Studying Immigration in K-12 Schools

http://www.wrentham.k12.ma.us/C13/C3/U%20S%20Immigration/default.aspx

The K-12 website that I have found is the official site for Wrentham Public Schools, a group of schools in the town of Wrentham, Massachussets. This particular page outlines the areas of study on the topic of US immigration. It is taught throughout a child's school life, outlined as follows: "Immigration and related subjects are included in the curricula of most elementary schools, studied again in middle schools and then in greater depth in high schools." This shows how the subject of immigration and its role in the foundation of American society is a very significant one to teach as it is fundamental in understanding what it is to be an American, harking back to the days of de Crevecoeur.

One of the ways in which the subject of early US immigration is taught in Wrentham Public Schools is by giving 7th graders the task of researching a particular immigrant group in the United States and creating a "culture capsule" for the group. This "culture capsule" assignment involves decorating a shoebox and including in the "capsule" the following items:

"1. Flag of immigrant's home country. (Displayed on the outside, top cover of shoebox)
2. Map of the immigrant group's home country. Identify the location/area within the home country where the majority of your emigrant group migrated from.
3. U.S. map showing the locations where large communities of these people live today. (Label states or regions on map and shade the area in gray.)
4. Drawing, picture, or model of Ellis Island AND an extended response describing the history and significance of Ellis Island to American immigration.
5. Bar graph comparing the current numeric population of your immigration group to the current United States population.
6. Circle graph illustrating the % of the immigrant's population in relationship to the U.S. total population
7. Illustrations or pictures that represent events or laws that have affected this group
8. Examples of this group's contributions to American culture (i.e., customs, holidays, beliefs, foods, music, clothing, etc.) Use pictures, drawings, artifacts, etc. to illustrate these."

Another task set in Wrentham Public Schools is a biographical research task in which students are asked to select a famous immigrant and write a short biography about them as well as considering their impact on American culture today and the qualities that made them so successful. Students are also given the assignment of researching their own backgrounds and family histories to find out how their ancestors first came to the United States in order to fully understand that America is a nation of immigrants. Interviews, documents, and written reports are required as deliverables in this project. This task, as well as teaching the children about their own family history and their immigrant roots, also discourages prejudice against ethnic groups as the students are made aware that nearly every American descends from an immigrant and thus to discriminate against others for that would be contradictory.

All of these tasks show how the subject of US immigration in the 19th and early 20th century is presented to schoolchildren as a very important part of their history and how all of the different and diverse ethnic groups are integral in making the "American Mosaic" that exists today.