Curated OER
A Personal Narrative on the Immigration Experience
The students create a personal narrative on their experiences with immigration. In this lesson, students are asked to read and understand examples of narrative writing as well as evaluate lyrics from Ben Folds Five to determine elements...
Curated OER
Understand the Push Pull Theory of Immigration
Students examine the Push Pull Theory of immigration. In this lesson on immigration, students explore primary sources to discover several reasons why people migrate. They will then present skits to share this information. Finally each...
Curated OER
Immigration Vocabulary
Eighth graders review immigration vocabulary. In this immigration instructional activity, 8th graders review vocabulary words using a SMART Board file and then take a quiz on the vocabulary words related to 19th century American...
NPR
Exploring the American Dream
What is the American Dream? When did this term first gain popularity? Intermediate and advanced English language learners discuss the idea of the American Dream and conduct out-of-class interviews with those who immigrated to the US. On...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Willa Cather's My Ántonia
Willa Cather's My Antonia might seem like a hard sell for today's teen readers. Rather than dramatic plot twists, trysts, and terrors, the novel celebrates the pioneer spirit that lead immigrants to a small Nebraska town. The Signet...
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
How Do Pictures Tell the Story of Angel Island?
Young historians learn more about the history of Angel Island Immigration Station through their analysis of primary source images. Guided by a list of inferential questions, scholars learn how to make and record observations on a...
Annenberg Foundation
Masculine Heroes
What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...
Curated OER
Understanding the 1855 Census Database
Use data from the 1855 New York census to better understand the Irish immigrant experience during the late 19th century. Young historians analyze information from the census and build three hypotheses regarding the residents of the Five...
Curated OER
Constitution/Impeachment/Reconstruction
Eleventh graders analyze a chart comparing U.S. census data from 1850, 1880, 1900, and 1920. They read a handout summarizing immigration legislation from 1882-1996 and create a graph charting how open / closed U.S. immigration is over time.
Curated OER
Early 19c Industrialization in America: The Market Revolution
Posing a question about the effects of American Industrialization, this presentation provides viewers with a comprehensive look at the 19th century. From the "Lowell Girls" to the Iron Horse, these slides would be an excellent supplement...
Curated OER
Examine the History of U.S. Immigration
Students investigate the history of immigration in the U.S. and the current debate over illegal immigration. In small groups, they conduct Internet research on an assigned time period, analyze political cartoons, and discuss themes in...
Curated OER
Immigration For Grades K-2
Learners engage in a lesson about the concept of immigration. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create context for class discussion or a class presentation topic. They also read...
Curated OER
Indentured Servitude and Immigration
Students examine indentured servitude. In this Teaching Tolerance lesson, students compare indentured servitude of colonial America to the undocumented immigration of today. Students write reflections regarding how they feel about...
Curated OER
The Land of Immigrants
Students access information and data about US immigration using the Internet and other sources. They identify from research data the countries from which the largest number of immigrants to the US come from and create a database of these...
Curated OER
Irish-Americans: Work and Song
Students explore Irish-American culture. In this immigration lesson, students watch video segments regarding immigration in the 1840's and 1850's. Students discuss the discrimination Irish-Americans faced as they listen to songs and...
Curated OER
Is Coming to the United States of America Good for the Immigrant?
Student discuss whether coming to the United States was good for certain groups of immigrants. Using the internet, they examine settlement patterns for immigrants over a period of time. In groups, they role play the role of a family...
Curated OER
Ellis Island/Immigration Scrapbook
Eighth graders explore the Ellis Island immigration processing station. In this immigration lesson, 8th graders research Ellis Island using the selected websites and create scrapbooks that contain pictures, clippings, and scraps that...
Curated OER
Genealogy Research
Students explore history is not as a listing of dates, wars, and leaders but as the story of real people whose lives were impacted by the events of their time. They complete a pedigree chart and tape record a family member.
Facing History and Ourselves
Many Voices, One National Identity
To conclude the unit on "Exploring Identity in the United States," pupils consider whether it is possible to combine many voices into one national identity. After creating an identity chart that lists words, phrases, and images that they...
Theodore Roosevelt Association
Interpreting the Past; Assessing Its Impact on the Present
Even though the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt ended over 100 years ago, we can still learn something from his stances and policies that is applicable today. Class members first look over a list of prevalent political issues from the...
Curated OER
Becoming American: Between Two Worlds
Learners examine American identity. In this immigration lesson, students explore the plight of Chinese Americans in their attempts to assimilate into the American culture while keeping their Chinese identities.
Curated OER
Coming to America
Students interview a person who has immigrated to America and, based on that interview, to write an article about the person.
Curated OER
Pilgrim Immigration Lesson Plans: Then and Now
Pilgrim immigration lesson plans offer more than a study of these early settlers. It gives students an insight into modern immigration.
Curated OER
The Embodied Presidency
Tenth graders compare and contrast the immigration reform policies of Presidents Reagan and Bush. In this immigration instructional activity, 10th graders examine primary documents related to each president's policy for immigration...