Lesson Plan: Coming to America

A step-by-step guide to teaching this article in your classroom

KEY STANDARDS

Common Core: RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.5, RI.6-8.7, SL.6-8.1, SL.6-8.2, W.6-8.1, W.6-8.3

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

• Include this article in a unit on immigration.

• Pair this article with a debate on current laws and policies regarding immigrants.

• Incorporate this article into a class discussion on diversity in the United States.

Before Reading

1. PREVIEW VOCABULARY
(5 MINUTES)

Review the definitions of some of the challenging vocabulary words in the article, including U.S. Census Bureau, quotas, refugees, diversity, fleeing, and immigrant.

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Read & Analyze

2. INDEPENDENT READING
(10 MINUTES)

Have students read the article on their own, writing down any comments or questions.

3. CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS
(10 MINUTES)

Have students write their answers to each question, or use these prompts to guide a discussion.

  • ANALYZING DETAILS: How has Congress influenced immigration in the past?
    (In the 1920s, Congress set quotas limiting immigration. In 1965, it passed a law making immigration easier.)

  • MAKING INFERENCES: Census expert William Frey notes, “We think of immigrants as being . . . from Latin America.” Why might people make that assumption?
    (Possible answers include: In the early 2000s, most immigrants came from Latin America. Though Latin Americans are not the majority group among new immigrants, they make up the largest group of all immigrants living in the U.S.)

Extend & Assess

4. READ A GRAPH

Assign the skills sheet Reading a Graph: America’s Foreign-Born Population. Ask: What does each graph show? Why might the editor have included both?

DIFFERENTIATING

Lower Level Boost social-emotional learning: Ask students to write a journal entry from a new immigrant’s point of view. Have them describe their feelings about life in the U.S.

Higher Level Have students write an argument essay on whether immigration is beneficial to the U.S., using evidence from the article to support their point of view.

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