U.S. History - Immigration Print

Topic :Immigration

Immigration in America (Library of Congress)
Part of the American Memory collection, this site provides a general overview of American immigration and immigrants. There are student activities, educator guides, photos and links to useful resources

Peopling North America
Provides an historical overview of migratory movements to and within the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean from Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Immigration at the turn of the 20th Century (Ohio State)
Features two interesting articles on immigration and a chart of immigrant earnings

Immigration, Ellis Island (UC)
Contains a good collection of historical photos

Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities and more

Immigration Lesson Plans (Teachervision.com)
This webpage contains multiple Immigration lesson plans and activities. Introduction to Immigration vocabulary and Immigration writing exercises are all included. Lessons can be applied to most grade levels.

Cultural Capital: Examining How Immigrant Groups Adjust to American Society
In this New York Times lesson, students research the adaptation and acculturation of immigrant groups in the United States. They then create “culture capsules” aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of new peoples in American society.(June 9, 2003)

Ellis Island (Lesson Plans)
Compiled by Margaret Holtschlag and Cindy Lafkas. Designed for Upper Elementary and High School students, these five lesson plans build upon each other and are meant to be followed in order. The lessons get progressively more challenging and culminate in a written assignment for the student.

The Irish Potato Famine: An inquiry-based lesson Plan by Jami Hendren
This high school lesson plan enables students to examine the lives of poor Irish before, during, and after coming to the United States. The lesson plan has a precise time schedule. Some links do not work.

Immigrant Contributions (PBS): Teacher's Guide
In this PBS Teacher's guide, students are asked to conduct a large research project about Immigrant contributions to the United States. The guide provides multiple questions for the students to answer in their reports. Through their research, the students become more culturally aware and realize how important immigrants are to America.

The New Americans: Teachers Guide
PBS has compiled multiple immigrant lesson plans on this webpage. Each lesson plan is comprehensive and well organized. Most include a project or research report. This is a valuable resource for teaching about immigration.

"Ancestors in the Americas": Lesson Plans
Written by Sue Purcell and Heather Papp (both from PBS), the following classroom guides have been designed to help educators use the ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS series and companion web site in history, geography and social studies classes (grade levels 9-12). The lesson plans may also be adapted for use as stand-alone exercises. Resource lists for further work have also been provided.

Activities: Port of Entry: Immigration
This online activity, presented by the LOC, allows students to act as "historical detectives" and explore online immigration resources. The site provides all the necessary materials. Suitable for all ages.

Moving to America
This WebQuest is for Middle School students and examines the obstacles and challenges faced by immigrants to America in the early 1900's. Students create a PowerPoint presentation or brochure to encourage friends and family to come to America.

Changing Places
In this lesson plan, elementary students develop an understanding of what it means to immigrate from one country and culture to another. Using various resources, including video segments from the documentary BECOMING AMERICAN: THE CHINESE EXPERIENCE Web sites, and student organizers, students examine the experiences and contributions of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. and explore their own cultural heritages. As a culminating activity, students invite guest speakers who are first- or second-generation immigrants to tell about their experiences.