Immigration & Ellis Island

Lesson #2
Why Did People Leave Their Home Countries?
50-60 Minutes
Carly Naselli

Unit Plan Goal Statement: Throughout the two week unit plan titled “Immigration and Ellis
Island,” students will develop an understanding of the topic within the fourth grade curriculum
supported by the Pennsylvania CCSS and the NCSS themes. Students will gain an understanding
of the history of immigration through Ellis Island, how it impacted American history, and how
immigrants were impacted by different policies and perceived by native born citizens. Lastly,
students will be able to relate past immigration to current immigration. Because the issue of
immigration is globally occurring and changing the development of our world, it is extremely
beneficial for students to have knowledge of the histories and issues of immigration in order to
best understand the role and impact of immigration on America's current events.

Lesson Plan Goal Statement: The students will learn, research, and make sense of the reasons
why immigrants may have been more forced to leave their homeland, rather than want to leave.
They will focus in on specific push factors in order to learn about the reasons by working in
groups and whole class discussions.

How will this lesson support the learning goal?

(1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes)
Students will join in discussion about push factors with immigration, as well as conduct research
together in groups. They will then present their findings to the class, which will include a
specific push factor whether it be social, economic, environmental, or political.

Lesson Preparation
I. Learning Objectives
a. The students will be able to define what a “push factor” is.
b. The students will research an assigned push factor using provided websites.
c. The students will work together in groups and put together a power point on their
researched push factor.
d. The students will be able to write the definition of each push factor and two facts
about each push factor that they learned about.

II. Standards by Discipline & Content Themes

a. PA Standards
i. 6.1.4.D: Explain what influences the choices people make
ii. 6.1.C.B Evaluate the economic reasoning behind a choice.
iii. 6.1.U.A Analyze how choices are made because of scarcity
b. NCSS
i. NCSS.1.1 THEME ONE: Culture and Cultural Diversity
1. NCSS.1.1.a ...enable learners to analyze and explain the ways
groups, societies, and cultures address human needs and concerns;
 ii. NCSS.1.4 THEME FOUR: Individual Development and Identity
1. NCSS.1.4.h ...assist learners as they work independently and
cooperatively within groups and institutions to accomplish goals
iii. NCSS.1.7 THEME SEVEN: Production, Distribution, and Consumption
1. NCSS.1.7.f ...provide opportunities for learners to assess how
values and beliefs influence economic decisions in different
societies;
iv. NCSS.1.9 THEME NINE: Global Connections
1. NCSS.1.9.b ...help learners to explain conditions and motivations
that contribute to conflict, cooperation, and interdependence
among groups, societies, and nations

III. Academic Language

a. Academic Vocabulary
These are terms that the students will be expected to utilize by the end of this
lesson. The students will use most of these terms when putting together their
power point, and will hear all of them by the end of the lesson. They will use
these words when putting together their power point, and will write most of them
in the closure activity.
i. Push Factor: Helps people make the decision to emigrate. They are
usually poor conditions in the homeland whether it be social, political,
environmental, or economic factors. These factors cause people to leave
their homeland.
ii. Emigrate: to leave one’s home country to settle in a different place.
b. Concepts:
i. Push factors of immigration
ii. Reasoning behind deciding to emigrate
c. Skills:
i. Group discussion
ii. Text comprehension
iii. Understanding justice and equity
iv. Presenting information
v. Identifying main ideas

IV. Technology, Materials, Resources

a. The students will have access to both books and the computer room to research
information about push factors. My classroom will contain four copies of the
book: I Was Dreaming to Come to America: Memories from the Ellis Island Oral
History Project by Veronica Lawlor. The students will be given the option to
skim through and/or read these books for information on push factors.

b. The students will be given three websites that they can use to find information:
i. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/young_immigrants/va
ndi.htm; This is an excerpt from a young immigrant today. He explains
that he had to leave his country because of the war going on in it.
 ii. https://www.hickmanmills.org/cms/lib3/MO01001730/Centricity/Domain/
794/Push%20Factors%20in%20Immigration.pdf; Includes information
about push factors as well as questions, which will be optional for students
to do.
iii. http://www.jaha.org/edu/discovery_center/push-pull/peopling_pa01.html;
More info on push and pull factors that lead into immigration. Also info
on “who came to Pennsylvania”; and information on different groups of
immigrants that came into PA.
c. All of these resources will aid them in finding their research, and learning about
what causes immigrants to leave their homeland.
d. The students will be using Microsoft power point or google slides to make a
power point about their push factor.
e. They will also be writing information using pen and paper.

Instructional Delivery
V. Anticipatory Set
a. 5-10 minutes
b. I will introduce this lesson by talking to my students: I want you all to close your
eyes. Think of your home, your community, your neighbors, your daily routine.
Now, imagine if one day something happened to your area and you have to leave.
It might be a war. Maybe there is a famine. But for whatever reason, it is in you
and your families best interest to go to somewhere else. Think about what you
would be feeling and thinking. Does anyone want to volunteer what they think that
would be like?
c. After getting them thinking and hearing from volunteers, I will introduce push
factors: Going back to what I was saying about how maybe there was a war going
on, or a famine; Those things are called push factors. Today, we will be
discussing the different types of push factors that caused immigrants to have to
leave their homeland.
d. This will give students a chance to connect what they imagined with their prior
knowledge of immigration, whether it be family members, a story they read, or
anyone they know. It will also help open a discussion and explain what a push
factor is. By asking them to close their eyes and imagine, they will be focused and
interested in what is about to be discussed.

