Controversial Issues – Immigration Today
Angela Orr
Unit: Controversial Issues – Immigration Today
Grade Level: 12th Grade Government
Created in: Contemporary Issues – Using Technology for Discussion, Debate,
and Problem Solving
Rationale: Immigration, especially illegal immigration, is a hot point on which
many politicians and media capitalize. It is a controversial issue for which there
is much factual information to acquire but for which few people make use of
facts. This emotional issues surrounding immigration are political, economic, and
cultural. The issue affects not only the United States as a whole; it affects our
region significantly as well. As seniors in high school, it is fundamentally
important that students not only learn about this issue but also that they
participate in civil civic discourse about the controversy so that they can better
deal with the issue as adults.
Prior Knowledge: This unit will be instituted in a class wherein a positive
climate of trust and sensitivity to others opinions has already been established.
Students will already be familiar with the Constitutional history of citizenship and
will have some background knowledge about the history of immigration in this
country. Students will already be fully capable of using certain Constitutional
theories like federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances as well as
the history of political parties and interest groups to aide their study.
Teacher Objectives:
This unit will promote discussion of a controversial issue central to
students’ lives here in Northern Nevada.
The teacher will facilitate the discussion by providing common factual
information to students and promoting research opportunities in the
expectation that the debate will be along substantiated rather than
emotional lines.
The following Nevada State Civics standards will be addressed: SWBAT:
o Analyze the role of citizen participation in U.S. civic life.
o Provide contemporary example of federalism.
o Evaluate the significance of interest groups in the political process
of a democratic society.
o Analyze the role that television and other media play in the process
of political persuasion.
o Evaluate propaganda in both historic and current political
communication.
o Identify major conflicts in social, political, and economic life and
analyze the role of compromise in the resolution of these issues.
o Describe the development of the Bill of Rights and provide a
contemporary application.
Student Objectives: Along with meeting the above standards, students will
Use multiple internet sources to find research on immigration today;
Consider the validity of statements often cited regarding immigration and
immigrants;
Research and debate the essence of these statements to support or
negate presented perspectives;
Make informed decisions regarding the statements’ accuracy;
View and analyze many modern and historical primary sources;
Analyze U.S. Census data reflecting Latino immigration rates and related
information;
Explain the labels attached to Latino immigrants and discuss the ways
some prefer to be identified;
Analyze the immigration issues in the campaign of 2004 and predict
issues that will emerge in the next presidential race;
Document and analyze the amount of time and the stereotypes that follow
Latinos on television and in the news media.
Lesson 1: Myths and Realities: Who are the new American Immigrants?
Materials:
• Handouts: Statements About Immigrants, Debate Notes Organizer,
Debate Rubric
• Four Corners Cards (taped to four corners of room)
• Computers with internet access
Lesson Procedure: (This lesson comes in part from PBS, “The New
Americans.”)
1. As students enter class, they should begin working on their journal
prompt: What do you think of when you think of immigration from Mexico
and Central America? What are the people like? Are these stereotypes
or truths? Are some stereotypes founded in truth?
2. Discuss journal prompt. If students have trouble understanding which
statements are stereotypes and which are true, help them with actual
statistics about immigration from the Census Bureau and your own
school/district.
3. Distribute the handout “Statements About Immigrants” ( as found on
www.pbs.org/newamericans). Students should write next to each
statement “Agree,” “Strongly Agree,” “Disagree,” or “Strongly Disagree.”
They should also write a short statement as to their reasoning.
4. Give students directions for the Four Corners Activity. As you read each
statement, students should go to the corner of the room that best matches
their belief. In small groups (in each corner), students should come up
with a short statement explaining their reasoning and choose one
spokesperson. Then, each spokesperson will be allowed to speak. After
each group has spoken, the entire class can engage in the discussion
using the rules for Accountable Talk with which students are already
familiar.
