Lesson Plan Template based on Understanding by Design by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins

Title of Lesson: Mexican Immigration to the U.S.—Understanding Various Points of ViewAuthor: Carla Hozebin Grade Level: 7School: Washington Middle School Time Estimated: 5-45 minute class periods

Brief Overview Illegal immigration is a debatable issue between the U.S. and Mexico. Many people in both nations have opposing opinions on the issue. Laws and legislation are currently being reformed by the U.S. government with the input of U.S. citizens.

Historical Inquiry Question 1. What are the arguments for and against allowing illegal immigrants to

remain in the U.S?2. If you were in Congress, what sort of immigration bill would you

propose? Why?3. Are illegal immigrants a key part of the U.S. economy or should they

being treated as criminals? Why or why not?

Content KnowledgeAs a result of this lesson, students will know:

1. Relate to various points of view on both sides of the issue of illegal immigration

2. Understand the reasons and opinions why groups support or refute illegal immigrations

3. Support their opinion using details learned from their classmates, the Internet, and primary resources

Skills As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. conduct research using Internet, news and primary sources to learn about the opinions of various groups representing a variety of viewpoints about immigration reform.

2. develop a role play that illustrates a specific point of view related to immigration reform and perform this role play for classmates.

3. debate issues related to immigration reform based on the various viewpoints represented in the prior class activities.

4. compose a persuasive letter to a state senator describing their views about immigration reform and their ideas for solving the problem.

CT Standards Addressed

1.1.1Evaluate the impact of interactions between the U.S. and other countries.1.4.10 Examine geographic factors that help explain historical events or contemporary issues.1.5.15 Evaluate the positive and/or negative impacts of mass human migrations on both people and a nation/region. 1.9.21Debate instances where rights and responsibilities of citizens are in

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conflict. 1.13.27 Analyze the contributions and challenges of different cultural/ethnic groups in the U.S. over time. 2.1.1Locate and gather information from primary and secondary resources.2.2.3 Access an author’s purpose and point of view and respond in literal, critical, and evaluative ways. 2.3.5 Create written work expressing more than one point of view. 2.4.9 Orally present information on social studies events or issues and support with primary and secondary evidence. 3.2.4 Explain the point of view of people engaged in a historical event using primary resources.

Prior Knowledge Students must know that Mexico and the U.S. are counties that border each other on the continent of North America. They must also know that many people immigrate to the U.S. from countries other than Mexico. They must know the difference between legal and illegal immigrants and know basic facts and statistics on U.S. immigration and laws and legislation.

Resources needed Library of Congress Resources

The Americanese Wallhttp://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b00563/

Other resources Varying Opinions About Illegal Immigrants in the U.S. handout What are the facts? handout Role Play handout Role Play notes handout Persuasive Letter rubric Internet access

Process of Lesson Hook/Warm Up:

Show students the cartoon titled “Literacy Test.” Have students write what they think the cartoon means in their own words in a paragraph. Have students share their ideas with a partner. Bring the class back together and have a brainstorming discussion that leads to the following questions.

In your opinion, in what ways are illegal immigrants important/helpful to the U.S.?

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In your opinion, in what ways are illegal immigrants impacting the U.S. in a negative way?

Inquiry Activity:

Corroboration

1. Distribute the handout Varying Opinions About Illegal Immigrants in the U.S. to each student. Select students to read about each different group's point of view on immigration. As you complete the section about each group of people, take 2-3 minutes to discuss their point of view and summarize their main ideas about illegal immigrants.

2. Divide the class into 4 groups. Using Internet resources have students work as a group to research the common opinions of the people they are representing. They should use the questions on What are the Facts? handout to guide their research.

3. When research has been completed and each group has a clear understanding of what the people they represent believe about illegal immigrants, direct students to the Role Play handout. Give groups time to create and practice their role-play.

4. Have each group present their role-play to the class. Students should pay careful attention to each group presentation to learn how each group feels about the issues surrounding illegal immigrants and do this by answering the questions on Role Play Notes handout after each group performs their role play.

Application Activity:

5. As a final activity, have each student draft a letter, persuasive essay, or letter to the editor that describes what they believe should be done to solve the problem of illegal immigrants in the U.S. Students should utilize what they have learned from their research and class discussion and debate activities to formulate a plan that addresses the point of view provided by each of the groups they learned about.

Evaluation Students will be evaluated on how well they complete above tasks according to answers given on their handouts, their role plays, and how well they meet the criteria on the rubric for their persuasive letter.