VI. Instructional Activities

a. I will start by defining what a push factor is: Push factors help people make the
decision to emigrate. They are usually poor conditions in the homeland whether it
be social, political, environmental, or economic factors. I am going to give you
some examples of each. Teacher writes on board
i. Social push factors are and were things like:
1. Not free to practice their religion
2. Lack of social mobility
ii. Political push factors:
1. Their government may be abusing power or not protecting them
2. Human rights may be violated
 iii. Environmental push factors:
1. Not enough land
2. War
3. Floods, fires, natural disaster
4. Food shortage
iv. Economic push factors:
1. Their job is moving them.
2. Families may not have enough money to stay where they are;
poverty
3. Migrants are forced to leave; may have been sold for money to go
somewhere.
These factors cause people to leave their homeland.
b. I will then read the book The Long Way to a New Land by Joan Sandin; In 1868 a
family leaves Sweden to make a better life; the family was facing starvation in
Sweden.
c. We will then have a class discussion on what kind of push factor was experienced
in the book.
d. I will then separate the class into groups of 4, by having them count of 1-4. Once
they are in groups, I will assign them a push factor: social, political,
environmental, or economic.
e. Directions will be explained: There are four copies of a book here. I Was
Dreaming to Come to America: Memories from the Ellis Island Oral History
Project by Veronica Lawlor contains 15 excerpts by young immigrants about
their reasons for coming to America and also how they felt about it. If you would
like to take a look at it, you can find information about push factors in it and use
that as a resource. There are also some websites I would like you to take a look at
for your research:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/young_immigrants/vandi.htm

https://www.hickmanmills.org/cms/lib3/MO01001730/Centricity/Domain/794/Pu
sh%20Factors%20in%20Immigration.pdf

http://www.jaha.org/edu/discovery_center/push-pull/peopling_pa01.html

We will be working in the computer room so that you can use these websites as
resources. There are some important things I want you to include in your power
point, that are all on this handout I am passing out now
Teacher hands out handout; attached at the end of the lesson plan:
f. Now, let’s go over this handout. At the top, you will put your name. Under, you
will see “push factor”. This is where you will put down whatever I assigned to
you. Under that, you will write a definition that your group has come up with
after your resource. This definition can include examples like the ones I used on
the board. After the definition, you will see “Groups/Countries affected by this
reason for leaving their home country”. Here, you will write down the groups
and/or countries that came up in your research that were affected. Next, put down
a description/details of how the situation in their country made/encouraged
 families to leave and start a new life somewhere else. Last, at the bottom you will
put down any additional information that you think would be useful to know.
g. I will circulate the room and answer any questions that you have. After your
group is done, have one member raise their hand so that I can look over your
research notes.
h. After 25 minutes, I will direct students to put their information into a power point;
giving around 10-15 minutes.
i. Each group will present their power point by connecting to the smart board. The
class will be told to write notes on each presentation. They will be told to write
the push factor and a “definition” and then 2 facts of their choosing.

VII. Closure
a. 10 minutes
b. I will go over the different push factors, asking students to volunteer and tell the
class about each push factor. We will have a class discussion about each
presentation. I will ask what they found interesting, if they wonder about
anything, and if they can relate to anything. This will help me know if they
understood why immigrants leave their homeland, and if they have any further
thoughts. I will end with: Friends, really take in and think about what we learned
today. Tomorrow we will be learning about the other side of why people leave
their homeland. Pull factors; what makes it desirable to leave. The students will
hand in their written notes to me at the end of the lesson. This will be their ticket
out of the class.

Meeting All Learners

VIII. Differentiation
a. Students whose academic development is below the grade level will find support
in working with other in a group. I will be walking around and observing, so if I
see someone being left out of conversations or who seems confused about
something, I will sit in with the group and aid in conversation. I will make sure to
explain things not being understood. These students will also be given a list of the
keywords defined, that can aid them through the lesson.
b. Students whose academic development is above the grade level and who may be
finishing early on their research, will have the opportunity to fill out the optional
worksheet attached to one the provided web resources. They will also be able to
do further research on immigration and relate it back to immigrants specifically in
PA.
c. Students will be provided with resources, but will also have the freedom of doing
their own research and finding their own sources when on the computer. They
will then share their content with the class when presenting.
d. By having the students work in groups, students are supported by one another and
will also have the teacher as a support as well.
e. By having the use of computers, as well as written work and discussion, there are
different ways different types of learners can participate in this lesson.
IX. Accommodations
a. Students who have difficulty writing will be allowed to type up what they learned
from each group. This also applies for students who have difficulty with speaking
and participating in that sense. The different tools used in this lesson will give
students different options of learning.

X. Modifications
a. I will be circulating the room and discussing with individuals and groups who are
having difficulties. The students will also be helping one another and discussing
with each other.
b. If students are un able to write, they will be able to orally speak with their group
as well as myself. If a student is un able to read, they will have group members
who are able to read the research to them, as well as myself.

Meeting Objectives
XI. Assessments
a. For objective a: I will be able to evaluate if the students can define push factor by
looking at their handed in notes.
b. For objective b: I will be able to evaluate if students are researching by looking at
their research notes and also their presentation.
c. For objective c: I will be able to evaluate how students work together in groups
and put together a power point by teacher observation. I will be walking around
observing the group work and will view the power points as well.
d. For objective d: I will evaluate this by looking at the handed in, written notes
about each push factor.

Current Event

Link: https://www.timeforkids.com/g34/california-fires/

a. This article is about the fires occurring in California.

b. This can be connected to push factors. The people and families affected by the fires have no
choice but to leave their homes. It shows how hard and devastating it can be to leave your home,
but how sometimes that is your only options.

c. Greenberg, G., (2017). California Fires. Time for Kids

Retrieved from https://www.timeforkids.com/g34/california-fires/