Advocates for Human Rights
Push and Pull Factors and Human Rights
What factors might make a person want to emigrate from their home country? What factors might make a person want to immigrate to a new country? Class members study the various waves of immigration to the US, looking at data about the...
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How To Motivate Parental Involvement in the Classroom!
Get yourself on track with parents and pupils to ensure an educational experience that everyone will benefit from.
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Why Do Immigrants Come to the United States of America?
Students appreciate the diversity of motives for immigration to the United States. They gather first person data and develop a persuasive presentation. They create a historical comparison of the motives for immigration to the community.
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Rights of Non-Citizen Immigrants
Students continue their discussion of if coming to America was the best thing for a group of immigrants. As a class, they complete the citizenship test offered by the INS. They research the benefits and responsibilities of being a...
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The Immigrant's Voice
Young scholars explain the concept of the "push-pull" effect. They distinguish between voluntary and involuntary immigrants and apply the concept of double consciousness to the immigrant's sense of national identity.
Smithsonian Institution
Us vs. Them: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Immigration issues are nothing new. An interesting activity focuses on the racially motivated Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and its impact on the Chinese American community. Scholars read articles, analyze political cartoons, and...
Smithsonian Institution
Hidden Histories: Mexican Repatriation During the 1930s
Mexican Repatriation: the forgotten deportation of American citizens. The resource focuses on the deportation of Mexican American citizens during the Great Depression. Young historians read documents, complete a free-write, and fill out...
Carolina K-12
Early American Settlements
What brought settlers from Europe to North America? By exploring primary sources, such as posters seeking recruits for the new lands, class members take a deeper look at these motivations. To finish, they present their findings to...
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The Land of Milk and Honey: Reasons for Migration
Fourth graders analyze migration patterns. In this colonial North Carolina lesson, 4th graders listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of immigrants from Switzerland who settled North Carolina. Students write...
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Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women
Learners investigate the plight of undocumented workers. In this social justice activity, students research undocumented workers as well as consumer boycott movements and write about their impressions.
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The Testing of the Feebleminded Immigrants
Students examine the intelligence testing of Henry Goddard during the early 1900s. They discover criticisms that are still occuring today. They analyze how science and technology is contributing to this practice.
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Assimilation in America
High schoolers, after reading the novel, "The Joy Luck Club," create a four question survey about assimilation in America. They each ask four members of their family or peers to take the survey. After data is collected, they create...
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Constitution/Impeachment/Reconstruction
Eleventh graders analyze a chart comparing U.S. census data from 1850, 1880, 1900, and 1920. They read a handout summarizing immigration legislation from 1882-1996 and create a graph charting how open / closed U.S. immigration is over time.
The New York Times
Looking for Answers: Making Sense of the Boston Marathon Bombing
How should America respond to acts of domestic terrorism? What motivates or prompts a terrorist attack? After reading an opinion piece on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, your learners will critically analyze factors that could have...
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Coming to America
Students brainstorm motives for which people left their homeland to come to America listing all their ideas on the board. They listen to the story, "Coming to America", reflect on the story, and summarize the reason for the family...
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Focused Learning Lesson: American History
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the type of immigrant that came to America during the 19th and 20th centuries. They write letters as if they were immigrants coming to America and what they faced and their hopes for the future.
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Irish-Americans: Work and Song
Students research the experience of Irish immigrants who helped build the railroad systems of the United States. They analyze primary source documents, take notes, and create an artistic piece.
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The Fugitive Slave Law and Migration
Students examine the Fugitive Slave Law as a motivating factor for slaves to emigrate outside the United States. After discussing the relationships between fugitive slaves and North American and Caribbean countries, they write essays...
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Immigration Unit
Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...
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"Exploring U.S. Motives Behind WWII Imprisonment and Deportation of German, Japanese, and Italian Latin Americans"
Students research and examine the secret Special War Problems Division program in Latin America and discuss the impact of the program on civil and human rights. They assess the motives for the program and explore various quotes from that...
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Links to the Past
Learners use documents from California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900 , in American Memory to create a script depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, and realizations of immigrants who settled California between...
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Examine Economic Factors That Influence Human Migration Along the U.S/Mexican Border
Young scholars bring in their own article about immigration and how it is affecting their community. They summarize their article and brainstorm reasons why someone would immigrate to another country. They discuss push and pull factors.
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Pennsylvania Colony
Students research the main reasons for the colonists moving to the Pennsylvania colony. They analyze maps, label a bubble map, list similarities/differences of immigrants then and now, and create a colonial newspaper advertisement.
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Colonial History: Fearless and faaithful
Young scholars discuss reasons why early europeans immigrated to North America. Working in groups, they complete Internet activities on the PBS Website. They take a simulated voyage to the new world and rercord their actions on...