Lesson 3: Push and Pull Factors- Immigration to the United States

Goal: Students will expand their understanding of push and pull factors by
exploring immigration to the United States.
Time: 3-4 days

Items Needed: Step 2: SM 5/6/7/8 of 17, Step 5: SM 11 of 17, Step 8: SM 13 of 17, Step 8:
http://tinyurl.com/grc9e45, Step 10: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-
american/angel_island/, Step 12: SM 17 of 17
Videos:http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.htm (Stops 1,2,3,10),
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/webcast.htm (00:00-5:41), Step 12
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6KYQNXZwMI )

1. Skip Steps 1-2

2. Step 3: Students will work with a partner or on their own. Students will need to
read SM 5/6 of 17 (Moving to Michigan) and complete SM 7 of 17 while reading,
(Answer key SM 8 of 17).
a. Review direction on the SMs with them.
3. End of Day 1-This day included CNN 10.
4. Step 4: Discuss some of the reasons for immigration to Michigan that were given.
a. Some reasons
i. Better jobs
ii. Religious freedom
iii. Escaping poor conditions
b. Remind them that historians and geographers talk about these as
push or pull factors
c. Some of these factors influenced immigration to other parts of the
US.
5. Skip Step 5
6. Step 6: Have students look at SM 11 of 17. Explain that students should work
with a partner to draw conclusions about immigration based on the data.
a. Explain what the abbreviated words are so students understand
what they are looking at.
b. Remind them how a pie chart works, and conveys information.
c. Possible conclusions
i. 1800s most immigrants were from Europe.
ii. 1880-1900 was a shift in European immigration.
More came from S. and E. Europe.
iii. 1800s didnt have many from Asia coming to US.
iv. 1920-1939 immigrants came from Europe, Mexico,
and Canada.
v. Recently most immigrants come from Asia and the
Americas.
7. Step 7: Skip The Keeping Quilt
8. Step 8: Share that many European immigrants entered the US through Ellis
Island from 1892-1924.
a. Share with the students that today we are going to explore Ellis
Island together.
 i. Have students look carefully at the pictures, videos,
and audio clips to come up with some conclusions about immigration
during the early 1900s.
b. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.htm:
Make sure to stop at the following point and explore the images, audio, video,
and text features.
i. Stop 1
ii. Stop 2
iii. Stop 3
1. Make sure to explain that the
process to become a citizen was long, and often families would be
separated.
iv. Stop 10
c. Then take a video tour with the students.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/webcast.htm (Play from
Beginning-5:41)
d. Have students share some of their conclusions about immigration
during the early 1900s.
9. Step 9: Give each student SM 13 of 17.
a. Review directions on the sheet
b. Tell students that they can only take with them what they can
fit/carry in/on their backpack.
i. Share with them http://tinyurl.com/grc9e45 so they
can analyze what immigrants brought, or how they packed.
c. Have them share out afterwards what they placed in their
backpack to see if there are any similarities between students.
10. Skip Steps 10-12
11. Step 13: Explain that immigrants came also from Asia, often entering immigration
centers like Ellis Island. In San Francisco they had Angel Island. Students can read
about Li Keng Wong and her experience at Angel Island.
a. Have students read http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-
american/angel_island/
i. Share with the class the following two sections
1. Arriving at Angel Island
2. Detained at Angel Island
b. Afterwards have students share how the experience at Angel
Island was the same or different.
12. Skip Step 14
13. Step 15: Share with students that not all immigration to America was a choice for
those who moved.
a. Show SM 17 of 17.
b. Have students notice that image 1 is of European immigrants.
c. Image 2 is of enslaved Africans and how they were shipped to
America.
d. How did the immigration of the two groups differ?
e. Have students watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=u6KYQNXZwMI let them know that each dot is a ship, the larger the dot means
the more people on that ship.
 f. Discuss the following after watching slave trade video.
i. 15 million people were transported as slaves.
Unknown amount dying at sea.
ii. Taken by force from Africa, transported, and
enslaved in the Americas.
iii. Most slaves ended up in S. America or Caribbean.
iv. Learn more about slavery next year and 8th grade.
14. Ask the students what type of impact did all of this immigration have on the US.
15. Skip Step 16

Lesson 5: Adapting to Different Environments in the U.S.

