Junior Scholastic Teaching Kits
Teacher-approved stories, resources, and worksheets, courtesy of Junior Scholastic, the middle school Social Studies classroom magazine.
Featured Teaching Kits
Teacher-approved stories, resources, and worksheets for teaching about immigration in your classroom, courtesy of Junior Scholastic, the middle school Social Studies classroom magazine
Coming to America
Immigration is one of the most talked-about topics in American politics. But how much do you really know about it? Find out why America is often called a nation of immigrants, and what recent government data tells us about immigration trends.
“They’ll Kill Me If I’m Sent Back”
When the opportunity to escape presented itself, Ginger knew she had to act fast. It might be the last chance she’d ever have. Find out how she fled from a violent gang in Honduras, and how she’s fighting to stay in America legally.
The Great Immigration Debate
Who gets to be an American? It’s a question at the heart of one of the most heated debates in America today. Get the facts in this article, with support from text features like a timeline and a map.
Undocumented & Afraid
There are millions of undocumented immigrants in America today. Under President Donald Trump, many of them are facing deportation or incarceration. What are some arguments for and against allowing undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to stay?
Quotes
Famous quotes about U.S. immigration
“Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as their talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.”
— Robert F. Kennedy
“Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans—liberty-loving risk takers in search of an ideal. . . . Immigration is not just a link to America’s past; it’s also a bridge to America’s future.”
— President George H.W. Bush, on signing the Immigration Act of 1990 into law
“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”
— George Washington in 1788 (shortly before being elected the first president of the U.S.)
“As each new wave of immigration has reached America it has been faced with problems, not only the problems that come with making new homes and new jobs, but, more important, the problems of getting along with people of different backgrounds and habits. Somehow, the difficult adjustments are made and people get down to the tasks of earning a living, raising a family, living with their neighbors, and, in the process, building a nation.”
— John F. Kennedy, from his book A Nation of Immigrants (written in 1958, when he was a U.S. senator)
Key Figures
Four immigrants to the U.S. who made an impact on this country—and the world
Madeleine Albright
(1937- )
The first female secretary of State in U.S. history was born in what is now the Czech Republic. She immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was 11.
Sergey Brin
(1973- )
The computer scientist and entrepreneur who co-founded Google—one of the biggest tech companies in the world—moved to the U.S. from Russia with his family when he was 6.
Albert Einstein
(1879-1955)
The world-famous physicist (and perhaps the most famous scientist in history) immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1933 to escape the Nazis.
Levi Strauss
(1829-1902)
The man who invented blue jeans moved to the U.S. from his native Germany at age 18.
Resources
Supplemental resources that link to external websites about immigration
Glossary
Terms and definitions that pertain to immigration
American dream
noun
the idea that the U.S. economic, political, and social systems make success possible for anyone willing to work for it
assimilate
verb
to become fully part of a different culture or society
asylum
noun
protection given by a government to someone who has left his or her country to avoid harm
green card
noun
a document that allows a citizen of another nation to legally live and work in the United States indefinitely
migration
noun
the act of moving from one place to another
undocumented
adjective
lacking the official papers required for legal immigration or residence
Explore Other Topics
Discover other free social studies topics and middle school teaching resources from Junior Scholastic magazine.
ClassicStockAlamy (immigrant crowd); Drew Angerer/Getty Images (boy with woman); Nick Hagen (girl in hood); Fotosearch/Getty Images (immigrants coming down ramp); Charles Reed/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP Images (ICE arrest); Krista Kennell/Sipa Press via AP (Albright); Taylor Hill/Getty (Brin); BettmannGetty (Einstein); Fotosearch/Getty Images (Strauss)
