WORLDS APART

A Nation of Immigrants Activity

Overview of Activity: Discussion and study of early immigrants to America

Suggested Time Allowance: 5-10 minutes

Outcomes: Students will know the experiences of some of their classmates when coming to the United States and will also know of the hardships of the early immigrants. Students will know the vocabulary that identifies and defines immigration and immigrants.

Watching and Listening: Episode 3 does not have an interview. However, a civics education lesson has been adapted from the Culture Clip. Watch the Culture Clip with the students. Ask for volunteers to describe (for the class) their experiences when coming to the U.S.

Procedure: Ask the students to name as many words as possible that they think are associated with immigration. Write these words on the blackboard or overhead projector and then discuss their meanings.

Activity: Bring a map of the United States to class. Use different colored thumb tacks or stick pins to represent the states where the students first lived in the U.S. Determine which states received the most internationals and why. Also, discuss the populations of these states, their locales within the country and the names and locations of their capitols.