Can we have unity within our nation of Immigrants

This unit on social justice issues is set up and designed for 5^th grade curriculum. Through our personal experience in schools and the community we believe that a goal must be met to have more unity in our country. We want to make our students more aware of the multiple backgrounds and immigrants in our country. We want our students to comprehend the reasons for immigration, some immigration was forced (slavery), other immigrants have fled to America as refugees, some seek a better life or to find their families. Like Walt Whitman said we are “not merely a nation, but a teeming nation of nations.” They will be able to apply their new knowledge and perspectives gained from this unit to our classroom directly. We plan to teach this unit early on in the school year because we want a community within our classroom. We want the students to respect one another and to be able to work together cooperatively. We feel that this unit can help build strength in the classroom for the entire year, as well as meet goals of the national and state standards.

I. Philosophy of Social Studies

We believe that the social studies topics we teach must be meaningful to us in order to pass their importance on to our learners. We feel it is our responsibility to meet the needs of all the learners in our classroom. We can meet these goals through multiple teaching methods that will more likely engage our students. Through integrating social studies with other subject areas we will build a community of learners that will be capable in contributing to societies demanding world. Through respecting the subject of social studies and the concerns of our individual learners we will create an atmosphere where children feel comfortable to share their views. Our learners will be capable of respecting those opinions and views that differ from their own.

II. National Standards

The National Council for the Social Studies defines this subject as "the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence." They are a guide that can help unite education and society. We have used the NCSS standards in our unit to help our learners gain an understanding for the necessity of unity and acceptance in our diverse nation of today.

III. State Standards

We have followed the Utah core in our lesson plans to prepare our students for the standardized tests that will be given. Although the Utah core is not as broad as the national core it is also a guideline for educators to follow. We have made our objectives in each lesson be directly from the Utah core. We feel it is our duty and responsibility to give our learners the knowledge directed by their given grade level from the core.

IV. Appropriateness to particular grade level

We have planned our unit to primarily focus on the fifth grade level. However, through accommodations the lessons can be adapted for low level or higher level learners. The NCSS standards and the Utah core have helped to shape what we will be teaching through out the unit. To make this unit even more appropriate we will seek out the interests of our learners and make appropriate adjustments to get the class motivated and active in this unit.

V. Meaningful to the lives of the children

We feel that having a sense of unity in our nation of immigrants will help our learners be more accepting of others through out their life. Acceptance and tolerance of others is a life skill needed in the work place as well as becoming a good citizen in your community. ‘Who can be an American,’ is something we want our students to think about and realize. There is no American specific race or ethnicity. We would like to eliminate generalizations and stereotypes like Ronald Takaki’s experience being an American with Asian ancestry, but having others assume he was a visitor in the U.S. who spoke excellent English, when in reality he was born in America. We feel that this unit is meaningful to their lives because learners are being exposed everyday to diversity. If our learners can understand how to work with and respect people of all backgrounds our classroom will be unified, and our learners will carry this with them through out life.

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Teacher Background Information

The first thing a teacher needs to teach this unit is the belief that it is important to recognize differences in all people and appreciate diversity. The reason being is that your beliefs will not be hidden from your learners. Beware of implicit messages being taught. The teacher will need to study immigration of their own self and personal background first. The unit first models how you got here and why others would want to come to America. I (Audrey) have Italian heritage, I am here because my grandfather Finnochio wanted to be with his family who came over to America to be part of the dream. I (Jana) have Spanish heritage, I am here because my grandfather Martinez wanted a better life for his family. With our students we would go into more depth about our personal heritage of the journey of our ancestor’s immigration.

The second thing a teacher needs to do for this unit is to refer often to the core and have valid assessments to check that that the learners are getting the concepts necessary. The teacher should feel accountable for the learners grasping of the core objectives.

Lastly, and essentially, an understanding of the material you will be teaching. As a teacher a checklist for knowledge of these listed topics will be needed: knowledge of reasons for exploration and settlement in the New World, capability of describing the events that motivated expansion of the United States such as the railroad, the gold rush, unpopulated territory, Louisiana Purchase (Lewis and Clark), and pioneers are a few. Resources and background knowledge of the contributions of individuals, groups, and movements in the United States from 1900 to the present. Capability of describing how to become a citizen, identifying rights and responsibilities, and being a participant in activities that promotes the public good.

Beginning with a fifth grade social studies text book can give you a rudimentary base. Other sources for knowledge on this topic that we found on the internet are:

~A population website: http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/usimmighistory/usimmighistory.html

~A read aloud, How Long to America? By Eve Bunting

~NCSS Standards

~Utah Core www.uen.org

~A read aloud, The Keeping Quilt By Patricia Polacco

~A website on Ellis Island, www.historychannel.com/ellisisland/index2.html

~A non-fiction novel, A Different Mirror By Ronald Takaki

~Other books:

A Very Important Day, Marissa Moss

The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros

Immigrant Kids, Russell Freedman

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Activity Bank Chart

Social Studies

Teacher Resources

Student Reading/

Literature

Math

~ Make a KWL chart about human and child rights.

~Letter writing from an immigrant’s perspective.

