Coming To America
HOW IT WORKS
Coming To America teaches students about
the history of immigration in the United States:
how it has affected the population of our country,
and how it continues to change and influence
its development. We learn about the many
different groups of people who have left their
country of origin for the United States. We
explore some of the reasons someone might be
compelled to come to America, leaving their
past and perhaps their possessions and family
members behind. And we discuss the different
feelings that a new immigrant to this country
might have, as well as what a person might
experience upon entering his/her new home.
Students also get a chance to discuss and explore the backgrounds, experiences, and
stories that are part of their own family history.
During this program, students read literature
and respond to it in writing, artwork, and
discussion. They conduct research on the Internet
using non-fiction sources, write reports and narrative accounts, and interview immigrants. They
take part in an imaginative role play in which they
pretend to be an immigrant family—designing
and measuring suitcases and deciding which
items would be most useful in their new country.
Students also role-play dealing with all the
procedures of immigration, step-by-step, in a mock
Ellis Island setup; and they create graphs and
charts using computer applications (Kid Pix)
and go on a field trip to Ellis Island.
THE STUDENTS
This program is appropriate for grades three
through nine, with the reading level of the
literature varied according to grade level, and it
can be used with small groups or larger ones that
are divided into cooperative groups. It
addresses all learning styles including visual and
kinesthetic, and audio learners can be utilized
cooperatively, so all levels of achievement and
learning abilities can be accommodated.
THE STAFF
Frances Hidalgo is the teacher of a third-grade
integrated class at P.S. 164 Caesar Rodney
School in Brooklyn, New York. She was a
literacy cluster teacher last year. This is her first
year teaching in a classroom and the first year
the program Coming To America has been used.
WHAT YOU NEED
Coming To America can be implemented in any
classroom-type setting. Computers (one for
each cooperative group is suggested) are needed as well as Internet access. Since the
program relies heavily on a literature impetus for
all activities, trade books with immigration
themes are very important. The books are
chosen according to the class population for that
year. We are located in a neighborhood with
a large Jewish population, so we also choose
books with themes that deal with Jewish
immigration.
OVERALL VALUE
This program utilizes many web sites about
immigration that the children visit to perform
research and to generate ideas. It also includes
interviews with parents who have immigrated,
as well as a field trip to Ellis Island. Coming to America addresses the
curriculum areas of Social Studies, Mathematics,
Science, and Art. It uses technology in the form of
Internet research, incorporates illustration
programs and spreadsheet/chart applications, and
provides a subject matter that children can
easily identify with. And exploring their own
family history and perhaps their own personal
experiences with immigration can have a positive
effect on the students’ self-esteem. |