tell their immigration story and experiences, focusing on why they decided or had to leave and come to the United States.
2. Have a question and answer session where students can ask the guest speaker questions about their experiences.
3. After the guest speaker leaves have time to debrief and discuss what they learned.
Closing
At the end of this part of the unit we will take some time to document what we have learned and look back at our original list of questions to see if we have answered any of them. I will give them another exit slip that asks them to pick a group of people and list some of the reasons they have/are immigrating to the United States.
Special Considerations and Accommodations:
· I made the interview assignment very open so that students could interview anyone they feel comfortable talking to. If they have trouble finding someone I could help put them in touch with someone in the school or local community. I will encourage them to interview family members if possible because it would make the assignment more meaningful for them.
· I wanted to choose guest speakers from different time periods and who came from different countries. This would give my students a variety of experiences and stories to listen to.
Assessment:
A lot of informal assessments will occur during our large group discussions and when I listen to their questions and responses while the guest speakers are in the classroom. I will use formal assessments by collecting their interview sheets and looking for completion and quality of work. I will also use the exit slips to see if they understand why different immigrant groups have/are immigrating to the United States and if I need to clarify anything for them.