5. Then, break students into pairs. Give each pair one of the statements
discussed above to research. One person in the pair will argue in favor of
the statement and the other will argue against the statement. Students
must provide research to back up their arguments.
6. Give students 45 minutes in the computer lab to access information to
help their side of the debate. The debate guide will help them to organize
their thoughts. Allow students to search the following website (and any
others they find helpful and have cleared with the teacher):
a. http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/shows/show_teen_immigrants3.html
b. http://www.closeup.org
c. http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm
d. http://www.cis.org
e. http://www.fairus.org/html/issues.html
f. http://www.aila.org/contentviewer.aspx?bc=17
g. http://wwwtheatlantic.com/politics/immigrat/immigrat.htm
h. http://www.vote-smart.org/
7. After all students are prepared, have the class rearrange the desks into a
circle. Then, give each student 4-7 pieces of “civic discourse currency”
(This can be anything – poker chips work well.). Every time that a student
speaks, he/she must throw one piece of currency to the middle. This way
the teacher determines how many coins should be used by each student
(let’s say 5 for 10 pts., 4 for 8 pts, etc.), and no one student can dominate
the discussion.
8. Before students begin, pass out the Debate Scoring Guide so that
students understand exactly what is expected from them.
9. Students will debate the statements about the immigration statements.
The teacher will grade students based on quantitative participation (civic
discourse currency) and qualitative participation (debate rubric).
10. Leave 10 minutes at the end for students to openly reflect upon the debate
and answer questions such as: What was the most compelling piece of
research you heard? Did you change your mind at all, or was your
position strengthened by the debate? Was it difficult to argue a point of
view to which you did not agree? Was this exercise helpful to you as a
young citizen?
My argument is that:
Evidence for my argument:
Evidence against my argument:
Rebuttal to evidence against my argument:
5
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•
•
•
•
Speaker presents a respectful and appropriate appearance
Speaker demonstrates an excellent understanding of the subject matter
Speaker responds exceptionally well to opposing arguments
Speaker demonstrates mastery of speech components: volume, pacing,
eye contact, posture, tone
Speaker adheres to time guidelines and is excellently prepared
4
•
•
•
•
•
Speaker presents a respectful and appropriate appearance
Speaker demonstrates an above average understanding of the subject
matter
Speaker responds very well to opposing arguments
Speaker demonstrates above average understanding of speech
components: volume, pacing, eye contact, posture, tone
Speaker adheres to time guidelines and is well prepared
3
•
•
•
•
•
Speaker presents a respectful appearance
Speaker demonstrates an average understanding of the subject matter
Speaker responds adequately to opposing arguments
Speaker demonstrates average understanding of speech components
though may demonstrate a marked weakness in one or more areas
Speaker may adhere to time guidelines and is adequately prepared
2
•
•
•
•
•
Speaker may not present an appropriate appearance
Speaker demonstrates a below average understanding of the subject
matter
Speaker may struggle in responding to opposing arguments
Speaker does not demonstrate understanding of speech components with
weaknesses in several areas
Presentation indicates that time and preparation are minimal
1
•
•
Appearance is not adequate Speaker demonstrates little to no
understanding of the subject matter Speaker responds ineffectively to
opposing arguments Speaker generally has poor speaking skills with little
attention to components
Preparation is not apparent
Lesson 2: The Immigrants We Know the Best??
Materials:
• One computer with internet access and speakers loud enough for the
class to hear;
• Copies of the articles “What it Means To Be Latino” and “From a Child’s
Perspective”
Lesson Procedure: (Some material for this lesson provided by PBS “The
New Americans”)
1. As students enter, they should begin writing on the following journal
prompt: List some terms that people you know use to describe immigrants
that come from Mexico, Central America, and South America. Put a star
next to any that you think are derogatory. (You will not be judged on what
you write. This exercise is meant to allow for an honest discussion of the
terminology we use when speaking of the largest group of immigrants in
our area.) Then, circle the one term that you think is the most appropriate
to use.
