Coming to America

 An Integrated Unit of Study – Upper Primary Level Social Studies

Veterans Park Elementary

By Stacy Altwies, Sherry Beard, Melody Newton, Jane Smith

 

Organizer: How would knowing about different cultures that came to America help me to respect people in my community?

 

Academic Expectations and Demonstrators:

1.16 Students use computers and other electronic technology to gather, organize, manipulate, and express information and ideas

·        Express information and ideas using technology

2.17 Students interact effectively and work cooperatively with diverse ethnic and cultural groups of our nation and world

·        Recognize that culture is learned

·        Investigate how our society is influenced by a variety of cultures

·        Describe cultural universals, similarities, and differences

2.20 Students understand, analyze, and interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to develop historical perspective

·        Distinguish among the past, present and future

5.3 Students organize information to develop or change their understanding of a concept

·        Identify connections between new information and prior knowledge

 

Essential Questions:

·        Why do people immigrate to America?

·        What cultures are represented in my ancestry and my community?

·        How does understanding about other cultures help me get along with people?


Culminating Performance:

As a group, participate in the design and presentation of a classroom web page that illustrates:

·        your country’s culture  

·        a time when a large number of people immigrated to America

·        a contribution or individual from your country that influences America today

Individually, contribute a web page that will include at least one of the following eight elements: language, music, art, dress, food, stories, customs, holidays. Your individual web page design, information and oral presentation will show what you have learned about your family’s contribution to culture in America.

 

Rubric:

Individual Web Page

 

·        Technology

A visually appealing web page that includes title, at least one graphic and one paragraph
(Express information and ideas using technology)

·        Content

Includes essential information and enough elaboration to give readers an understanding of the topic; grammar, punctuation, spelling and capitalization are correct

·        Teamwork

Works well with others, takes part in decisions and contributes fair share to group

·        Presentation

Communicate ideas with enthusiasm, proper voice projection, appropriate language, and clear delivery

 

4 3 2 1 0

 

 

4 3 2 1 0

 

 

  4 3 2 1 0

 


4 3 2 1 0

 

Individual Score

4 3 2 1 0

 

 

Class Web Page

4 3 2 1 0

Content

·        Identifies three family customs

    (Recognize that culture is learned)
(Identify connections between new information and prior knowledge)

·        Describe the contributions of one important person who influenced America’s culture

(Investigate how our society is influenced by a variety of cultures)
(Identify connections between new information and prior knowledge)

·        Explain three characteristics that all cultures have in common

(Describe cultural universals, similarities, and differences)
(Identify connections between new information and prior knowledge)

 ·        Explain three similarities and three differences between your culture and another culture.

(Describe cultural universals, similarities, and differences)
(Identify connections between new information and prior knowledge)

·        Shows an understanding of timelines

     (Distinguish among the past, present and future)
(Identify connections between new information and prior knowledge)

 

 
Knowledge:

 ·        SS-E-2.1.1- Language, music, art, dress, food, stories, and folk tales help define culture and may be shared among various groups.

·        SS-E-2.1.2 – Elements of culture (e.g., language, music, art, dress, food, stories, folktales) serve to define specific groups and may result in unique perspectives.

·        SS-E-2.2.1 – All cultures develop institutions, customs, beliefs, and holidays reflecting their unique histories, situations, and perspectives.

·        AE 2.17, 2.20
 


Skills and Procedures:

·        Synthesize information from multiple sources

·        Writing and speaking skills

·        Incorporate media, print and technology

·        Determine similarities and differences

·        Accessing information

·        Distinguish relevant information

·        Draw conclusions


Instructional Activities:

 

Social Studies

Computer Lab

Language Arts

Day 1

Timeline – Immigration (genealogy) – Coming to America

Introduce web project

 

 

Day 2

Customs (piñata) (universals, similarities and differences)

 

 

Day 3

Customs - Literature (How My Parents Learned to Eat)

 

Open Response – Identify three family customs

Day 4

Important People

 

 

Day 5

Research

 

Begin research with Encarta and WWW.

Open Response – Important People

 

Day 6

Continue research

 

 

 

Continue research with Encarta and WWW.  Begin FrontPage webpages.

 

Day 7

Continue research

 

Complete FrontPage webpages.

Open Response – Similarities and Differences

Day 8

Presentation

 

 


Resources:

Technology Resource Teachers

Fiction Bibliography

Reference Bibliography

Internet sources

Technology

Library Media Specialists

Family members

Back to Veterans Park Elementary School

Back to the PET Project