Finding Your Roots Project
One exciting project in our elementary curriculum is the Immigration Unit for fourth and fifth graders. This unit, based on our school’s project-based learning (PBL) approach, unfolds throughout the school year with hands-on experiences and discoveries.
The unit begins with a guiding question: “What is immigration?” To launch their learning, students create a KWL chart to capture what they already know, wonder, or want to learn about immigration. Here are a few responses from our students:
“Immigration is when someone comes from a different country to live in another.”
“It’s when people move to escape war or natural disasters.”
“It’s when you flee from another country because of war or disasters and find a home.”
Some of their questions included:
“Why do people move? Is it only because of war or disasters?”
“How do you immigrate?”
“What are the main countries people come from?”
From these conversations, an essential question emerged: “Why do people immigrate to America?”
Special Guest Speaker
To deepen their understanding, a social justice advocate joined us for a meaningful discussion on immigration. In a sharing circle, students engaged in topics like border issues, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), current policies, and their own family origins. They also created a physical web to visualize the connections among these ideas.
Our students’ reflections included thoughtful questions such as, “What can we as Americans do to help immigrants feel welcome?” Around the circle, students shared suggestions like:
“We could create food baskets to provide a first American meal.”
“Maybe we could donate money to give them something to start with.”
“We could help immigrants find jobs so they don’t have to search.”
“Maybe families could host immigrants so they have a place to stay and feel comfortable.”
Exploring Ellis Island & Immigration History
In the next phase, we discussed historical reasons for immigration, such as religious freedom, economic opportunity, and escaping unfair treatment. Students explored “push” and “pull” factors that motivated people to come to America, learning about the different class systems aboard ships. Through photos and articles, they examined the journey to Ellis Island and learned about the rigorous inspections third-class passengers had to undergo.
Family History Project
In the current phase, students are researching their own family’s immigration stories. They’ve interviewed family members, gathered photos, and created family trees with the help of our Tech teacher, using GoogleDraw. Soon, they’ll present their family histories to the class, connecting personal stories to our broader studies on immigration.
Everything our students have explored will connect to future topics like the Gold Rush, Chinese Exclusion, Japanese Internment, colonization, manifest destiny, and an investigation into the history of marginalized communities in America.