2. Tell students that discussion on the journal will be saved until later in the
lesson.
3. Break students into groups of four. For each group, pass out one copy of
the 44 page long, “From a Child’s Perspective” article. Have students
break the reading up between their group members. Each person should
read silently while doing the following: Highlight or underline all sections
that you find interesting; Put a star next to sections which dispel myths
about Latino Americans; Put a question mark next to anything for which
you do not understand or you think seems strange.
4. After all students have had enough time to read their sections, each
student in the group of four will share their findings with the group,
allowing for questions and discussion. Then, the group will choose the
four to five most important items they learned from the activity to share
with the entire class.
5. Allow the class to engage in discussion.
6. Then, play the Real Audio version of an essay by Richard Rodriguez that
was on News Hour with Jim Lehrer. The interview/essay discusses using
certain labels with Hispanic/Latino Americans.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/essays/june97/rodriguez_6-18.html
7. Students should also read the article “What it Means to be Latino” by
Clara Rodriguez. After listening to the essay and reading the article,
students should debate which term is best to use when speaking of the
population of people who have come (in the last several generations) from
Central and South America.
8. Students should review what they know about labels used on other groups
in U.S. History and relate their discussion to this prior knowledge.
What It Means to Be Latino
by Dr. Clara E. Rodríguez
To be a Latino means that in the 2000 U.S. census,
you were counted as one of 35.3 million people, of any
race, classified as “Hispanic,” and that you were part of
Dr. Clara E. Rodriguez a group that comprised 12.5% of the total U.S.
population. It means you are part of a group that now equals, or has surpassed,
African Americans in number. It also means that you are part of a group that is
growing faster than all other groups (50% since 1990) and is expected to
continue to grow rapidly because of high immigration, high fertility rates, and the
youthfulness of the current population. Only Asian Americans, who represented
3.6% of the U.S. population in 2000, had greater rates of growth. Finally, it
means that you are a member of a very diverse group, in terms of socioeconomic
positions, religions, racial classifications and national origins.
If we look at the Hispanic/Latino population pie in 2000, we see that Mexicans
comprised the majority of all Latinos (58.5% or 20.6 million). Puerto Ricans were
the second largest Latino group, constituting 9.6% of all Latinos or 3.4 million.
However, if we include the 3.8 million Puerto Ricans who resided in Puerto Rico,
then this figure more than doubles. Cubans were the next largest single national
origin group and constitute 3.5% of the total Latino population, followed by
Dominicans with 2.2%. Collectively, the Central American countries accounted
for 4.8% of the total Latino pie, with Salvadorans (1.9%) and Guatemalans
(1.1%) being the two largest groups among Central Americans. South Americans
comprised another 3.8% of the total U.S. Latino population with Colombians
(1.3%) the largest group here. All of the other countries in Central and South
America constituted less than 1% each of the total Hispanic population.
Interestingly, in view of the extensive diversity of national origins, there was a
surprising 17.3% that reported they were Hispanic or Latino but did not indicate a
national origin. Analyses have yet to be done on this group, but it may be that
this fast-growing group represents either those who have parents from more than
one country, or, those who consider themselves “Hispanic/Latino,” but do not
identify with a particular country.
Although historically there are important regional
concentrations of each of these groups, e.g.,
Cubans in Florida, Puerto Ricans in the Northeast,
and Mexicans in California and the Southwest,
there is increasing Latino heterogeneity in all of
these areas. All states now have Latino
populations, many of which are increasing rapidly,
and almost all cities are experiencing substantial
All states now have Latino
populations, many of which
are increasing rapidly, and
almost all cities are
experiencing substantial
changes in their Latino mix.
changes in their Latino mix. For example, Miami now has an increasingly diverse
Latin American population, with Colombians, Puerto Ricans, and diverse Central
and South Americans increasing their presence. New York City now has
substantial and growing Dominican, Colombian, Ecuadorian and Mexican
populations. The same is true of Los Angeles and other large cities and many
suburban areas.
