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Gold Rush California and its Diverse Population
Students compare contemporary cultural differences with historical differences based on population percentage. In this cross-curriculum Gold Rush/math lesson plan, students analyze aspects of California's Gold Rush population and...
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Orville and Wilbur Wong and the Fantastic Flying Machines
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...
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Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Read an article about the migration of our ancestors and write a paragraph. Pupils paraphrase and summarize to restate the information found in a nonfiction text. They write a shortened version of the reading to demonstrate the...
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Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...
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When Art Conveys a Political Message
Twelfth graders learn art is an effective way to convey a political message. They learn how political messages are created to convey a message. They analyze a piece of artwork and then write a short paragraph from the point of view of...
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Life in a Big Urban City in the Gilded Age
While this presentation is not heavy in text it more than makes up for it with the telling images of life in New York at the turn of the century. Use as a supplemental lecture tool when covering immigration, tenements, Shirtwaist...
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1880s Agricultural Nation: Foods and Families on the Move
Students complete activities to learn about the agriculture during the 1880s. In this agricultural history lesson plan, students discuss the brainstorm questions about their neighborhood and its agricultural history. Students research to...
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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.
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The Interactive Read-Aloud
Students listen to a variety of books about immigration themes. They discuss immigration and some of the ideas presented in the books. They complete a variety of immigration-themed art projects.
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Middle-Class Women Provide Maternity Health Services for Immigrant Women
Young scholars examine how different groups gave health services to pregnant immigrant women. They analyze the class and ethnic tensions during this time period. They work together in groups to read articles and answer questions.
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Understanding Tenement Life
Learners look at life for immigrants in the 19th century. In this immigrant lesson, students discuss how the poor German, Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants lived in tenement housing. They research the reasons they came to America...
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Paying With Their Health
Students consider the plight of immigrant workers. In this undocumented immigrant lesson, students compare the worker of the Industrialization era to the undocumented immigrant workers of today. Students read and discuss literature about...
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Working Where The Sun Never Shines
Students analyze documents of miners and identify their working conditions. In this industrial revolution instructional activity students view documents and photographs of miners and discuss their conditions and what some possible...
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5th Grade Social Studies
In this social studies worksheet, 5th graders complete multiple choice questions about immigrants, World War II, the Civil War, prosperity, and more. Students complete 25 questions.
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Coming to America: U.S. Immigration
Students study immigration in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this immigration lesson plan, students participate in activities including creating maps, responding to non fiction text, memorizing and analyzing poetry, and...
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No Choice!
Students investigate freedom. In this character development and U.S. history lesson, students participate in role playing in which the teacher assigns recess restrictions including whom they play with and what they play. Students discuss...
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Immigration: An Introduction to a New Way of Life
Learners explore immigration in the United States during the early 20th century. Working in groups, they describe the meaning of immigration and identify the reasons why immigrants left their homes to come to the United States. Groups...
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Women Immigrants in the Promised Land
High schoolers examine the experience of female immigrants as they arrive in the United States. They create a timeline of women's rights in the U.S., write journal entries, conduct Internet research and read online excerpts from "The...
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Four Immigrant Groups: Their Lives and Music
Fourth graders examine the experiences of four immigrant groups. Class members brainstorm a list of misconceptions of those groups and discuss if these perceptions are still present today. Using maps, groups locate the countries of...
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"Children of Loneliness": Understanding the Immigrant Experience
Students research and enhance the Jewish immigrant experience to that of contemporary immigrants to sustain a connection to their personal family stories. A story is shared with the class and then a discussion follows on the possible...
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Finding Our Way Home: Immigration to the United States, 1815-1860
Students break into families of 4 members. They brainstorm issues that they would encounter as an immigrant family by creating a web. Students are given roles to research focusing on that perspective: father, mother, grandparent, and child.
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Contributions of Immigrants
Young scholars identify the contributions of immigrants to America. They analyze the value of these contributions as well. They discuss how these contributions affect other's personal perspectives of immigrants.
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Reluctant Immigrants
Students examine the reasons why people from Nigeria have immigrated to the United States. They read and describe a refugee's experience leaving her home country. They view a video clip as well.
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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.