Fourth Grade Immigration Project

 

Students will use the following Web site from Scholastic Network:

 

Immigration: Three Recent Immigrants

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/recent/

 

TASK: “Find out why three kids and their families left their homelands and what it's like to be a newcomer in America,” then write a summary paragraph with your own thoughts.

 

1. Choose an immigrant story to read.

 

2. Start a new Microsoft Word document – see EXAMPLE below.

 

3. Try to answer these questions as you are reading:

 

  • Why did the immigrant leave their home country?
  • What did the immigrant have to learn when they came to America?
  • Read the questions that American children asked the immigrant and the answers given. Pick one question and answer to add to your summary paragraph, and say why you thought that question and answer was interesting, or important.
  • What does the immigrant still miss about their home country?
  • What would you miss if you moved to another country?

 

 

EXAMPLE:

Each student will write a summary paragraph for Kauthar, Virpal, and Quynh. Each summary paragraph will be typed in Microsoft Word, and should look like this:

 

 

Date                                                                                                     Name (section)

Immigration Project

Kauthar

 

            Kauthar is a girl who immigrated to America from Kenya. Kauthar left her homeland in Kenya because…. Kauthar had a lot of new things to learn when she came to America….  One of the questions that American children asked Kauthar was… Kauthar said ….  Kauthar still misses something special about Kenya, because…… I think that that Kauthar’s immigration story is interesting because…

 

 

Remember to start with a topic sentence (see my first sentence above). Include summary sentence for why Kauthar left Kenya, and what she found when she came to America. Also choose one question and answer from the “Ask a Question” section to include in your paragraph. Finally, write a clincher or conclusion about what you think about Kauthar’s story.

 

Next, start a new Word document, and write a summary paragraph about Virpal, and finally do another summary paragraph for Quynh. After we finish all three summary paragraphs, we will use Inspiration to see if we can trace one part of our own family migration and/or immigration to the USA.

By: Mr. Brown

November 10, 2005

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