Goal: Students explore how the culture of a place is influenced by geography.
Time: 1-2 Days
Key Concepts:
Adaptation to the environment
Culture
Human/environment

Items Needed: Step 2: http://tinyurl.com/zzq3w8e (Google Classroom), Step 4: SM 5 of

11, Step 6: SM 9 of 11, Step 8: SM 11 of 11
Videos: Step 10: Soddy Video

1. Skip Steps 1-2

2. Step 3: Ask students what the phrase adapting to the environment
means. (Think, Pair, Share)
a. Explain that geographers study people and how they
adapted/changed to fit their environment.
b. Explain that housing is an example of how people adapt to
their environment.
c. Share http://tinyurl.com/zzq3w8e to the students via Google
Classroom. Have the students look through the slideshow, and notice how
the homes are adapted to the environment in which they are located.
d. Have them share their own thoughts after some time.
e. Provide the following information if needed.
i. Log cabins are often found where lots of trees
can be found, and often have a porch or large windows to enjoy the
view.
ii. Houses on stilts are found near bodies of water
to avoid flooding.
iii. Houses in cities have little room and are
smaller.
 iv. Houses near the coast have a lot of windows
for the same reason as log houses.
v. Houses in dry areas have flat roofs due to little
rainfall, or clay tiles which hold up better to the heat.
3. Skip Step 4
4. Step 5: Discuss how people likely change the land for different activities.
a. Provide SM 5 of 11 for the students and have each group
look at a different image, and explain how people used the land, and may
have changed the land.
5. Skip Step 6-9
6. Step 10: In each table group provide a copy of SM 9 of 11. Explain that
geography and history are often interrelated. History looks at how people from
the past adapted to new environments.
a. Before reading SM 9 of 11 show students Soddies Video to
give them a better understanding of what a soddy was.
b. Then Read from Dandelions (a story we have already read)
the page that is marked with a sticky.
i. Ask the students what happened to them while
they were in a soddy?
c. Next have students work together in pair to figure out
i. The type of source this text is from.
ii. Identify two challenges of the plains
environment which are described in the primary source.
7. Skip Steps 11-12
8. Step 13: To end this lesson give students SM 11 of 11 to work on with a
partner.
a. Students will choose one of the questions to investigate.
Then they will complete the chart.
b. Remind them that this is not an in-depth investigation they
just need to find one example of adaptation.
c. Students can use the following resources to research.
i. Wonderopolis
ii. National Geographic Kids
iii. Britannica Elementary Edition

Lesson 6: How People Have Used the Environment of the United States
Goal: Students will study various ways that people have used the environment in
the US through an exploration of natural resource use.
Time:4-5 days

Items Needed: Step 2: SM 4 & 5 of 21, Step 5: SM 7 & 8 of 21, Step 6: SM 10 of 21,
Step 9: SM 11 of 21, Step 9 & 10: SM 12 of 21, Step 12 SM 15 of 21, Step 12: SM 16 &
17 of 21, Step 14: SM 19 of 21, Step 15 Energy Resource, Step 15: Minerals in our
Environment, Step 16: SM 21 of 21
Videos: Step 3 Physical Geography

1. Step 1: Ask students to define what the term natural resources means.
a. Things in nature that people find useful
b. Example: water, soil, and trees
2. Step: 2: Use SM 4 of 21 and review what the students have learned
previously about the natural resources in Michigan. (Answers on SM 5 of 21).
a. Michigan Map (if needed)
b. Water
c. Fertile Soil
d. Forests
e. Minerals
3. Step 3: Begin by playing a video about Physical Geography of the USA.
a. Afterwards have a physical map of the U.S. ask students
how they would characterize the physical geography of the U.S.
b. What are some of the landforms, climate, bodies of water,
and vegetation in America?
c. Discuss their ideas, and guide them to understanding that
the physical environment provides different natural resources for us to
use.
4. Skip Step 4
5. Step 5: Provide SM 7 & 8 of 21 as HW.
a. Students should read the text and answer the questions on
the back. Encourage students to highlight or underline while reading.
b. A demonstration on highlighting and underlining may need to
be done.
6. Step 6: Provide SM 10 of 21.
a. Explain that trees are an important part of U.S. history.
b. Students should read the text that is provided, highlight the
ways trees are used, and then create a Google Slides document.
i. In the slides they will find a picture for each
type of tree that is in the text.
ii. Then they will list off at least 2 ways each tree
is used.
7. Skip Steps 7-8
8. Step 9: Explain that one of the most important uses of land in the U.S. has
been agriculture (farming). Explain that students will be working in small groups
to investigate agriculture in different states.
a. Model how this is done with Michigan.
9. Step 10: Provide each student with SM 11 of 21.
a. Review the headings of each section.
 b. Then use SM 12 of 21 on the document camera to display
your summarizing of significant information.
c. Demonstrate as well highlighting.
10. Step 11: Place students into groups and provide each student SM 12 of
21.
a. Explain that students should work together to identify 4
different states from 4 different regions (1 state per region). Region Map
b. Each group member will work together then to find
information on that state.
c. Have the students type ag classroom for kids into the
safari search bar.
i. Then choose State agricultural facts
d. Information should be summarized on the charts.
e. Give each group time to gather information.
f. At the end have students share out about each state.
i. How does farming differ around the U.S.
ii. Different Animals?
iii. Main crops?
11. Skip Steps 12-13
12. Step 14: Explain that just like land, water is a valuable resource in the U.S.
a. Use SM 15 of 21 for the entire group.
b. Ask the class to predict an answer for each of the questions.
c. Make sure to cover up the actual uses of water with another
sheet.
d. After you gather students predictions have them individually
read SM 16 & 17 of 21.
e. Students should read the information and look at the images
provided. They should highlight the correct information.
13. Skip Step 15
14. Step 16: Ask the students to identify some of the natural resources that
are used to make a traditional pencil.
a. After you gain their insight provide SM 19 of 21 on the
document camera.
b. Help the students understand that trees, water, and fertile
soil are needed to make a pencil.
c. Ask students to identify other categories of natural resources
that they are seeing on the document.
i. Minerals are also natural resources.
15. Step 17: Display the following link: Energy Resource.
a. Give students time to examine with a partner.
b. Display SM 20 of 21 on the document camera.
c. Have students answer the following questions.
i. What 5 states are the top mineral producers in
the U.S. Are you suprised? Why or Why not?
 ii. What rank does MI have in mineral production?
Why do you think this is true?
iii. Which minerals are you unfamiliar with?
d. Have the students share out their findings.
e. Next share Minerals in our Environment so students can see
all of the minerals we use every day.
f. Have the students look to see which state produces some of
these minerals.
16. Additional information:
a. What are the main items that we recycle?
b. Which items do you recycle at home?
c. How is paper recycled?
i. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2c8YxMb0tlk
d. How is plastic recycled
i. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zyF9MxlcItw
17. Step 18: Display on document camera SM 21 of 21.
a. Ask the following questions.
i. What regions of the U.S. have oil and gas
fields?
ii. How are these natural resources used in the
U.S?
iii. Though the U.S. has oil and gas fields it still
imports oil. Why do you think this is true?
b. Based on the questions students should see why oil and gas
are important resources.
18. Skip Step 19

Lesson 7: Modifying the Environment in the U.S.

Goal: Students explore how people modify the environment in the US.
Time: 3-4 Days

Key Concepts:
Human/environment interaction
Modification of the environment
Resource use

Items Needed: Step 4: SM 4 of 11,

Video: Step 8: Mannahatta 1609, World Trade Center Elevator,
 1. Skip Step 1
2. Step 2: Review the book Just a Dream which was read in lesson 1.
a. Ask students to identify ways in which the environment was
modified in the book.
i. The following is illustrated in the book.
1. Land covered in mountains of
trash.
2. Forests being cut down.
3. Factories polluting the air.
4. Hotel on top of Mt. Everest.
5. Overfished waters.
6. Land is covered with roads and
cars.
7. Smog covered the Grand
Canyon.
b. These are possible futures.
c. To what extent have some of these illustrations come true?
3. Skip Step 3
4. Step 4: Provide students with SM 4 of 11.
a. Students should label the cards in chronological order.
b. Students may work in pairs.
c. Afterwards they must list on the back 3 ways Michigan was
modified or changed by people.
d. The correct order is on SM 5 of 11.
5. Skip Step 5
6. Step 6: Explain human activities led to environmental changes. Often they
had a positive economic impact.
a. Farming and lumbering helped Michigan grow and develop.
b. Cities then provided places to live and work for people.
c. People need to balance economic concerns with
environmental concerns. (Balancing Act)
d. Share the story of Singapore, MI
7. Skip Step 7
8. Step 8: Share SM 7 of 11 with the students.
a. Have students analyze the maps on their own first.
b. Ask them to think about how the environments changed by
the growth of the cities.
c. Gather responses.
d. Share with them both the following videos about the
transformation of New York City.
i. Mannahatta 1609
ii. World Trade Center Elevator