Possibilities for Differentiation

This lesson can be adapted for various learners. For students unable to complete the persuasive letter, students will be asked to create a cartoon/drawing that describes what they believe should be done to solve the problem of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

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Varying Opinions about Illegal Immigrants in the U.S.www.pbs.org/newshour/extra

Group 1: Illegal Immigrants in the U.S. Excerpted from Online NewsHour “Building Up the Border” on 2/15/06 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/jan-june06/fences_2-15.html

“When asked why they were making the trip, many here echoed the words of Luis Valdez. He's a father of three from central Mexico who was about to attempt his first illegal crossing into the United States.

LUIS VALDEZ (Translated): I have to go there to work. I need to get there to get ahead a bit in life for the sake of my family.

JEFFREY KAYE: Some deportees here told us that enhanced border security has discouraged them from trying to enter the U.S. again. Other migrants said they'd go around the fences and agents and try to cross the border in more remote and dangerous areas.

Rafael Rigos, who says he's almost died in the past crossing illegally into the U.S., is familiar with the perils.

RAFAEL RIGOS (Translated): The mountains make it easy to get lost if you don't know the way. But the biggest danger is lack of water. If you run out of water, you're done.

JEFFREY KAYE: Last year, nearly 500 people died trying to cross the deserts and mountains of the U.S.-Mexico border. It was the largest annual migrant death toll ever recorded by the U.S. Border Patrol.

JEFFREY KAYE: At Casa Del Migrante, migrants say as long as desperation and poverty exist in Mexico and Central America, no amount of fences will stem the human tide of illegal immigration.

RAFAEL RIGOS (Translated): You can have a third or a fourth fence but it is not going to change anything. People are going to keep coming.”

Group 2: U.S. Citizens Against Illegal Immigrants Excerpted from Online NewsHour “Rallying for Rights” on 4/10/06 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/jan-june06/immigration_4-10.html

But these huge pro-immigrant rallies also have brought out critics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: I am tired of people coming across with impunity. We don't know who is here. We don't know what diseases they have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: There's 360 million Americans that need to start standing up for their country, before we give it away.

KWAME HOLMAN: In Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, anti-immigrant members of a group called The Border Guardians set fire to a Mexican flag.

Excerpted from abcnews.com “Rallies Called to Make Illegals Legal” on 4/10/06 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1825363&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 “…Michelle Dellacroce, of Mothers Against Illegal Aliens, feel that American children are adversely—an unfairly—affected by this kind of illegal immigration. ‘They’re not happy with what they have in their country. They want to come here illegally and then put their children into our schools so that we pay for their children’s education and that needs to stop,’ Dellacroce said. ‘My taxes pay for the education of my children to go to that school. My children should be learning the education in the public schools in English, not in two separate languages.’ Group 3: Employers Hiring Illegal Immigrants Excerpted from Online NewsHour “Immigration Debate” on 3/31/06 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/congress/jan-june06/immigration_3-31.html

RAY SUAREZ: Dean Baker, it's a commonplace in President Bush's speeches that illegal immigrants take jobs Americans will not do; is it true?

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DEAN BAKER: Well, you have to add one more clause to that: at the wages that are being offered. If you look at the situation of less-skilled workers, workers with just a high school education, particularly those who are high school dropouts, their wages have gone nowhere over the last quarter-century.

And part of that story is because they have to compete with immigrants coming in who are willing to accept those jobs at much, much lower wages. A lot of people may not be willing to take jobs at the minimum wage or a little bit above, but they would certainly be willing to take the jobs in the meat-processing factories, in restaurants, you know, go down the list of occupations where we see a lot of immigrant labors.

If those jobs offered $15, $20 an hour and paid health care, you would have lots of native-born workers who are very happy to take those jobs. So the story has been that we've seen the wages depressed in a large number of jobs, so, yes, native-born workers aren't willing to take those jobs anymore. But we have to get the wages up; that's the key.

RAY SUAREZ: Dan Griswold, is the president right that illegal immigrants are taking jobs that Americans will not do?

DANIEL GRISWOLD, Cato Institute: The president is right. And companies just can't raise wages willy-nilly; they're restrained ultimately by what customers are willing to pay on the other end. If wages go up, customers will turn away from the higher prices, and those industries will shrink. You know, where is the line of Americans waiting to pick lettuce in the noonday sun all day or to scrub toilets all night at a discount store? They're just not there. This is honorable work, but it's hard work. And I think we should allow immigrants to come in and take those jobs that Americans simply don't want.

Group 4: Legal Immigrants Excerpted from Online NewsHour “Rallying for Rights” on 4/10/06 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/jan-june06/immigration_4-10.html

KWAME HOLMAN: One of those marching in Washington today was legal immigrant Saul Soloranzo of El Salvador.

SAUL SOLORANZO, Salvadoran: Today, we are here to present our voice and our petition for a legalization program, because so many immigrants are helping this country. Our labor is needed and is recognized, but -- so, the status of the people here should be recognized.

