Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
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Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
Discover the challenges in educating immigrant children at the turn of the 20th century. Reforms that New York City schools used are described here and data is included for your class to analyze, in its evaluation of the effectiveness of...
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Teaching Justice: Schooling and the Four Waves of U.S. Immigration
U.S. immigration is the focus of a unit on social justice. Over the course of a school year, young historians read a variety of texts to learn about four waves of immigration that have occurred over time in the U.S. An emphasis on...
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Immigration Debate
The 2010 immigration bill passed in Arizona provides class members with an opportunity to examine various perspectives of the immigration debate by watching news videos, reading interview, editorials, and viewing images. Discussion...
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Immigration in Spain
How many people immigrate to Spain illegally each year? Both the United States and Spain see a lot of illegal immigration. Advanced learners will read various articles, compare and contrast the situation in both countries, and discuss...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?
Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Educating Non-Citizens
High schoolers distinguish between the privileges of being a U.S. Citizen and privileges that are forfeited if not a U.S. Citizen. For this history lesson, students analyze the rights of people in a democratic society through research,...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating About Immigration The DREAM Act
Group members role play state legislators, supporters of and opponents to the The DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). After listening to the arguments put forth for and against the immigration legislation,...
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Immigration Reform: Understanding the Issue From Different Points of View
Students examine the topic of immigration reform. They conduct research on groups representing various viewpoints on immigration, write and perform a role-play, and write a persuasive essay or letter to a state senator on their views of...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: May Day for Immigration Debate
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons about the immigration debate. Students respond to 3 talking point questions.
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Immigration Debate
Students investigate the law recently passed in Arizona, "Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act." In this history lesson, students watch a video on immigration then work in small groups to prepare a debate on the pros...
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Contemporary Mexican and Puerto Rican Immigration
Students in an ESL classroom compare and contrast Puetro Rican and Mexican cultures. In groups, they research the reasons why people leave one country for another and how to obtain a visa. As a class, they brainstorm a list of the...
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Immigration Debate
Students examine statements made by immigrants about immigration. They use the internet to research the truthfulness of these statements. They practice their decision-making skills.
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Teaching Reading Comprehension through Social Studies Readings
Examine how immigrants have changed the environment of the United States. Individually, middle schoolers will take a pre- and post-test to assess their reading comprehension. In groups, they compare and contrast the religions of...
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Paragons of the West Indies Lesson Plan: Super-Immigrant Stereotypes
Students examine the demographic profile of Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the United States, their accomplishments, and the problems posed by "super-immigrant" stereotypes in daily life and public policy. They read a narrative and...
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My Name Is Osama
Students read a short story about a young Iraqi boy, which opens up classroom discussion about the difficulties some immigrant students face, especially in the days after September 11.
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How Often Do You Interact with People of Another Race or Ethnicity?
Is interacting with people from different backgrounds part of a well-rounded education? A big question awaits young readers as they explore two New York Times articles that discuss modern-day segregation, population statistics, and...
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Immigration To Wisconsin
Fourth graders see why people came to Wisconsin and what life was like in their new home. They engage in a wonderful series of lessons, which use a variety of multi-media resources. They plan a heritage day party as a culminating event.
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Getting Here from There
Students role-play early 20th century immigrants on their way to Indiana. They consider the methods of travel available to them and write a letter to a friend outlining their travel plans and adventures during the trip.
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History Lesson 10: Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?
Students consider the rights of illegal immigrants. In this illegal immigration lesson, students analyze the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe and determine whether illegal immigrants should have access to public benefits. Students...
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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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An Introduction to Immigration and the Canadian Political System
Twelfth graders take a citizenship test before learning how their own ideology fits in with current political parties. They create questions for a debate and learn the process of registering to vote.
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Ellis Island: Gateway To America
Fifth graders study the immigration station on Ellis Island. Through several activities, they see that immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island came to America from different countries, mostly those in Europe, for a variety of reasons.
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Open Door, Closed Door Lesson Plan: Discrimination in Immigration And Migration
Students read The Northern Migration and research immigration policies of different nations for the past and the present. They create a bulletin board or spreadsheet using their information.