Students watch a video interview with a Ugandan immigrant who has succeeded as a personal trainer in the United States. Then, they explore current facts and issues concerning immigration. Next, they study illegal immigration and explain the issues it raises. Finally, they project demographic changes for the future in the United States.
Students are introduced to the idea of the United States as a cultural mosaic connected to the motto “E pluribus unum” and read an overview of how immigration has shaped the nation. They skim The Most Inspiring Immigration Stories Of 2019 to see how several immigrants have built new lives in the United States, then post to a collaborative wall explaining how immigration has benefited the people profiled, how it has benefited the United States, and how these stories reflect the motto “E pluribus unum.”
Teacher MovesReview the lesson objectives and invite immigrant or second-generation students to share personal experiences if they are comfortable. After students post to the wall, briefly discuss their responses to highlight the personal side of immigration before transitioning to more statistical and issue-focused content in later scenes.
Students examine a chart and graph about regions of origin and languages spoken by immigrants, then answer two multiple-choice questions to interpret the data and draw inferences about the size and composition of the immigrant population. They read 5 Facts about Illegal Immigration in the U.S. to build an evidence-based understanding of unauthorized immigration and complete a graphic organizer by adding a supporting detail for each fact. Finally, they identify what they see as the most important cause and effect of unauthorized immigration and record these in a shared two-column table labeled “Causes” and “Effects.”
Teacher MovesHave students review the shared table and discuss which causes and effects they agree with and which they consider most important. Use the discussion to connect immigration to current events, encouraging students to follow news about immigration policy and share updates with the class. As an extension, direct students to read selected paragraphs from More Mexicans Leaving than Coming to the U.S. to deepen their understanding of recent shifts in migration patterns.
Students read The 7 Biggest Challenges Facing Refugees and Immigrants in the U.S. to learn about common difficulties immigrants face and the “How Do Americans View Immigrants and Immigration?” section of Key Findings about U.S. Immigrants to explore public perceptions. Using a graphic organizer, they record specific details for each listed challenge (such as English, children, work, housing, services, transportation, cultural barriers, and prejudice). Then, imagining themselves as low-income, low-education citizens of another country, they post a detailed response to a collaborative wall explaining whether they would choose to immigrate to the United States and why, and respond to at least two classmates with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesLead a discussion based on students’ posts and replies, drawing out their reasoning about the benefits and challenges of immigrating to the United States. Point students to the U.S. government’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website as a resource for real-world immigration and citizenship information, and, as appropriate, suggest U.S. Immigration: DACA and Dreamers Explained for background on current debates about unauthorized immigrants who arrived as children.
Students read 10 Demographic Trends that Are Shaping the U.S. and the World to examine major demographic shifts, their causes, and their effects, including changes in the U.S. Hispanic population and refugee flows. Acting as magazine columnists, they write a paragraph predicting what life in the United States will be like in ten years, identifying at least two demographic changes and their likely effects with descriptive details. They then review classmates’ posts and respond to at least two with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesAs time permits, facilitate a discussion about how projected demographic changes might shape students’ adult lives, encouraging them to connect their predictions to evidence from the reading and to their own communities.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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