Molloy College

Division of Education
Heading for Coursework
Student Samantha Sauer
Professor K. Sheehan
Course EDU 351
Date 10/27/15
Grade 4
Topic Do immigrants today face the same kind of problems that immigrants that
we study faced?
Content Area Social Studies
Instructional Objective(s)
After reviewing Neil Diamonds song, Coming to America as a document, students will
prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse
partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Students
will participate in a History Alive: Act It Out activity and receive a three or four on the rubric to
determine whether immigrants today face the same kind of problems that immigrants that we
study faced.
STANDARDS AND INDICATORS
(Cut and Paste)
New York State Social Studies Standards
Key Idea:
4.7 IMMIGRATION AND MIGRATION FROM THE EARLY 1800S TO THE PRESENT:
Many people have immigrated and migrated to New York State contributing to its cultural
growth and development
Key Concepts:
4.7a Immigrants came to New York State for a variety of reasons.
Students will research an immigrant group in their local community or nearest city in
terms of where that group settled, what types of jobs they held, and what services were
available to them, such as ethnic social clubs and fraternal support organizations.
Indicator: This will be evident when students perform a History Alive: Act It Out activity on the
problems todays immigrants are facing.
National Social Studies Standards and Themes:
1. Individual Development and Cultural Identity
Role of social, political, and cultural interactions in the development of identity

Personal identity as a function of an individuals culture, time, place, geography,

interaction with groups, influences from institutions, and lived experiences

Indicator: This will be evident when students work together and participate in a History Alive:
Act It Out activity and receive a three or four on the rubric to determine whether immigrants
today face the same kind of problems that immigrants that we study faced.
NCSS C3 Inquiry Arc: Dimension 3: Students will work toward conclusions about societal
issues, trends, and events by collecting evidence and evaluating its usefulness in developing
causal explanations.
Dimension 4: Students will draw on knowledge and skills to work individually and
collaboratively to conclude their investigations into societal issues, trends, and events and
present their information.
Indicator: This will be evident when students participate in a History Alive: Act It Out activity
and receive a three or four on the rubric to determine whether immigrants today face the same
kind of problems that immigrants that we study faced.
Common Core ELA Standards
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Indicator: This will be evident when students take notes to defend whether immigrants today
face the same kind of problems that immigrants that we study faced.
4.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Indicator: This will be evident when students participate in a History Alive: Act It Out activity
about todays immigrants.
Social Studies Practices: Habits of Mind
3. Gathering, Using, and Interpreting Evidence
Indicator: This will be evident when students participate in a History Alive: Act It Out activity
about todays immigrants.
MOTIVATION

Students will review Neil Diamonds song, Coming to America as a document they analyzed
for homework. Students will take a moment to tweet the main objective they took away from the
song, or their opinion they have formed about todays immigrant thus far.
MATERIALS

SMARTBOARD
Props for History Act It Out
History Act It Out pictures and documents to fill the filing cabinet
Writing utensils
STRATEGIES

Group discussion
collaborative learning
cooperative learning
direct instruction
History Alive: Act It Out
ADAPTATIONS

The student who is an English language learner will be placed in a group with proficient
speakers who will support them during the planning portion of the Act It Out Alive
Activity and Kahoot.
The student with ADD will receive scribed notes.
The hearing impaired student will be provided with a voice amplifier.
DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION

The teacher realizes that not all students learn the same way.
Visual learners will be stimulated by the key points being listed on the SMARTBOARD.
Auditory students will hear spoken-word when each group performs their skit on
immigration.
Social Interaction learners will be engaged by the social interaction of working in groups.
Kinesthetic learners will be engaged by the History Act It Out activity.
Linguistic learners will be engaged in the writing activity.
Tiered Differentiation
Tier One Learners will be provided with a short summary of different cultures
immigration and an outline to be filled in about the problems they faced to help
them with both the History Alive activity and conversation.
Tier Two Learners will be provided with an outline for their History Alive activity
and conversation writing exercise.

 Tier Three Learners will be do the History Alive activity and conversation on their
own without any support.
DEVELOPMENTAL PROCEDURES
1. Motivation: Students will review Neil Diamonds song, Coming to America as a document
they analyzed for homework. Students will take a moment to tweet the main objective they
took away from the song, or their opinion they have formed about todays immigrant thus far.
(Who sings this song? (Literal) How does Neil Diamond portray immigration in his lyrics?
(Inferential) Can this relate to any relatives or immigrants within your own town?
(Metacognitive))
2. Step Two: History Alive Strategy: Act It Out: Students will work in groups of three to four to
discuss an image and quote of an immigrant student from the Hempstead school district.
Students will determine what they observe about the situation in the picture and the students
attitude in their quote. After they take time to view the image, the students will perform an
act it out skit in front of the class. One student will be a news reporter, while another student
is the student from the quote, and the final student is a school official from Hempstead. If a
group has more than three, then students will determine other roles which may appear in the
scene. They will perform an interview, as if it was live from the school using details they
have observed from the image and quote. There will be different images and documents for
different groups to use. (What do you see in the image? (Literal) How does the image make
you feel about education equality for immigrants in the Hempstead school district and why?
(Inferential) What information do you know from the image? (Metacognitive) How does this
activity help you learn about problems todays immigrants are faced with? (Metacognitive))
3. Exit Strategy: Kahoot: Students will sign into the Kahoot website and login using the game
code to complete an interactive assessment of whether the immigrants today face the same
kind of problems that immigrants that we study faced. Students will then answer the
questions that appear on the smart board, from their phones or tablets. (What problems do
immigrants face today? (Literal) Do you believe todays immigrants have a more positive or
more negative experience compared to the immigrant we studied, and why? (Inferential)
What helped you to form your opinion about todays immigrant situation? (Metacognitive))
4. Independent Practice: Students will write a conversation between an immigrant of the past
and an immigrant of today. Students will include supporting details within the conversation
to help prove their whether immigrants of today are facing the same problems of past
immigrants.(What cultures were immigrants in the past and where are immigrants from
today? (Literal) Do you believe the immigrants of today are facing the same problems as
immigrants of the past? (Inferential) What information that you have learned about has
affected your opinion of todays immigration? (Metacognitive))
ASSESSMENT

The teacher will observe the students behavior while developing their Act It Out skits.

The teacher will listen and review each groups concepts and ideas.

The teacher will moderate the History Alive activity.

The teacher will see the degree of information the students use from the Act It Out
activity to support their opinions.

The teacher will see the degree of information the students use from what they have
learned in their conversation writing assignment.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Students will write a conversation between an immigrant of the past and an immigrant of today.
Students will include supporting details within the conversation to help prove their whether
immigrants of today are facing the same problems of past immigrants.
FOLLOW-UP: DIRECT TEACHER INTERVENTION AND ACADEMIC
ENRICHMENT
Direct Teacher Intervention: Students who did not easily meet the lesson objective will, along
with the teacher be provided with a Venn Diagram graphic organizer of the problems immigrants
face today vs. the problems immigrants faced in the past.
Academic Enrichment: Students who easily met the lesson objective will find an article in the
newspaper about immigration issues within their own neighborhoods or culture.

REFERENCES
Why did immigrants come to America?. (2015). Retrieved from,
http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_54_notes.htm
Lee, M. Y. H. (2015). Donald Trumps false comments connecting Mexican immigrants and
crime. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/facthecker/wp/2015/07/08/donald-trumps-false-comments-connecting-mexican-immigrantsand-crime/
Mueller, B. (2015). School district on Long Island is told it must teach immigrants. Retrieved
from, http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/earlyaviation.htm