But many on the march in Washington today argued that immigrants should be recognized for their valuable contributions to American society. Salvadoran Jamie Guray has been in the U.S. for more than 20 years.

JAMIE GURAY, Salvadoran: We're here to protect our immigration rights and also to show that we are also contributing to this country in a major way: economically. We're a major economic force in the United States. And we -- and we contribute culturally to this society.

YANIRA MERINO: Well, I mean, we want to give a message that one of the reasons that we're out there is because we are saying, we want to be American citizens.

We're here. We work. We have families. Most likely, we are going to end up staying in this country, because we already have roots in those communities.

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What are the facts? www.pbs.org/newshour/1

You have been assigned to represent one of the four groups of people with varying viewpoints on immigration.

The group you are representing is: ______________________________________

Using Internet research the opinions the group you represent has about immigration reform in the U.S. Use the questions below as a guide and include as many specific facts, examples, and reasons as possible when you record your information.

1. What does this group feel the U.S. immigration policy should be?

2. Why does this group feel the U.S. should adopt this type of immigration policy?

3. What does this group see as the benefit of adopting this type of immigration policy, and

what will they gain?

4. How would adopting this type of immigration policy affect the U.S. economy and public

services such as education, the justice system, and health care?

5. What effect will this type of immigration policy have on the other groups represented? List

each group and explain the impact of this policy;

A.

B.

C.

Record additional information, stories, data, and facts related to how the group you represent

views immigration reform and the ideas this group has for U.S. immigration policies and

procedures.

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Role Play

Student Name Role

Please write a brief summary of your role-play below.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Role Play Notes

Group 1: Illegal Immigrants in the U.S.

1. What does this group want the U.S. immigration policy to be?

2. How does the illegal immigrant issue currently affect this group?

3. Why should you agree with this group’s immigration reform?

Group 2: U.S. Citizens Against Illegal Immigrants

1. What does this group want the U.S. immigration policy to be?

2. How does the illegal immigrant issue currently affect this group?

3. Why should you agree with this group’s immigration reform?

Group 3: Employers Hiring Illegal Immigrants

1. What does this group want the U.S. immigration policy to be?

2. How does the illegal immigrant issue currently affect this group?

3. Why should you agree with this group’s immigration reform?

Group 4: Legal Immigrants

1. What does this group want the U.S. immigration policy to be?

2. How does the illegal immigrant issue currently affect this

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group?

3. Why should you agree with this group’s immigration reform

Persuasive Letter to Your Local Representative

Election Day has come and gone along with all the television ads and now it is time for our government officials to get serious and make laws that represent what is in the best interest of the people of the United States of America. Illegal immigration is one of the hottest topics facing our nation today. Everyone has a strong opinion on how they feel about illegal immigration and what they feel the government should do about it. You are going to let Congresswoman Nancy Johnson know how you feel about illegal immigrants and what the government should do about the situation.

Circle your position below.Pro: If you feel that illegal immigrants are a key

part of the United States economy then you must support this opinion with 3 details that defend the rights of illegal immigrants in the United States.

Con: If you feel that illegal immigrants should be treated as criminals then you must support this opinion with 3 details on how the government should solve the problem of immigration.

This 5 paragraph essay must be in letter format.

Introductory Paragraph Position Statement: Choose one of the opinions

above and state it. Give your 3 details supporting this statement. Transition sentence.

3 Body Paragraph State your main idea in the topic sentence. Support it with at least 3 details from your

research. Transition sentences.

Closing Paragraph Restate your position statement.

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Restate your 3 details. Provide a rebuttal that predicts the reader’s

concerns or arguments and refutes them.

Persuasive Letter

Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 - Above Standards

3 - Meets Standards

2 - Approaching Standards

1 - Below Standards

Position Statement

The position statement provides a clear, strong statement of the author's position on the topic.

The position statement provides a clear statement of the author's position on the topic.

A position statement is present, but does not make the author's position clear.

There is no position statement.

Support for Position

Includes 3 pieces of evidence that support the position statement. The writer anticipates the reader's concerns, biases or arguments and has provided at least 1 counter-argument.

Includes 3 pieces of evidence that support the position statement.

Includes 2 pieces of evidence that support the position statement.

Includes 1 piece of evidence that supports the position statement.

Closing paragraph

The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer's position. Effective restatement of the position statement begins the closing paragraph.

The conclusion is recognizable. The author's position is restated within the first two sentences of the closing paragraph.

The author's position is restated within the closing paragraph, but not near the beginning.

There is no conclusion - the paper just ends.

Grammar & Spelling

Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.

Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.

Salutation & Closing

Salutation and closing have no errors in capitalization and punctuation.

Salutation and closing have 1-2 errors in capitalization and punctuation.

Salutation and closing have 3 or more errors in capitalization and punctuation.

Salutation and/or closing are missing.

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Your Score __________

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