Immigration Unit
Lesson Plan
Subject:
5th grade social studies
GPS:
SS5H3d: Describe the reasons people emigrated to the United States, from where
they emigrated, and where they settled.
Learning Goal(s):
Students will be able to describe why people emigrated to the United States.
Students will be able to identify countries from which people emigrated.
Students will be able to identify where immigrants settled.
Essential Question:
From where did people emigrate, and why did they emigrate to the United States?
Where in the United States did immigrants settle?
Activate Learning:
*Read “When Jessie Came Across the Sea” by Amy Hest
While reading, stop periodically for discussion…
*After people start begging Rabbi to go, have students brainstorm 10 reasons
why people might want to come to America
*When it says “At her feet was a small trunk…,” have students make a list of the
top 5 items they would need/want to take with them if they were immigrating to
America
*When it talks about what the immigrants were doing on the ship, have students
share an activity they might do on the boat to keep them occupied
*After Cousin Kay makes Jessie go to school, talk about other things that would
be hard for an immigrant
*Once Jessie sends a ticket for Grandma to come to America, have students share
what one person they would send a ticket for back in their home country
Teaching Strategies:
Day 1 Students will complete the “Before” section of the anticipation guide.
Students will then watch “Ellis Island: Island of Hope, Island of Tears” and take
notes (if teachers cannot find this video, several video clips are available from
history.com about Ellis Island). After watching the video, students will complete
the “After” section of the anticipation guide. As a class, go through Percy the
Parrot’s “Where did immigrants settle in America?”
(http://keep2.sjfc.edu/class/bnapoli/msti431/nme9768/msti431/vpa/where.htm)
to discuss where immigrants settled after arriving in America.
Day 2 As a class, go through “American Immigrants” PowerPoint from Cicero.
While going through, students will take notes and teacher will lead discussions
about immigration. After the PowerPoint, do a whip around as a closing activity
where students each share one thing they learned about immigration.
Day 3 As a class, complete the readers’ theater titled “The Melting Pot” from
Cicero. After the readers’ theater, students make predictions of where they
THINK immigrants came from. Analyze pie graph titled “Immigration to the
United States by Country: 1820-1920,” showing where immigrants ACTUALLY
came from.
Day 4 Students will be given five primary source images depicting scenes related
to immigration. From these five images, they will choose three. Students may
work independently or with a partner. For each of their three images, students
will place speech bubbles on the picture showing what different people in the
picture might be saying. Speech bubbles should show a reason why people
emigrated, where they emigrated from, and where immigrants settled.
Authentic Culminating Assessment
Students will choose one of the following assignments:
Diary Entry Student will write at least four diary entries from the point of view of an immigrant.
Entries will include: while they’re still in their home country (what life is like, why they are leaving,
etc.); while they’re on the boat to America (what are conditions like); landing at Ellis Island (what
they went through, what the experience was like); and once they have settled (where they settled,
what kind of job they or their parents have, what the conditions are like).
Play/Reader’s Theater In groups of 2-3, students will write a play about a family arriving at Ellis
Island. Information included in the dialogue between characters should tell where they came from,
why they left their home country, what conditions on the boat to America were like, what the
experience at Ellis Island was like, and where they plan on settling.
Artifact Box Working independently, students will gather at least four objects to represent their
immigrant journey to the United States. They should have an object to represent the country from
which they came, their journey on the boat, their experience at Ellis Island, and where they settled
after arriving in America. Each item should be accompanied by a one paragraph description of what
the object is and what it represents.
Immigration Final Project Rubric
Name ______________________
3
Excellent!
Project describes the
country from which the
immigrants came and
what life was like there.
2
1
Good
Needs Work
Project lists what country Project does not tell what
the immigrants came from country the immigrants
but does not tell any
came from.
details about this place.
Why immigrants
emigrated
Project tells why people
emigrated to America and
provides specific details
about this reason.
Project lists why people
emigrated but does not
provide specific details.
Project does not tell why
the people emigrated to
the United States.
Where immigrants settled
Project describes where
the immigrants settled and
what life was like in their
new home.
Project tells where the
immigrants settled but
does not describe their
new life.
Project does not tell
where immigrants settled.
Where the immigrants
came from
Total Points:
Comments:
/10
Grade: