Immigration
Mrs. Dugan
George
Westinghouse High School
Introduction:
The United
States has been a beacon for Immigrants since its inception. This “open door policy” is even engraved our
the symbol of welcoming and freedom: the
Statue of Liberty which says “Give me your tired, your
poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” In the late 19th and early
20th centuries, immigrants from Europe came to the United States through New York
and saw this beacon of freedom as they approached their new life. Many
immigrants came to escape harsh political conditions but even more came to improve their
chances of economic success as the Industrial revolution spurred this idea that
in the United States the streets are paved with gold. The harsh reality for many of these immigrants
was the streets were paved with sweat and tears not the gold they came in
search of. These new immigrants could not speak English and formed communities
in neighborhoods around the country. The living conditions were often below
those they had left behind and disease, poverty and overcrowding plagued many
of these immigrant communities. Jobs
were difficult to come by as discrimination was rampant and each group faced
discrimination of the groups that came before.
Immigrants
posed a major social problem. Their suffering and lack of resources affected the
over 20 million who came to the United States between
1885 and 1925.
For this Webquest you will be a public policy
analyst. Your role will be to investigate the social problems of immigration
from 1885-1925 and you will investigate the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 of
1798.
Task:
Each group
will be assigned to write a newspaper column for their local paper that is
written specifically for an ethnic group between 1885-1915.
Each group will choose to take the role
of either: An Eastern European Jew, an
Italian Immigrant or an Irish Immigrant.
The column you write appears in the paper weekly (you will write two
columns: each a minimum of 2 pages)
detailing problems that impact your specific ethnic group such as overcrowding,
discrimination or disease. Each column
will be focused on a different topic.
You will use the Public Policy analyst steps in writing your column.
Using your
columns as a resource you will then compose a two-page letter to the editor of
the New York Times explaining your experiences and recommendations for
improvements that the newspaper could publish to raise awareness of your
groups’ plight and possibly
alter the current United States nativist centered policy: Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to develop solutions
to your problems.
Process/Resources
You will use
the FOUR-STEP AMERICAN HISTORY PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST.
You are to
read each step and complete each of the FOUR worksheets linked at the bottom of
each web page. Use the MS Word version worksheet (AHPPA): The steps will form
the basis for your column and letter to the editor
Step # 1: Identify
the Problem
Step # 3: Determine
the Causes
Step # 4: Evaluate the Public Policies
Each group
will complete and hand in the four worksheets with your columns
. In doing the research necessary
for completing the worksheets, you will use the online databases and websites
listed in the Resources section of this web quest. In addition, you will use information from
your textbook and library books.
GROUP ASSIGNMENT: -Each member of the group will be
given a role:
1: RESERACHER—One
member of the group will take notes using the internet resources. He/she will
be responsible for completing the four Worksheets
2: COLUMN WRITER- This group member will use
the worksheets to create a diary. All members will have input completing this
task
3: LETTER WRITER-This group member will
compose the letter to the New York Times
4: GROUP COORDINATOR-This group member will
assign tasks, keep group on schedule, coordinate research and
·
Eastern European Jewish Immigration
Evaluation:
Rubric:
GRADING: “A’= 21-24
“B”= 17-20 “C”= 13-16 “F” = BELOW 13
|
CATEGORY |
4 EXCELLENT |
3 VERY GOOD |
2 SATISFACTORY |
1 NEEDS IMPROVEMENT |
|
Organization |
Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings. All steps in the PPA are used correctly. |
Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Most steps in the PPA are used correctly. |
Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. All steps are in the PPA are used but some are incorrectly. |
The information appears to be disorganized. Few steps in the PPA are used and they are used incorrectly. |
|
Amount of Information |
All topics are addressed and all questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each. |
All topics are addressed and most questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each. |
All topics are addressed, and most questions answered with 1 sentence about each. |
One or more topics were not addressed. |
|
Quality of Information |
Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples |
Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. |
Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. |
Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic. |
|
Mechanics |
No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. |
Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors |
A few grammatical spelling or punctuation errors. |
Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. |
|
Paragraph Construction |
All paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence. |
Most paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence. |
Paragraphs included related information but were typically not constructed well. |
Paragraphing structure was not clear and sentences were not typically related within the paragraphs. |
|
Internet Use |
Successfully uses suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance. |
Usually able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance. |
Occasionally able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance |
Needs assistance or supervision to use suggested internet links and/or to navigate within these sites. |
Conclusion:
From this
Webquest you should have learned how immigrants faced many hardships and had to
overcome prejudice and many other obstacles to fulfill their dreams of prosperity
and freedom. These strong individuals helped create the America we live in today.
Their struggles were real and their accomplishments amazing. These immigrants had little to no help from
social or government institutions and in many cases were denied basic rights
and freedoms that they had been promised by the inscription on the Statue of
liberty. The lasting impacts of these
immigrants can still be felt today as many of the Children of these immigrants
went on to become powerful leaders in politics, education, medicine and
government. By completing this Webquest you
have become a true historian and have a deeper understanding or the struggles
and obstacles that immigrants of the late 19th century and early 20th
century experienced and overcame. You
have also become a public policy analyst made policy suggestions that will help
future generations who come to America for similar reasons.
Standards
NY State: Social
Studies
Standard
1: History of the United States and New
York
Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of
the United States and New York.
Standard
4: Economics
Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and
associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making
units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an
economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.
Standard
5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the
United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic
civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and
responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation
Common Core Standards
Reading Standards for
Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12
1.
Cite specific textual evidence to support
analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from
specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
6.
Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on
the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning,
and evidence.
7.
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a
problem.
Writing Standards for
Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
2. Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.