Standards:

6-8 American History 5.4.E. Analyze patterns of immigration to determine their impacts on the
cultural, social, political and economic development.

Related AASL Standards:

AASL 2018, Learner I.B.3. Learners engage with new knowledge by following a process that
includes generating products that illustrate learning.

Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the difference between push and pull factors that draw
immigrants to the United States.

Assessment:
Students will complete a 3-2-1 chart (3 things I learned, 2 important details, 1 question that I
have).

Instructional Plan:
No prior learning is required for this lesson. A familiarity with migration could be helpful, but is
not necessary to understand the material.

Instruction and Activities

 Start by showing students the “Two Centuries of Immigration” flash video. Ask students
about what they think it represents. (5 min)
o What do the dots represent?
o What might have motivated them to come to America?
 Explain some things that encourage people to leave their homes and countries and
reasons people choose one new place to live over another.
 Break students into small groups to answer the following questions (10-15 min)
o What are some reasons people might leave their homes?
o What are some reasons people might leave their countries?
o Are there reasons that people might choose to move to this country?
o Are there reasons that people might choose here (town/state) as their new home?
 Bring students together to discuss their answers. (10-15 min)
o Explain to students that the reasons people leave their homes and countries are
called “push factors”.
o Explain to students that the reasons people chose a new home or country are
called “pull factors”.
 Be sure to validate as many answers as possible and direct them to think about why
people came to the original colonies.
o Share the video History of Colonial America with the students. (3 min 30 sec)
o Discuss the reasons that brought groups of people to America. (5-10 min)
 Be sure to identify as many reasons and groups as possible.
 Reasons may include:
o Religious Freedom
o Pursuit of Wealth
o Forced Labor
  Groups may include:
o Africans
o Dutch
o English
o French
o German
o Irish
o After connecting groups with different reasons they might have immigrated, have
students work in pairs to fill out their 3-2-1 chart. (5-10 min)
 If time permits, have students ask and answer questions from their 3-2-1
chart in a group discussion.

Resources, Materials, Technology

Computer with projector and sound system
3-2-1 Charts (1 per student)
Two Centuries of Immigration Flash Video
History of Colonial America Video

Differentiation
Students will work in the whole group and small group discussions. The teacher will use audio
and video to stimulate further discussion. Students will then work in pairs to complete their 3-2-1
charts.

Closure and Reflection

The teacher will examine student 3-2-1 charts to ensure student understanding and look for
misconceptions and questions they may have encountered. By doing so, the teacher can then
tailor future lessons to correct misconceptions and answer questions.
Name: __________________________________ Date: ______________

3-2-1 Strategy Chart

Topic of discussion: _____________________________________________________

3 things you learned

2 interesting things

1 question you still have