~Symbols of a Flag, and creation of our own classroom flag

~Mock Ellis Island immigration process with class.

~Create a class democracy.

~Write an opinion article for the local newspaper on what our class defines the obligations of a good citizen is.

www.uen.org

Ellis Island: Land of Dreams
Ellis Island: Land of Hope
Ellis Island: Land of Promise
by Joan Lowery Nixon

Journey of the Sparrows
by Fran Leeper Buss

~ Discussion with local immigrants.

~ Sonia Levitin. Journey to America. Scholastic Inc. New York. 1970

~See teacher background section

~Books about immigration

~Atlas’s

~Letters/Journals of immigrants

~Stories of immigrants or stories passed down

~Poetry lesson from famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty.

~Problem solving with change of climate, solving how far their heritage has traveled to get them where they are today.

~Describe facts of immigrants with fractions and percentages e.g. 25% of 3 million immigrants were Irish.

~Analyze and describe patterns of immigration of the past and today mathematically.

Art

Physical Education

Music

Technology

~Gallery Walk of learner’s art work portraying unit vocabulary words

~Family Tree/ Boat w/ ripples

~Design a melting pot as a class showing cultural contributions

~Re-create Statue of Liberty

~Artifact from home

~Artifact from another country

~Activity cards doing things of the past.

~Immigration Walk

~Cultural dances

~Relay races with old methods of farming etc…

~Songs from over the seas

~Haiku poem into a song

~Play cultural music through out the unit

~Make drums or other instruments from other countries

~How immigrating has changed through technology?

~International pen-pals

~Population websites

~Overheads of immigrating patterns/ discuss.

~Videos of immigrant’s stories.

~Individual Power Point presentations of solutions to unit question

Written Language

Field Trips/Guests

Culminating

Activity/unit Projects

Read Alouds

~The Keeping Quilt, Patricia Polacco

~Where I’m from poem by George Ella Lyon

~Interview

~Country write up

~Letter to an immigrant or from perspective of one.

~Chamber of Commerce

~ Festival of American West

~Parent Speaker

~Art Museum Exhibit

~ Set up a mock Ellis Island where the students go through the immigration process

~Who Belongs Here? By Mary Burns Knight

~When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest

~Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say

Assessment

Accommodations

Science

Unit Issue

~Observation checklist

~Time activity chart (Symbols w/ key on clipboard noting students participation)

~Students solutions and reflections

~Students write a Haiku poem of their perspective on Unit question

~Audio Lessons

~Partner up

~Shorten or lengthen specific assignments

~Books in native language

~Visual aids and modeling

~Changes in climate and plant life effected immigrants

~Construction of a train or boat

~Growth of food

~Livestock raised

~Preservation of foods.

~Use scientific language and reasoning to describe data and research with immigrants.

~Can we have unity within our nation of immigrants?

~Can we have unity with in our classroom of students with diverse backgrounds?

Outcome/ Unit

Social Skills

Oral Language

Materials

~Unity in our own classroom

~Appreciation for all people and their backgrounds

~Acceptance of diversity

~Achieving core objectives

~Class meeting (address feelings about the unit issue)

~Cooperative learning activities

~Cultural differences, polite, impolite, and respect practiced.

~Role play

~Guest speakers

~Readers theater

~Interview

~Round Robin

~Think, Pair, Share

~Learning logs to be used through out the entire unit, as journals, responses, notes, reflections, and other various assignments.

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Organization and Subject Matter Overview with Goals and Objectives

The focus of this unit will be the question “How can we have unity in our classroom that represents a nation of immigrants?” This unit will meet three of the NCSS standards which are: 1) Give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups (NCSS 1E). 2) Demonstrate an understanding that people in different times and places view the world differently (NCSS 2E). 3) Explore and describe similarities and differences in ways groups, societies, and cultures address similar human needs and concerns (NCSS 1A). The objectives to be met in the given lesson plans are from the Utah Core. They are: 1) Generate reasons for exploration and settlement in the New World (Utah Core S1 O1). 2) Describe the events that motivated expansion of the United States (Utah Core S2 O2). 3) Students analyze the contributions of individuals, groups, and movements in the United States from 1900 to the present (Utah Core S7). 4) Describe how to become a citizen, identify rights and responsibilities, and participate in activities that promote the public good (Utah Core S5 O3).

The organization of this unit has been planned in a way to begin with the learners as the focus. We want to allow the learners to make connections with first their selves and personal background. Once the learners wee the focus, the unit will expand to family and others. This will introduce why others have explored and settled in America. From this point the unit moves from exploring and settling to the motivation behind the expansion in America. We feel this chronological order will help the network of connections the learners will be making. After the lay out of immigrants arriving and expanding in America has been established, the unit moves to focusing on contributions made by individuals and groups. This is essential to the unit question, “How can we have unity in our classroom that represents a nation of immigrants?” because we want the learners to realize we are a nation of nations and that each immigrant has added to our country. Many immigration units have learners research the famous immigrants who came through Ellis Island. In this unit we do not want our learners to feel that only famous people contribute to American history. This is not the answer for unity. The last objective of the lesson takes the class to the present time. It focuses on what is needed to be a citizen, what human rights and responsibilities are, and how we can participate in activities that promote the public good. This last section of the unit brings the learners to thinking of their rights and also their responsibilities. This is meant to lead the learners to feeling like their actions can help the unity of our classroom and the nation they are a part of.

