Course: Primary Source: Through a Different Lens: Immigration and
Migration in U.S. History
A Nation of Immigrants
Kristen A. Eschmann
Estelle Chaput
Stoklosa Middle School, Lowell, MA
5th/6th grade ELL
February 27, 2009
Introduction:
Both of us teach Social Studies to students who are new to the country, who
are learning English and are special education students. Since our students
are all immigrants themselves, as teachers, we feel a unit on immigration is
necessary to teach. Each one of our own students has a story to tell and we
feel by our students learning about past immigration, they too can see that
they have a role in the every changing society of what constitutes America
today.
Theme:
Immigration has played and continues to play an integral role in shaping
American society and culture. Our unit is going to explore immigration and
look at such questions as:
 What is an Immigrant?
 What is an American?
 Where do “Americans” come from?
Objectives:
 To identify experiences common to all immigrant groups
 Explain the relationship between immigration and the shaping of
America
 Describe their own experiences of being an immigrant
Day One:
Objectives:
* Students will understand what an immigrant is.
* Students will examine the population of their own school.
Students will each get a piece of a cut out vegetable (all in different colors)
with the following statistics on them:
Cambodian-45%
Laotian-2%
Vietnamese-3%
Puerto Rican-17%
Brazilian-5%
Dominican-3%
United States-20%
Each student will then come up to the front of the classroom with their
vegetable. They will read what is written on it out loud to the class, locate
the country on the large map (located in front of the room) by placing a
sticker on the country.
Afterwards, students will be asked to work with a partner to describe what
they see in front of them? What do the vegetables mean? What do these
statistics mean?
Then students will read their responses out loud and as a class we will have a
discussion about how these are the statistics that make-up of our school
body at "The Stoklosa Middle School." This will then lead into the discussion
that just like the Stoklosa Middle School as well as Lowell, the United
States is a country made up of people who come from other countries—just
like a mixed salad. At this time we will introduce key vocabulary words such
as an immigrant. (See Attachment)
Next, students will get up and walk to a picture that is posted on the wall.
(Pictures will be posted throughout the classroom) (Please see pictures
attachments) The students will be told that these are all immigrants that
came to the United States at one time. Underneath the picture, students
have to write, what the immigrant is doing and where do they think the
immigrant comes from. The students will rotate clockwise around the room
responding to each picture. After completing all the pictures, students will
each pull one picture off the wall and this will be their picture that they will
be responsible for. Each student will read the responses out loud to the
class. The teacher will then tell the true background and story of the
picture. (The map will also be used as a reference)
Together the class will create a class list of the different kinds of jobs
immigrants have had in the past and currently still might have. At this time,
we will ask what their parents did for work in their country versus what they
do currently do in the United States.
For homework, students have to create a list of why people immigrated to
the United States.
Day II
Objectives:

To understand the experiences of immigrants

To understand the time-line of immigration
We will review the term immigrant and the various types of jobs
immigrants had or currently still have. As a class, we will see if we can
add anymore to the list.
Next, students will share their homework in small groups of four. Each
group has to make a poster on a piece of chart paper listing the reasons
why they believe immigrants come to the United States and then share it
with the class. All of these posters will be displayed in the classroom.
Next, Students will be given a time-line of immigration (please see
attachment) and we will review it as a class. We will refer back to each
picture that was used in yesterday’s lesson from the specific periods.
This will be used as a reference not as something for students to
memorize.
Day III.
Objectives:

