Migration and Belonging

Essential Question or Facing History theme: How should societies integrate newcomers? How do newcomers develop a sense of belonging to the places where they have arrived?

Brief Overview of Module: This was written for a 7th/8th grade integrated Language Arts and Humanities classroom in an IB school. The unit is six weeks long.

Performance Task “How should societies integrate newcomers? How do newcomers develop a sense of belonging to the places where they have arrived?” These are the questions Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks, considered in his book The Home We Have Built Together. After reading informational texts, literature and various memoirs on immigration in the United States write an essay in which you address the questions by arguing which strategies employed by both immigrants and citizens best achieve a cohesive community. Support your position with evidence from the texts about identity, membership, and migration.

(Based on Literacy Design Collaborative Task #2 for Argumentative and Analysis)

Module Overview

Module Graphic Organizer Title of Unit: Migration and Belonging

Essential Question or Facing History theme of unit: 1. How should societies integrate newcomers? 2. How do newcomers develop a sense of belonging to the places where they have arrived? Brief Description of Module (including grade, course and expected length of instruction) This unit is designed for a 7th/8th grade integrated Language Arts/Humanities IB classroom.

The unit is 6 weeks long.

Performance Task: “How should societies integrate newcomers? How do newcomers develop a sense of belonging to the places where they have arrived?” These are the questions Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks, considered in his book The Home We Have Built Together. After reading informational texts, literature and various memoirs on immigration in the United States write an essay in which you address the questions by arguing which strategies employed by both immigrants and citizens best achieve a cohesive community. Support your position with evidence from the texts about identity, membership, and migration. Skills students will need to achieve task: This unit is both integrated and written for an International Baccalaureate classroom, focusing on Facing History texts and resources. I have included Language Skills that come from CCSS and Humanities skills that are rooted in the IB philosophy. I believe that the IB Humanities skills align with Facing History’s “Pedagogical Triangle of Historical Understanding” in terms of helping to create students who seek to understand history so that they mat then apply it to their lives. Language Skills (from Common Core standards)

• Ability to read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences fom it; cite specific textual evidence when writing to support conclusions drawn from the text.

• Ability to determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

• Ability to interpret words and phrases as they are used in text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

• Ability to read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Humanities Skills (from IB objectives)

• Ability to establish a personal sense of identity in a context of time and place

• Ability to recognize issues of equality, justice and responsibility

• Ability to understand social structures and controls

• Ability to understand and explain short-term and long-term causes of change.

• Ability to establish and explain links between causes, processes and consequences Content (major texts used): Whole Class Novel – Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

Literature Circles – Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

Collection of documents from the Facing History and Ourselves Stories of Identity: Religion, Migration and Belonging in a Changing World Stories of Great Migration by Isabelle Wilkerson Escape from Slavery by Frances Bok Becoming American: The Chinese Experience Crossing the Boulevard (CrossingtheBoulevard.org) We Are Americans: Voices of the Immigrant Experience by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco Arn Chorn Pond: Everyone Has A Story

DVD: Well Founded Fear

DVD: The Forgotten Ellis Island DVD: Not in our Town: Light in the Darkness

Weekly Lesson Overview: Week One: Migration and Belonging: Stories of Identity

Facing History How do we begin to understand differences? Why do people themes or content move and how does that movement affect communities and individual identities? Understanding Strangers, Three Parables for Integration, Identity in Diaspora (Facing History texts)

Skills addressed • Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development.

• Analyze how to or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge.

• Use language as a vehicle for thought, creativity, reflection, learning and self-expression.

• Establish a personal sense of identity in a context of time and place.

• Comprehend more clearly aspects of their own culture and those of other cultures by exploring the interdependence of human beings through a variety of works.

Activities planned • Fishbowl Discussion with “Three Parables for Integration”

• Attribute Linking with “Understanding Strangers”

• Socratic Seminar and Journaling with “Identity in Diaspora” Journal prompt: Share a story that your family loves to tell or a story about your family that you love to tell. What is the power in storytelling? How does sharing stories help individuals and groups maintain cultures/values (in a diaspora)?

• Book talks on new Literature Circle immigration themed books. Students select new books.

Week Two: Immigration in the early 20th century Who was shut out and who was welcome to America? Facing History Who was Welcome?, Who was Shut Out?: Immigration Quotas themes or content 1925-1927, Timeline of Major Immigration Laws, Enrique’s Journey

Skills addressed • Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

• Recognize issues of equality, justice and responsibility.

• Understand and explain short-term and long-term causes of change.

Activities planned • Identity Web for America (individual and whole class)

• Geography Review on maps (from quota information)

• Socratic Seminar on “Who was Welcome? Who was Shut out?” (and webs we created for America)

• Research and analyze timeline of immigration laws. Sharing research in small and whole groups

• Reading of the Epilogue of Enrique’s Journey and Socratic Seminar on the choices made by Sonia Nazario and Lourdes

• Continued Reading of Literature Circle novels

Week Three: Stories from Ellis and Angel Island and Becoming American Facing History How are newcomers integrated into society? How do themes or content newcomers develop a sense of belonging?

DVD: The Forgotten Ellis Island “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus Ellis Island pictures and stories Angel Island stories Chinese Americans: Becoming American DVD and lessons from

FHaO website Reading of Chapters 1 and 2 of Enrique’s Journey and Reader’s Theater Presentations of excerpts from the book. Continued Reading of Literature Circle novels.

Skills addressed • Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media.

• Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning and tone.