Our unit is one full of depth and in order for the learners to go deep enough and make many connections Social Studies will be the center of the classroom with all other subject matters integrated into it.

The classroom will be set up with desks in groups of four as base groups. The groups of desks will be near to the front of the classroom and white board. This will facilitate the learners to avoid distractions and keep them in good view for teacher instruction and modeling.

The rest of the classroom will be set up for the learners to function in and enjoy the unit. Shelves will hold the learning logs for the class and bins that hold materials for each group. The back of the classroom will be set up as an art gallery with track lighting. There will be many art activities incorporated in each unit through out the year. The art gallery will be for the learners finished pieces. When the learners are finished with an activity they may work on art pieces that deal with the unit issue. In the other back corner of the classroom will be a large area rug and stage. The area rug will be for class meetings and read alouds. The stage will be for group and individual presentations and other activities. There will be a computer center and an extra immigrant literature center. There will also be two tables for various stations. There will be two back-to-back bookshelves with classroom books. See the classroom plan below.

F

R

O

N

T

Station

Desks

Desks

Desks

Desks

Desks

Desks

Extra Lit Books for unit

Bookshelves

Stage

Area Rug

Station

Art Gallery

Computers

Learning logs/ bins/shelves

Unit Planning Chart

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Topic	How you came here and reasons for other immigrants to come	Events of Expansion	Contributions of Immigrants (Include all students, no cellophane man)	Unity through good citizenship
NCSS Standard	· Give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups (NCSS 1E) · Demonstrate an understanding that people in different times and places view the world differently (NCSS 2E). · Explore and describe similarities and differences in ways groups, societies, and cultures address similar human needs and concerns (NCSS 1A).
Utah Objective	S1 O1 Generate reasons for exploration and settlement in the New World.	S2 O2 Describe the events that motivated expansion of the United States.	S7 Students analyze the contributions of individuals, groups, and movements in the United States from 1900 to the present	S5 O3 Describe how to become a citizen, identify rights and responsibilities, participate in activities that promote the public good.
Learning Activities	A read aloud “When Jessie Came Across the Sea, by Amy Hest. Why did Jessie come to America? Focus on the reasons for others to come to America. Make a flip book of ideas.	Small group presentations on the motivation behind cultural expansion. (Research based, five day lesson)	Ellis Island lesson background, learners follow along in their learning logs of a pictorial chart.	A KWL on human rights focused on UNICEF rights of the child. Responsibilities for human rights.
	A guest speaker relating their reasons for exploring and settling in America. Student’s respond in learning logs.	Using resources and research to create a brochure advertising a group that is expanding west in the U.S.	Studying about an Ellis Island immigrant in base groups. Present to class. (Like a mini literature circle experience)	Provide learners an opportunity to conduct a role play, “Triangle’s are not bad.” To enhance Utah core S5 03
	Why did your family come here? Family tree based activity.	Power points from internet research time.	Read Aloud, emphasis on individual and classroom contribution by creating a quilt by piecing individually designed squares.	Student citizen inquiry (who votes, recycles). Taking surveys and compiling graphs.
	The importance that we are a nation of immigrants. Creation of a “Where I’m from” poem.	Posters advertising to come west	Writing letters from an immigrant standpoint to family that stayed in the native land about their new life	Setting up a classroom democracy with class input defining it.

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Assessment

A file folder will be kept on each child throughout the unit. In this file, sticky notes of observations will be taken throughout the day and added to the folder. Another ongoing unit assessment will be the learning logs that each learner will have. In these logs, notes will be taken, drawings of maps, and graphs from teacher instruction will be imitated, rough drafts of planning projects, and personal reflections on class topics and discussions will be included. Each learner’s log will be looked over throughout the unit and at the end. Rubrics will be given for specific projects like the creation of a brochure. The evaluation on their projects will be taken from the rubrics which the learners will be aware of.

With a clipboard and previously devised symbols an assessment on group participation and engagement will be made. The goal will be to help aid cooperation and connections for the learners to show improvement through out the unit.

As teachers we will continually be referring back to our objectives and standards to ensure that the overall point of our lesson is being understood and implemented. The final assessment to see how the unit question was resolved will be the comparison of a beginning and ending class meeting discussing the unit question. Also each learner will write a paragraph with their solution of what they personally can do to teach and incorporate unity among a classroom of immigrants into their own lives. Because we feel this question is so important in establishing unity in our own classroom we will be referring often to the lessons learned. In this sense there will be an ongoing assessment through out the year to see if the students internalized and implemented their understanding of cooperation and unity into our classroom.

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Lesson Plans

1)

Title of Lesson: I am from….

Teacher(s): Jana Martinez/ Audrey Philpot

Date: Week One

Time Allotted: 45 minutes

Grade Level(s): Fifth grade