In this lesson students will use the topic of immigration to demonstrate their ability to organize, analyze and evaluate information.
	Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies
	Language Arts - Illinois Learning Standards 5A. Locate, organize and use information from a various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas 5B.  Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. 5C.  Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
•	Social Studies - Illinois Learning Standards 14F. Understand the development of the United States political ideas and traditions. 16A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. 18A. Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions and institutions.

Immigration is the act of leaving one's country to settle in another foreign country. People find it very hard to pull up roots in their native land and move to a strange country. But throughout history, countless millions of people have done so.
 
People move to another country for various reasons. Some leave their homeland to avoid starvation or to escape unbearable family situations. Many move to avoid revolution and war. Others are escaping religious or political persecution. Some immigrants were brought to a new land against their will, as slaves. Some immigrate to be reunited with their loved ones. Some move in search of adventure. Throughout history, the number one reason has always been economic opportunity - - the search for better land or a better job. Recently, many professional people have emigrated because of better opportunities elsewhere. http://www.42explore.com/migration.htm
Welcome! On this journey, you will assume the role of historical detective and search for clues to support your conclusions about American immigrants.      Which immigrant has had the greatest influence on American life?  A movie star?  An athlete?  A scientist?  An inventor? You be the judge!!  Begin your search by collecting information on some famous immigrants in American history.
 
 

Have you ever heard the term "melting pot"?  This refers to the idea that America is a country made up of people from many lands.  Think about your own ancestors. When did they first come to America?  Why did they come?  Where did they come from?  How did they get here? pictures

Task 1:  Talk with the members of your group.  Discuss the above questions and enter your information into our team ancestry data base.  On the large world map, place a small dot on the country from which your ancestors immigrated.

Task 2:  Discuss with your group what it means to "make a contribution."  Define the term and discuss what you already know about people who have made contributions to American life.  Enter your ideas on the "Contribution Chart" in the room.

Task 3: Now let's think about people from other countries who have come to America and made an important contribution.  These people are called immigrants.  Who are the immigrants?  In order to make a well-informed decision about important contributions of immigrants, you must first collect information about those immigrants. Collect your information on the "Immigrant Worksheet."
    You must locate information about two immigrants in each of the following categories:
        "Science and Math
        "Sports
        "Entertainment
        "Humanities/Arts
        "Politics and Business

Use the following websites and resources to collect data about ten famous immigrants who made valuable contributions during their lives.  Use at least three different sources including biographies, the internet, the encyclopedia, magazines and other teacher approved resources.   Remember, your task is to decide which ONE immigrant has had the greatest influence on American life.  Once you have collected the required information, you will present this information and defend your group's decision to the class.

Celebrity Immigrants

Famous Immigrants in History

A & E Biography

Ellis Island 

Task 4:  Fill out the Nomination Form and decide which project/presentation format you will use for your final project.
 
Nomination Form

"Use resource materials to provide students with background knowledge about immigrants coming to America from 1820 to the present day.

"Provide maps for students to locate and review names of countries and continents.

"Explain the goal of the webquest:  to choose an immigrant who has made the most significant contribution to life in America and complete a project/presentation. 

"Assign/configure groups.

"Model and/or explain the task of the group and the steps needed to accomplish the goal. 

"Share evaluation rubric with students.

Once students have investigated the background material necessary to make informed decisions, and completed tasks 1, 2 and 3, then they must fill out a "Nomination Form" which will be given to the teacher.  The Nomination Form should include the name of the nominated immigrant and the reasons for the choice of this immigrant. Students then choose a project/presentation to share with the class.

"Provide options for how students may present their information to the group. Here are some ideas:
 

	Multimedia Presentations
	Web Page
"	Persuasive Speech
"	Any other teacher approved presentation

Identify for the students which other resources they may use to complete their task(s).  Resources may include:
 

	Best History Sites
"	Learning and Resource Links

Provide students with a clear understanding of the grading criteria which will be used to evaluate their efforts.

Click Here for Cooperative Group Rubric

Explain to students how the conclusion will offer the opportunity to engage in further analysis. For example:
 

	Ask students how their roles could have been interpreted in a different light?
	Ask students if they had interpreted their roles differently, how might the outcome have changed?
	Ask students if they were flexible enough to compromise with the group and attain resolution, or did they yield to group pressures?
	Ask students what new questions did the issue(s) generate? Why would these new questions be important in answering the original question(s)?