Should refugees fleeing poverty be allowed the same entrance into the United States as those fleeing persecution? High schoolers read about US foreign policy in the late 20th century regarding refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and engage in discussion to reflect their opinions about refugee status and legislation.

Concepts

refugees, cuba, haiti, immigration, united states immigration, united states foreign policy, fidel castro, the caribbean islands, george h. w. bush, bill clinton

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Host a formal debate for learners to argue their position on one of the discussion questions
• Create a Socratic seminar or fishbowl discussion in which one group participates in the role-play activity, and the other observes the discussion

Classroom Considerations

• Follow the notes section on the first page for instruction considerations
• Take care to establish a respectful atmosphere for discussion, as the topic of immigration may connect directly to the lives of class members; use the attached teacher resource for discussing controversial topics
• Resource was published in 2003, so facts and information reflect that time period

Pros

• Topics are relevant in discussions about current issues and foreign policy
• Provides a reference map of the Caribbean Islands

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.9-10.1 RI.11-12.1 SL.9-10.1.a SL.11-12.1.a