Being Latino also means that you lay claim to one (or more) of the rich and
unique histories that each of these groups brings to the United States. Likewise,
each of these groups has had a unique narrative in the United States, involving
different times of arrival, areas of settlement, and types of migration and
reception experiences. Like so many other groups coming to the United States,
some groups came mainly as political refugees, or, political exiles without the
benefit of refugee status. Others came as free or contracted laborers, and still
others simply as immigrants looking to improve the opportunities in their lives.
Unlike most other groups, Latinos have come from this hemisphere. Therefore,
they have been consistently impacted by U.S. hemispheric policy and they have
had more “va y ven” (coming and going) between their countries and the United
States. This has contributed to the sustenance of the Spanish language and
multiculturalism within Latino communities while adding new infusions of Latinos
to the United States.
Since Latinos have been part of the U.S. landscape for centuries, the nature of
the migrations has also varied over time. For example, political immigrants or
exiles were more characteristic of the migration from Puerto Rico in the late 19th
century, while those who came in search of work characterized the exodus in the
mid 20th century. There were also varying methods of migration, where some
groups arrived mainly by boat, others by plane, and still others over land in cars,
trains or buses. Some have arrived legally as immigrants, others were
undocumented. Some became naturalized citizens, others became citizens
because they were born in the United States and still others arrived as citizens or
became citizens because their lands had become subject to United States rule.
Different groups have also had different receptions
in the U.S. at different times.
Being Latino means a connection to the Spanish
Curiously, however, you
language, although, in Latin America there are
can be called a Latino, or
also a multiplicity of other languages spoken by
classified a Hispanic, and
various groups, e.g., the indigenous peoples. Each yet not speak Spanish very
Latino group coming to the U.S. spoke Spanish,
well or at all.
but each country has its particular way of speaking
Spanish. Spanish speakers throughout Latin
America and the Caribbean understand one another. However, the way the
language is spoken varies according to class, regional, ethnic and racial
differences within each country. If we think about how English is spoken in
Australia, Britain, Brooklyn, New York, as well as the southern, eastern, and
Midwestern parts of the United States, we have some idea of how the same
language can vary with regard to accent, intonation patterns, and vocabulary.
Curiously, however, you can be called a Latino, or classified a Hispanic, and yet
not speak Spanish very well or at all.
Finally, being Latino means you are a part of one or more groups that have their
own unique cuisine, music, and cultural and artistic traditions. For example,
spicy, hot food is common in some diets and relatively absent in others. But there
are also some commonalties. For example, in the same way that meat and
potatoes can be considered a staple of the U.S. American diet -though not
everyone eats this – rice and beans are a staple throughout much of Latin
America. Pink beans are preferred in some countries, black beans in others, and
pinto beans in still yet others and so on. Most members of each group are proud
of their own uniqueness and history – both in this country and in their country of
origin. However, as Celia Cruz, the great Cuban Salsa singer, has said, “we are
all brothers in a different country” and the level of bonding and common
identification often goes beyond speaking Spanish.
On Terminology: Hispanic or Latino?
The term “Hispanic” is often used interchangeably with the term “Latino.” The
term “Hispanic” was introduced into the English language and into the 1970
census by government officials who were searching for a generic term that would
include all who came from, or who had parents who came from, Spanishspeaking countries. It is, therefore, an English-language term that is not generally
used in Spanish-speaking countries. The term “Latino,” on the other hand, is a
Spanish-language term that has increased in usage since the introduction of the
term Hispanic. Some Latinos/Hispanics feel strongly about which term they
prefer. Some reject both terms, and insist they should be known by their national
origin; still others use all terms and vary their usage depending on context.