• Recognize issues of equality, justice and responsibility

Activities planned • Reader’s Theater Presentations of excerpts from the book Enrique’s Journey.

• Continued Reading of Literature Circle novels (Group meetings, discussions and work with literary skills.)

• Video excerpts: Chinese Americans: Becoming American DVD -Creating a Phrasebook, Writing a letter about needs of immigrants, OR reflective poem about needs of immigrants Socratic Seminar/Research the poem “The New Colossus”.

• Creative journal writing: Choose an individual from this (Ellis Island) picture. Write a series of 3 journal entries before, during the voyage (with the Statue of Liberty in view) and after arriving in America. How do the individual’s thoughts/feelings/ expectations change throughout their journey?

Week Four: Focus on Enrique’s Journey and Literature Circle Novels Facing History Enrique’s Journey/Literature Circle Novels themes or content Chapters 3, 4 & 5: What horrors and acts of kindness will Enrique experience as he makes repeated treks through Central America and Mexico? What motivates him to persevere through the hardest times? What decisions must Lourdes make

as she establishes her life in America? How does the reality of life in America compare to her expectations and the misconceptions she believed to be true? Literature Circles: What hardships and/or successes do the characters experience as they migrate to a foreign place? How do they persevere through challenges? How are they received as newcomers?

Skills addressed • Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

• Establish and explain links between causes, processes and consequences

Activities planned • Individual, small and whole group readings of Enrique’s Journey,

• Socratic Seminar on readings, illustrations of excerpts from readings, Reader’s Theater presentation of excerpts of books.

• Literature Circles: Creative writing: series of journal entries from the perspective of character of choice in the book. Prompt: Create a series of three journal entries from a character in your book. The entries should span the course of the book so far and should demonstrate the thoughts, feelings and emotions the character has experienced throughout their journey this far.

• New covers (front and back) for Literature Circle books. The front cover must be a new and original illustration and must contain a theme or symbol present in the text. The back cover must be a concise summary that draws in the reader (without giving away the ending!) Week Five: Stories of Contemporary Immigration Facing History How are newcomers received? How do they create a sense of

themes or content belonging to the places where they have arrived? Crossing the Boulevard, Escape from Slavery, “Everyone has a Story,” “Attacks Against Asian Students in Philly School”, Not in our Town: A Light in the Darkness, Well Founded-Fear

Skills addressed • Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

• Analyze how point of view or purpose shapes the content or style of a text.

• Comprehend more clearly aspects of their own culture and those of other cultures by exploring the interdependence of human beings through a variety of works.

• Understand and explain short-term and long-term causes of change.

• Establish and explain links between causes, processes and consequences.

Activities planned • Crossing the Boulevard Jigsaw activity

• Escape from Slavery Jigsaw activity

• “Everyone Has a Story”: Journal writing Prompt 1: How do you welcome new people? Prompt 2: Share a story about you. It should be some moment or event that has had an impact on your life or changed you in some way. Be prepared to share in a small group.

• Well-Founded Fear – Graphic organizer that leads to Socratic Seminar addressing questions regarding who is granted asylum in America.

• Not in our Town: Light in the Darkness – Graphic organizer leading to Socratic Seminar Week Six: Two Views on Immigration Facing History What are the different views in regards to immigration policy? themes or content “The Debate in Congress”

Skills addressed • Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences form it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support

conclusions drawn from the text.

• Recognize issues of equality, justice and responsibility.

• Understand and explain short-term and long-term causes of change.

• Establish and explain links between causes, processes and consequences. Activities planned Choral readings (Reader’s theater) presentations of the various views provided in “The Debate in Congress” readings. Barometer discussion following up the reading of “Two Views of Illegal” from the Washington Post. What do you think?

Common Core State Standards Addressed throughout module:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. • CSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.54

Where in the module are students meeting the shifts of the CCSS? The students are meeting the shifts of the CCSS in three very important ways. First, the students are asked to read a great deal of nonfiction, including literary nonfiction. The students read excerpts from powerful nonfiction texts such as Arn Chorn Pond’s “Everyone Has a Story”, Francis Bok’s Escape From Slavery, and Crossing the Boulevard. I used the jigsaw strategy to maximize time and material with the students. The activities allowed the students to take responsibility for their own learning while also ensuring that they are able to discuss and share their understanding with others.

The second shift revolves around the students learning how to read texts very specifically and intentionally in order to formulate an opinion or answer a question using evidence from the text to support their thinking. This happened daily as we read through Enrique’s Journey. For example, I asked my students why Enrique continued to attempt to reach America after seven failed and nearly fatal attempts. I asked them to tell me why he should persevere or quit and to support their thinking with text evidence. This question led to a classroom discussion that lasted a whole class period. The students kept referring to their books offering point after point to support their opinions. There was, of course, no right or wrong answer, but the students’ discussion was rooted in the story and the text fueled their opinions! The third shift has to do with giving my students really challenging texts! One example of this is when we read sections of “The Debate in Congress” from the Facing History resource Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement. After an initial reading I asked each group to check in with me regarding the stance of their text: were they for or against immigration reform? Only one group had a solid understanding of the text. I asked my students to read again, highlight key vocabulary, and pull the words that seemed important and cross out what seemed irrelevant to a true understanding. I then asked the students to present the texts in a “Choral Reading” activity. I watched the students work together to pull out the meaning and then communicate that understanding to their classmates. That type of work took time and patience, team work and perseverance. That was a favorite lesson of mine because by the end of the project I knew that they had struggled through it. Even though it was incredibly challenging they had figured it out.