Resource List
Below you will find a list of books and websites that deal with the topic of immigration
Books for Adults and Educators
Con Respeto: Bridging the Gap Between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools by Guadalupe Valdés
This book describes a study that looked at the educational experiences of ten Mexican immigrant children and their parents. It took place in Las Fuentes, a United States community located in a narrow river valley close to the Mexican border. As a whole, Valdés found that the children did not have positive experiences when trying to fit into American schools and that for them and the teachers, the school context presented many challenges. Teachers tried their best and appeared to fail, children brought with them skills learned at home and found them inappropriate, and parents felt helpless, confused, and angry.
The Inner World of the Immigrant Child by Cristina Igoa
This book tells the story of one teacher's mission to understand the inner world of immigrant children and to create a learning environment that is responsive to their feelings and needs. She includes the voices and artwork of her students to portray the immigrant experience of uprooting, culture shock, and adjustment to a new world. She also describes some cultural, academic, and psychological interventions that facilitate learning as immigrant students make the transition to a new language and culture.
Kids Like Me: Voices of the Immigrant Experience by Judith M. Blohm & Terri Lapinsky
The first part of this book documents 26 personal stories from immigrants (young and old) regarding their experiences coming from countries all around the world. The second half of the book includes list of resources and activities for teachers to include in their classrooms.
This book describes a study that looked at the educational experiences of ten Mexican immigrant children and their parents. It took place in Las Fuentes, a United States community located in a narrow river valley close to the Mexican border. As a whole, Valdés found that the children did not have positive experiences when trying to fit into American schools and that for them and the teachers, the school context presented many challenges. Teachers tried their best and appeared to fail, children brought with them skills learned at home and found them inappropriate, and parents felt helpless, confused, and angry.
The Inner World of the Immigrant Child by Cristina Igoa
This book tells the story of one teacher's mission to understand the inner world of immigrant children and to create a learning environment that is responsive to their feelings and needs. She includes the voices and artwork of her students to portray the immigrant experience of uprooting, culture shock, and adjustment to a new world. She also describes some cultural, academic, and psychological interventions that facilitate learning as immigrant students make the transition to a new language and culture.
Kids Like Me: Voices of the Immigrant Experience by Judith M. Blohm & Terri Lapinsky
The first part of this book documents 26 personal stories from immigrants (young and old) regarding their experiences coming from countries all around the world. The second half of the book includes list of resources and activities for teachers to include in their classrooms.
Books for Children
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This book is about one man’s immigration experience to a new city. He must leave his family behind, travel by boat, pass through immigration, and try to find a home, work, and friends in an unfamiliar place. The book has no words and instead uses powerful images to express the struggles of immigrants as they try to comprehend a place that is foreign to them.
Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro
This book provides an introductory history of immigration from thousands of years ago through the present, focusing on why different groups of people have come to United States and how they became a part of our national heritage. The author includes different perspectives in the text including the harsh treatment of Native Americans and the forced immigration of Africans. She also touches on some of the laws that the United States has adopted to control immigration.
Hannah's Journal by Marissa Moss
Hannah's Journal depicts the fictional account of Hannah, a 10-year-old girl, and her journey to America through Ellis Island. It is presented in journal form and is filled with photos, maps, postcards, illustrations, and and definitions.
I Was Dreaming to Come to America selected and illustrated by Veronica Lawlor
Informal interviews are accompanied by watercolor and collage illustrations in this book, which was created for the Ellis Island Oral History Project. The introduction to the book provides some background information about the project and a brief history of Ellis Island. There are also some short biographies of the individuals interviewed at the very end.
In the Small, Small Night by Jane Kirtz
Abena and Kofi have just moved to America from Ghana. Frightened by the unknown, neither of them are able to sleep on their first night until Abena finds a way to make them both feel a little more at home by telling him folktales from their native home.
Landed by Milly Lee
This book tells the story of Lee Sun Chor, the son of a merchant immigrating from China to San Francisco during the years of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The story recounts the actual experiences of the author's father-in-law and his journey to America.
Mama and Papa Own a Store by Amelia Lau Carling
The youngest child of a Chinese immigrant family in Guatemala City describes a typical day in her parents' store. She gives interesting insight to the different cultures that come together in this story.
My Father's Boat by Sherry Garland
This book is about a father and son who are Vietnamese Americans--the father an immigrant, the son born here. The two head out into the Gulf of Mexico on the father's shrimp boat. During their trip the son listens to his father tell stories of his own father, a shrimp fisherman on the South China Sea, and of the war that separated them. Both father and son look forward to a time when they might all fish together: grandfather, father, and son.
My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits
Yoon is a young girl whose family has just immigrated to the United States from Korea. Yoon's name means Shining Wisdom in Korean, and when she writes it in her native language it looks happy, like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. She isn't sure that she wants to be Yoon anymore and at her new school, she tries out different names. By the end, however, she comes to accept both her English name and her new American self, recognizing that however it is written, she is still Yoon.
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
On the way to her first day of school Unhei, a recent immigrant from Korea, is teased by the children on the bus for her Korean name. When she reaches her classroom and is asked her name, she tells her classmates that she has not yet decided on one. To be helpful the children put their suggestions into a "name jar". Eventually the girl decides to keep her own name as one of her classmates takes pride in the new Korean nickname he has chosen, Chinku, meaning "friend".
