Constitutional Rights Foundation
Unauthorized Immigration and the US Economy
As part of a study of immigration and the U.S. economy, class members assume the role of newspaper editors to determine which submitted letters to print on their paper's editorial page to present a balanced view of the debate.
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Baltimoreans in the California Gold Rush
Eleventh graders explore the reasons for migration to California during the Gold Rush. In this American History lesson, 11th graders read letters about the opportunities and obstacles people faced. Students create a map of migration...
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America Grows - Trailblazers Pave the Way
Young scholars study the time period after the Revolutionary War when people were striving to move away from the coastal areas and look for pathways to the west. Westerward expansion is a central theme and students use a variety of...
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Coming To America
Students investigate the history of America with the help of children's literature. The story is structured as a timeline that begins at the time of Columbus and progresses to the present. The teacher reads the story with the class and...
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The Homefront: America and WWII
Young scholars are introduced to the experiences of various groups of Americans at home during WWII, highlighting race, gender, and ethnicity. They improve their ability to analyze and interpret historical documents and images.
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Pre-Columbian Civilizations in the Americas
Before you begin a unit on Christopher Columbus and the European explorers, take your class through the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan Civilizations in this vivid and interesting presentation. With photographs of golden artifacts and ancient...
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A Place for the Birds
Students reflect on bird migrations and develop a project to collect data on bird species from across North America to further investigate the ranges and migrations of common birds. They create a field guide of North American birds.
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Trails of Understanding: The Earliest Immigrants
Students research Native American tribes. In this human migration lesson plan, students determine how tribes lived and established cultures. Students create PowerPoint presentations that feature their findings.
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America's Stone Age Explorers
Students watch a Nova program examining the earliest in habitants of the Americas. In groups. they take notes on various topics covered in the program. Among the topics covered are: the Clovis people, Solutrean culture, migration...
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Colonial Migration
Students, in groups, create a student book for an assigned group of immigrants to the Colonial United States (Huguenots, Scots, Irish, Africans.) They create drawings for the book and rhyming text that depicts three struggles that...
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Letters from Rifka
Fourth graders read Letters from Rifka and discuss the feelings of people forced to leave their homes and countries. In this migration lesson plan, 4th graders relate their feelings about moving from their home forever. Students trace...
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Tracing Migration Patterns
Seventh graders analyze migration patterns. In this migration lesson plan, 7th graders use U.S. Census records to trace the migration patterns of 2 German families in Kansas.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration Through the 1850s
Everyone living in the United States today is a descendant from an immigrant—even Native Americans. Learn about the tumultuous history of American immigration with a reading passage that discusses the ancient migration over the Bering...
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Global Migration Patterns
Pupils explain immigration to the United States and identify major international migration streams. They evaluate the impact of migration on U.S. population and explain the impact of major refugee movements on both source and host...
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Athabaskan Migration & Bering Strait
Learners study Athabaskan migration patterns and the Bering Strait Land Bridge theory. They investigate the importance of the expansion of trade and compare the differences between American Indian oral tradition accounts of origin and...
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Puerto Rican Migration Historical Fiction Story
Learners investigate the experience of Puerto Rican immigrants to America. For this immigration lesson, students research the challenges that Puerto Rican immigrants faced and then write historical fiction selections that reflect their...
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Strengthening Democracy In Latin America
Students consider how to strengthen democratic principles in Latin America. In this government systems lesson, students explore the challenges to democratic forms of government in Latin America as they examine primary sources. Students...
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We, the First People
Students explore new support regarding the earliest peopling of America by examining multiple theories on the migration of the first people to America, investigating related archaeological finds, and creating research-based scientific...
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Birds on the Move
Students observe the migrational path of the Swainson's Hawk from northern Minnesota to the southern portion of South America. They study the migratory path of the hawk and observe how the vegetation in a particular region of the earth...
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Early Explorers
Fifth graders investigate the routes taken by the early explorers. In this explorers lesson, 5th graders use interactive notebooks, discussion and maps to discover the routes taken. Students get into pairs and label maps, and create...
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Araceli Solis Butterflies Unit
Third graders study the life cycle, eating habits, habitats, and migration patterns of butterflies in this series of lessons.
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The Motivation for Movement
Students explore the geographic theme of movement. In this migration lesson, students discuss push-pull factors that motivate immigrants and interpret illegal immigration data. Students also discuss the difficulties that illegals face.
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A Personal Narrative on the Immigration Experience
The students create a personal narrative on their experiences with immigration. In this instructional activity, students are asked to read and understand examples of narrative writing as well as evaluate lyrics from Ben Folds Five to...
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To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...