Those who prefer “Latino” argue that the term preserves the flavor of national
origin and the political relationship between the U.S. and Latin America. Also,
they say that it is more culturally neutral and racially inclusive of all groups in
Latin America. For example, those of indigenous, African, European and mixed
origins are assumed to be Latinos, as are Brazilians, whose main language is
Portuguese. In addition, they argue that it is less associated with Eurocentric
Hispanistas, who were largely conservative wealthy landowning groups; and
lastly, they maintain that it is the term most used in numerous editorials that are
written in both Spanish and English.
Those who prefer the term “Hispanic” maintain that it should be used because
the data on this population is gathered using this term, and the data should not
be re-labeled. It is seen to be preferable for scientific publications because it is
seen to be more rigorous and consistent with the data. It is argued that Hispanic
is a more universal term because this is the term used by most agencies and
other data gathers, while Latino is a regional term more often used in areas
where there are large numbers of native Spanish-speakers. In essence, the
argument is that this is the term that most people - particularly those living far
from Spanish-speaking populations – will use. The term includes those from
Spain, although it does not cover those from Brazil. It is also argued that the term
“Latino” might be legally problematic, for others of “Latin” descent whose families
have never lived in Latin America, e.g., the French, Italians, and others might
conceivably argue that they are “Latinos” and therefore should be considered
minorities.
Lesson Three: Media Depictions of Latinos in America
Materials:
Lesson Procedure:
Note: This lesson will take a 90 minute class period (or two forty five
minute periods) in a computer lab. Students should then complete the
assignment over a two week period for homework each night.
1. Discuss with students that media offers many powerful images that often
shape the societal view of certain “types” of people. Ask students to give
examples of how, for instance, African Americans are depicted on
television, in the news (and newspapers) in music/videos. Let students
give as many examples that they can think of. Talk about whether these
images are based on fact and if they reinforce positive or negative
stereotypes.
2. The teacher should then use short clips from several recent news sources
depicting Latinos. The teacher should also provide a short amount of
footage from a current show depicting Latinos. After showing these media
items, the teacher should suppress discussion and tell students that they
must do some research on this area before they can engage in a
discussion about it.
3. Then, pass out the assignment entitled Media Depictions of Latinos in
America. Students will be analyzing news sources, popular television
shows, music and music videos, and movies for the way in which Latinos
are depicted. They will then document their results and bring them in for a
discussion.
4. Take students to the computer lab. Pass out a list of 15 credible online
news sources and ask students to analyze stories in each of these. No
story should be more than a year old. Students can also travel to
MTV.com and IMDB.com as well as television channel guides to start
their research for the other aspects of their project.
5. Students will continue the assignment at home for two weeks. They will
come prepared to discuss their results in a round table session at the end
of the two weeks. Students will be expected to contribute to an
Accountable Talk discussion using their research results.
Over the next few weeks, you will be documenting the way in which the American
media depicts Latinos on television, in movies, in music, and in various news and
popular culture sources (newspapers, magazines, internet sites). Your job is to
search for these depictions, even where you may not expect them. For instance,
if your favorite T.V. sitcom has an all Anglo cast, make sure to make note if a
Latino makes a guest appearance or even if one is mentioned.
The goal of this exercise is to critically analyze the role of the media in
maintaining or negating popular stereotypes regarding Latinos and their culture.
To complete this exercise, you will follow these depictions for a two week time
period. Please fill in the attached worksheet as you analyze your sources.
In order to complete this research you will need to provide information on the
following:
9 4 examples of Latinos depicted in the news (at least two from local
sources);
9 5 examples of Latinos on television shows;
9 2 examples of Latinos in recent movies (within the last year and a half);
9 2 examples of Latinos in music;
9 1 example of Latinos online (and not in a news source);
9 1 example of Latinos in some other form of popular culture.
Info Obtained →
Media Source ↓
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Age of
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Description of person
(noticeable physical
attributes, clothing, hair,
makeup, etc.)
Quotes Made By
This Person
Quotes About This
Person
Stereotypes?
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