This book is about one man’s immigration experience to a new city. He must leave his family behind, travel by boat, pass through immigration, and try to find a home, work, and friends in an unfamiliar place. The book has no words and instead uses powerful images to express the struggles of immigrants as they try to comprehend a place that is foreign to them.
Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro
This book provides an introductory history of immigration from thousands of years ago through the present, focusing on why different groups of people have come to United States and how they became a part of our national heritage. The author includes different perspectives in the text including the harsh treatment of Native Americans and the forced immigration of Africans. She also touches on some of the laws that the United States has adopted to control immigration.
Hannah's Journal by Marissa Moss
Hannah's Journal depicts the fictional account of Hannah, a 10-year-old girl, and her journey to America through Ellis Island. It is presented in journal form and is filled with photos, maps, postcards, illustrations, and and definitions.
I Was Dreaming to Come to America selected and illustrated by Veronica Lawlor
Informal interviews are accompanied by watercolor and collage illustrations in this book, which was created for the Ellis Island Oral History Project. The introduction to the book provides some background information about the project and a brief history of Ellis Island. There are also some short biographies of the individuals interviewed at the very end.
In the Small, Small Night by Jane Kirtz
Abena and Kofi have just moved to America from Ghana. Frightened by the unknown, neither of them are able to sleep on their first night until Abena finds a way to make them both feel a little more at home by telling him folktales from their native home.
Landed by Milly Lee
This book tells the story of Lee Sun Chor, the son of a merchant immigrating from China to San Francisco during the years of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The story recounts the actual experiences of the author's father-in-law and his journey to America.
Mama and Papa Own a Store by Amelia Lau Carling
The youngest child of a Chinese immigrant family in Guatemala City describes a typical day in her parents' store. She gives interesting insight to the different cultures that come together in this story.
My Father's Boat by Sherry Garland
This book is about a father and son who are Vietnamese Americans--the father an immigrant, the son born here. The two head out into the Gulf of Mexico on the father's shrimp boat. During their trip the son listens to his father tell stories of his own father, a shrimp fisherman on the South China Sea, and of the war that separated them. Both father and son look forward to a time when they might all fish together: grandfather, father, and son.
My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits
Yoon is a young girl whose family has just immigrated to the United States from Korea. Yoon's name means Shining Wisdom in Korean, and when she writes it in her native language it looks happy, like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. She isn't sure that she wants to be Yoon anymore and at her new school, she tries out different names. By the end, however, she comes to accept both her English name and her new American self, recognizing that however it is written, she is still Yoon.
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
On the way to her first day of school Unhei, a recent immigrant from Korea, is teased by the children on the bus for her Korean name. When she reaches her classroom and is asked her name, she tells her classmates that she has not yet decided on one. To be helpful the children put their suggestions into a "name jar". Eventually the girl decides to keep her own name as one of her classmates takes pride in the new Korean nickname he has chosen, Chinku, meaning "friend".
Websites About Immigration
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
http://www.aiisf.org/
Viewers can learn about Angel Island on this website, which was the west coast port of entry for many immigrants. It provides history behind the immigrant station, a learning center with curriculum guide, book recommendations, and other links relevant to the subject.
New York Times: Immigration and Emigration
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration-and-emigration/index.html
This New York Times website contains a variety of immigration resources including current events and interactive maps and graphs.
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
http://www.ellisisland.org/
This website allows people to learn about Ellis Island history, take the Ellis Island citizenship test, page through photo albums, hear immigrant stories, and search for passengers.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis
This government website provides up-to-date information about becoming a United States citizen. Resources for the classroom include the naturalization test in multiple languages, flash cards for studying, and civics information for teacher planning.
http://www.aiisf.org/
Viewers can learn about Angel Island on this website, which was the west coast port of entry for many immigrants. It provides history behind the immigrant station, a learning center with curriculum guide, book recommendations, and other links relevant to the subject.
New York Times: Immigration and Emigration
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration-and-emigration/index.html
This New York Times website contains a variety of immigration resources including current events and interactive maps and graphs.
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
http://www.ellisisland.org/
This website allows people to learn about Ellis Island history, take the Ellis Island citizenship test, page through photo albums, hear immigrant stories, and search for passengers.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis
This government website provides up-to-date information about becoming a United States citizen. Resources for the classroom include the naturalization test in multiple languages, flash cards for studying, and civics information for teacher planning.
Miscellaneous Websites
RubiStar
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/
This website allows you to create free rubrics for classroom use. You can either choose from a variety of pre-designed categories or create your very own.
Wordle
http://www.wordle.net/
This website can be used to create free word clouds out of text that you provide. Words that appear more often in the text are given prominence in the cloud, and you can change the font, layout, and color scheme before saving or printing it.
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/
This website allows you to create free rubrics for classroom use. You can either choose from a variety of pre-designed categories or create your very own.
Wordle
http://www.wordle.net/
This website can be used to create free word clouds out of text that you provide. Words that appear more often in the text are given prominence in the cloud, and you can change the font, layout, and color scheme before saving or printing it.
