Immigration
  Social Studies Curriculum Unit

Immigration

Unit Essential Question: “How has immigration changed the United States?”

 

Grade Level: 4/5                                                                    Subject Area: Social Studies

Time Needed: 50 minutes                                                      Topic:  Immigration

Lesson Essential Question: “Who is able to become a citizen of the U.S.?”

 

NCSS Standards:

  • Power, Authority, and Governance
 

MMSD Standards:

  • Participate in different groups and assume different roles in the classroom and at school.
  • Compare and contrast individual perspectives and differences.
 

UW Teaching Standards:

  • Standard 3: Demonstrates Sophisticated Curricular Knowledge
  • Standard 10: Employs Varied Instructional Strategies
  • Standard 11: Uses Technologies
 

Materials Needed:

  • Chart paper
  • Marker
  • Envelopes with steps in the naturalization process, enough for each group
  • Worksheets for each student
  • Computer for USCIS website
 

Objectives:

  • Students will understand the requirements that people must fulfill before becoming citizens of the United States.
  • Students will be able to recognize and appreciate the commitment that people have to becoming U.S. citizens.
  • Students will be able to identify some of the biases inherent in the Civics and English tests.
 

Lesson Context:

Yesterday, students discussed the rights and responsibilities that American citizens have.  Today, they will be keeping this knowledge in mind as they analyze how difficult it is for those who are not American by birth to get these rights and responsibilities. 

 

Lesson Opening:

Yesterday, we talked a little bit about the types of things a person would have to do to become a United States citizen.  Take about a minute or so to write down some of the things you remember, and then we will share as a class

o   Allow students to share their responses.

 

Procedure:

  • Today, we are going to sort these responses into chronological order.  That means we are going to decide which of these events must happen first, then second, and so on.  I am going to divide you into groups of four.  Each group will receive one envelope that will have all these events listed on separate slips of paper.  Your job is to organize them, as a group, in chronological order; you need to decide which event should come first, second, third, until all events are in order.  So, when you are working in your groups, what are you going to do?
    • How are you going to work together?
    • If you have a question, who are you going to ask?
    • When your group is done, raise your hands and I will come and give you a sheet to record the order that you’ve decided on.  When all the groups are finished, we will gather together as a class to discuss the order that the different groups decided on.
  • [Allow group work time.]  When students are finished, call the class back together.
    • Choose a group – “What did you put first?  Why?  Does anyone else have a different answer?” 
    • Write correct order on chart paper; have students write down on their own sheet
  • If extra time: go to USCIS website and do a short exploration of the English and Civics tests that people have to take. 
    • Civics questions:
      • Is this important information to know?  Why or why not?
      • Why might this information be included on this test?
      • Is this fair?  Do you think most citizens by birth know this information?
      • Do you think people should have to know this information to be citizens?  Why or why not?
    • English questions:
      • What types of words are on this test?
      • Do you think these words reflect the English you use in your daily life?  Why or why not?
      • What words should be on here that you use?
      • What words would you take off this list?  Why?
 

Lesson Closing:

Today, we discussed the process that immigrants must take to become citizens of the United States.  Let’s read these out loud.  I’m going to lead, and then you will all repeat after me.  Does this process seem like it would be easy?  Why?  Let’s see how many years it might take someone to become a citizen.  (Do a rough estimate.)  So, we can see that this is a long process and it takes commitment – that means that people have to decide they want to become a citizen and stick to that decision.  What parts of this process show that a person is making a commitment?

 

Assessment:

  • Student participation in whole-class discussion
  • Student participation in small-group organization of events
  • Student’s completed worksheet
Special Considerations:

  • Teacher will choose the groups and limit the number of group members to four in order to maximize the participation of everyone in the group in Social Studies work.
  • Teacher will monitor groups to get an understanding of where they are in the process.  If one group is particularly behind, allow them to share their answers first when the whole-class share happens, rather than having all the other groups wait.