Is america truly a melting pot?
Social Studies Standards
National Council for the Social Studies Standards (NCSS)
Standard I - Culture Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity Standard II - Time, Continuity and Change Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the past and its legacy Standard III- People, Places and the Environment Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places and environments Standard IV- Science, Technology and Society Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of relationships among science, technology and society. VA SOL Skills USI.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship b) make connections between past and present d) interpret historical ides from different historical perspectives e) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing USI.2 (Geography) The student will use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, or tables to a)locate the seven continents and five oceans. Math Standards
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics
Algebra - Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative measures; SWBAT model and solve contextualized problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables and equations. Data Analysis and Probability - Understand and apply basic concepts of probability; SWBAT use proportionality and a basic understanding of probability to make and test conjectures about the results of experiments and simulations. |
science standards
National Science Education Standards (NCES)
5-8: F. SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES 2. Populations, Resources, and Environments a. When an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will become degraded due to the increased use of resources. b. Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country. VA SOL Earth Resources 6.9 The student will investigate and understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts include a) management of renewable resources; b) management of nonrenewable resources; c) the mitigation of land-use and environmental hazards through preventive measures; and d) cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies. Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic 6.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations. h) data are analyzed and communicated through graphical representation; i) models and simulations are designed and used to illustrate and explain phenomena and |
Objectives
- SWBAT discuss and analyze why people immigrate today.(social studies)
- SWBAT analyze the country’s cultural makeup using ratios and proportions over a sample size. ( social studies and math)
- SWBAT create questions about immigration and scarce resources through a shared writing experience. (social studies, science and language arts)
Activities (50 minutes)
- Engage -Start the day's lesson with an interactive read-aloud of 4 select pages (pages 4-11 & 25) from the book, If America Were a Village by David J. Smith. (15 minutes- whole geroup gathered on the carpet)
- Explore - Analyzing the demographics - break the students into 4 groups. Each group will get one page of the book to analyze. Go the the website populationconnect.org with the class and display the population clock to determine how many people live in the US today. Each group should use this number to come up with the top three demographics listed on their page. Use ratios and proportions against the actual US population to come up with how many people fit the demographic listed on their page. Use the handout provided in the PBA packet each group. Each group presents their results to the class. (15 minutes - small groups)
- Explain - Teacher presents online map and facilitates discussion of the global map and immigration - a snapshot of global migration. In reviewing the migration map, teacher shares talking points from the article- a Nation of Nations. (whole group - 10 minutes)
- Elaborate - Introduce the next lesson - a guest speaker or two will come in to share their immigration story. Teacher facilitates a shared writing experience to generate questions for the guest speaker. Questions should relate to issues in their homeland that drove them to leave and their personal experiences once arriving in the United States. (10 minutes- whole group)
Materials
- The book, If America Were a Village by David J. Smith
- Graphic organizer handout for analyzing demographics. This handout is in the student's PBA packet.
- Computer with internet access and a projector to access the various website links found in the activity section
- Chart paper to write a list of questions generated during the shared writing experience
Assessment
- Formative - Was each group able to (A) identify and (B) properly calculate the number of people included in their three main demographic groups.
- Anecdotal - Note on a checklist students participation and understanding when developing questions for the guest speaker. Do questions indicate an understanding of resource needs that drive immigration?