Students will compare and contrast life in the United States versus
life in their homeland
Students will be given a Venn diagram to compare life in the United States
versus life in their homeland. They will be doing this individually. After
completion, they will be given a partner to orally explain the differences
between the two. Next, they will have to present their partners experience.
Extension Activity:
Students will fill out the following questions about their immigrant
experience. (Please see attachments)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Name
Age and Year of Birth
Place of Birth
Why did you leave your country?
How did you feel when you left your country?
Did you have to leave anything behind that you wanted to bring with
you?
7. Did you leave family members behind?
8. Do you remember anything special about the trip itself?
9. Where did you arrive in the United States? What were your feelings
when you arrived?
10. What do you remember about your first days in the United States?
11. Did you have anyone who helped you when you came here?
12. Who was your first American friend? How did this person become
your friend?
13. What problems did you have that were caused by language
differences?
14. In what ways is the United States similar to or different from why
you expected?
15. How is school different in the United States
16. What do you miss most about your homeland?
17. What do you do to maintain the culture and customs of your
homeland?
Upon completion, students will write an essay based on the information from
these questions and then make an oral presentation to the class.
Vocabulary
Immigrate- to leave one’s country to live in another country, usually
permanently.
Emigrate- to leave one’s home to live elsewhere, sometimes temporarily.
Refugee- a person who flees his/her country to escape war, danger or
persecution.
Melting Pot-immigrants to America take on the American culture (become
Americanized).
Assimilate- to become like Americans.
Migrant- a person who moves from one place to another within the country.
Exclusion - to not be allowed to enter the country.
Quotas - limits the number of immigrants from certain countries
Reasons for Immigration
Pre 1840 – Immigrants were from Northern Europe. They came from places
like England, Scotland, Holland, Sweden and Germany and were mostly
Protestant. They came for religious freedom, because farmland had become
scarce in Europe, and because there were more jobs in America. They
became farmers in America and were able to buy land.
1840-1850’s- Irish Catholic immigrants came to America in huge numbers
because of the potato famine, which had left many people starving. There
were few jobs and little land left that could be farmed. They were poor and
had to take jobs that were dangerous or that Americans did not want. They
became servants, factory workers, dug canals, built railroads, etc. Children
also had to work
1880-1924- European immigrants came from places like Italy, Greece, Russia
and Poland. These people were very poor. There was not enough land in
their old countries, they had little food, few jobs, and some faced religious
persecution. They came for religious freedom and better jobs. They
settled mostly on the East coast. They were not treated well and had to
work very hard for little pay. Their children often had to work in order for
the families to survive. 25 million immigrant s arrive in 44 years.
Asian immigrants from China settled on the West coast following the
discovery of gold in California. They were allowed to come temporarily to
help build railroads. Men usually came alone. They did not bring their
families with them at first. They were expected to return to their countries
and were not treated well.
20th Century immigrants come from all over the world. They come for jobs,
to escape war, and because they did not like the political systems in their
own countries. Refugees came in large numbers from Europe after World
War I and II and from Southeast Asia following the war in Vietnam. Today
many immigrants come from Mexico, South and Central America, the
Caribbean, Africa and Eastern Europe. Like the immigrants before them,
they come for jobs, political stability and the opportunity for a better life.
Immigration Timeline
1845: Potato Famine in Ireland
1849: California Gold Rush
1860-1914: Religious persecution and economic conditions in Poland cause 2
million to immigrate
1862: Homestead Act opens new land for settlement
1880: Italian crop failure and poor economy begins immigration of 4 million
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act
1882-1902 Russian persecution of Jews results in immigration of 3 million
1889: Oklahoma Territory opened for settlement
1892: Ellis Island Opens
1900: Congress gives American citizenship to Cubans and Puerto Ricans,
many migrate freely to mainland
1924: Immigration Act restricts immigration, quotas for certain
nationalities
1948: US admits 205,000 refugees fleeing political persecution
1953: 200,000 more WWII refugees admitted
1959: Cuban revolution results in large influx of political refugees
1965: Immigration Act of 1965 overturns national origin quotas
1986: Immigration Reform & Control Act gives amnesty to illegal immigrants
who entered before 1982
2001: Patriot Act greatly restricts immigration following September 11th
Bibliography
Web Resources:
Citizenship Illustration
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/immigration/mortat.jpg
Photographs:
Irish women planting potatoes in Ireland.
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/immigration/irish -potato-farmer.
Irish immigrant building tunnel.
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/immigration/boston-worker.jpg
Cambodian immigrant farmer.
http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/images/farmer/mrkimcilantro.jpg
Greek immigrant family posing for passport picture 1948 collection of
Estelle Chaput
Children’s Book:
Freeman, Russell (1992). Immigrant Kids. New York, NY Scholastic Inc.
1992
p. 3 Two immigrant kids (photo by Augustus F. Sherman)
p. 5 Steerage deck of the immigrant liner S.S> Pennland, 1893 (photo by
Byron)
p. 36 Night school ( photo by Jacob Riis)
p. 67 An immigrant couple who came to America in 1899 celebrate their
fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1931