Curated OER
Operation Immigration
Fifth graders create a digital scrapbook depicting the life and journey of an immigrant to the United States. Individuals will use the internet as a tool to research immigration in the U.S., and videos and guest speakers help students...
Curated OER
Turn of the Century Immigration
High schoolers explore the immigration wave that hit the United States in 19th century. In this immigration lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources to determine what the immigration experience was like for new citizens....
Curated OER
Classroom Unity Representing a Nation of Immigrants
Investigate national unity in a month-long lesson. After creating "I am from" poems, 5th graders will construct accordion flip books, listing and illustrating reasons for settlement. Choosing illustrations, essays, or Powerpoint...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“Every Day We Get More Illegal” by Juan Felipe Herrera
A study of Jan Felipe Herrera's poem "Every Day We Get More Illegal" opens the door for a discussion on immigration. To begin, class members examine the photograph "Desert Survival," record their observations of the image, and then...
Academy of American Poets
Incredible Bridges: “Translation for Mamá” by Richard Blanco
Who or what do you miss? That's the question that launches an activity that asks writers to craft a paragraph filled with sensory details that shows how they feel. Next, they listen to Richard Blanco reading his poem, "Translation for...
Curated OER
A New Life, A New Home
Fifth graders use photographs to tell the story of immigrants. They use the Internet to help them research immigration.
Curated OER
Holocaust Studies: Five Poems by Dan Pagis
Teaching a unit on the Holocaust? Consider using the personal statements of Dan Pagis’s poetry to contrast with the more “distanced” historical accounts found in textbooks. Five poems, discussion questions, and background notes are...
Curated OER
Understanding Immigration Through the Use of Triante Poetry
Third graders read a book about emigrating to America. They create and illustrate a triante poem using sensory words, depicting something they liked about the story.
Curated OER
Immigrant Photo Analysis
Students examine photographs taken of immigrants during late 1800s and early 1990s in America, and identify factors involved in immigration through examination of primary documents that include statistics, trends, graphs, photographs,...
Curated OER
The American Dream Poetry
Young scholars analyze how poetry can reveal themes of 'The American Dream.' In this poetry themes lesson, students discuss the elements of poetry and define imagery. Young scholars read 'Lost Sister' by Cathy Song and complete a related...
Curated OER
1900 America: Historical Voices, Poetic Visions
Learners examine the United States at the turn of the century. Using primary source documents, they interpret them within a specific historical context. Using this information, they write a poem with metaphors and a specific meter They...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“The Great Migration” by Minnie Bruce Pratt
Minnie Bruce Pratt's poem, "The Great Migration," offers young scholars an opportunity to reflect on how where we come from influences who we are. Groups conduct a close reading of the poem, recording observations about the poem's...
K20 LEARN
The New Colossus: Determining Author's Perspective
Introduce young scholars to the concept of the author's perspective with a lesson that uses Emma Lazarus's poem, "The New Colossus," as the anchor text. Groups use a T-chart to identify words that reveal the author's point of view of The...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Significance of the Novel’s Title: Connecting the Universal Refugee Experience to Inside Out and Back Again, Part 2
How does poetry help people better understand societal issues? Pupils participate in a jigsaw activity to analyze poems from the novel Inside Out & Back Again. Next, they connect the poems to real-life refugee experiences from the...
K20 LEARN
Whose Manifest Destiny? Westward Expansion
Your land is my land! Young historians investigate the concept of Manifest Destiny used by the United States government to justify western expansion. Jigsaw groups read primary source documents to gain an understanding of the movement...
Smithsonian Institution
A Dream Deferred: DACA
"Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" has even more meaning for some children. The resource explores the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Scholars analyze primary sources and participate in group...
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Culminating Writing Project - Reporting on Angel Island
The unit study of Angel Island Immigration Station concludes with scholars using information from the previous lessons to craft a news story about the Angel Island program.
Annenberg Foundation
Utopian Promise
Scholars learn all about the Puritans in the third installment of a 16-part lesson series. After watching a video, they read and discuss biographies of Puritans and Quakers from American history, write journal entries and poetry, and...
Curated OER
You Have to Live in Somebody Else's Country to Understand
Students reflect on emotions commonly expressed by outsiders. They identify feelings of people who have just arrived in America. They read and analyze a poem about immigration.
Curated OER
If I Had Been at Ellis Island
Students examine what it was like to enter the U.S. as an immigrant. They conduct Internet research, develop a concept map, list the ways children occupied their time while at Ellis Island, and create a diorama.
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
Journeys...The Voices of Change
Students trace the immigration patterns of their ancestors. They plot information on a world map, develop a timeline of target immigration patterns, research and write a report on immigration and participate in a class play.
Curated OER
Immigration; The New Colossus
Seventh graders explore The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. In this The New Colossus lesson, 7th graders read the poem and analyze its meaning. Students discuss what the poem means about American culture and why it was engraved on the...
Curated OER
Power Poetry
Students use poetic devices to discuss political issues. In this cultural diversity lesson, students listen to the president's State of the Union address and write poetic pieces that express their opinions about issues the president...