Welcome to America Travel Brochure or Presentation Project

Imagining that they own a travel agency back in time, students, working in groups, create two "travel brochures" or class presentation. If students choose to create a travel brochure one will be for the "first wave" of immigratation from the early 1800's to about 1860. The second brochure will be for the "second wave" of new immigrants from after the Civil War until the early 20th century. A media presentation covering both "waves" of immigration is also an option students have in showing what they have learned.

Objective(s)  1. 8.6 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced, with emphasis on the Northeast. 1. Discuss the influence of industrialization and technological developments on the region, including human modification of the landscape and how physical geography shaped human actions (e.g., growth of cities, deforestation, farming, mineral extraction). , 2. 8.6.3. List the reasons for the wave of immigration from Northern Europe to the United States and describe the growth in the number, size, and spatial arrangements of cities (e.g., Irish immigrants and the Great Irish Famine). , 3. 8.12.6. Discuss child labor, working conditions, and laissez-faire policies toward big business and examine the labor movement, including its leaders (e.g., Samuel Gompers), its demand for collective bargaining, and its strikes and protests over labor conditions. , 4. 8.12.7. Identify the new sources of large-scale immigration and the contributions of immigrants to the building of cities and the economy; explain the ways in which new social and economic patterns encouraged assimilation of newcomers into the mainstream amidst growing cultural diversity; and discuss the new wave of nativism.

NETS: 

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION: demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION: use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP: exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS: create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

 

Technology Tools Google Docs, Presentation Software, Internet Research,

 

Procedures - 1. Divide the class into heterogeneous groups of 5 or 6 students each., 2. Pass out "Welcome to America Group Travel or Presentation" handout to each student. Instructions on how each group is to do research and collaborate is included with this lesson., 3. Have the groups read the material from the textbook for each "wave" of immigration first. This should be done outloud with a reader for each group and other members following along. This is done to get a "feel" for the basic material first. After that, each group decides who will do each question of the research. Group members will set up a "Google Doc" to share and edit research and answers. The research can be done at home or in the school computer lab, which ever works best for your site. Specific websites for research have already been included with the instructions. In addition, students should collect images that will be used in the brochure or the presentation. The teacher is included as a "collaborator" on the "Google Doc" to check on progress and offer suggestions to each group., 4. After the research is completed and the questions answererd, students begin working on either the brochure or the presentation. A sample brochure template is included with the lesson. Students may also type out their part of the brochure and print the imgages that go along with their research. Groups could then "cut and paste" the old fashioned way if necessary. Ideally, groups would type and add images to the template in the computer lab. If students chose to do a presentation they would use the presentation software available on "Google Docs". This would allow each student to add slides from home or school. Editing of slides would be possible quickly and easily. Brochures or presentations would be shared in class.

 

Assessment A rubric would be used to determine if groups met or exceeded the objectives of the project. In addition, a teacher created test would also be used to assess student understanding of the project.