Fern Silver

Walton High School

PROBLEMS OF IMMIGRANTS

"Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life. "--John F. Kennedy

"...The ones who come here are usually the most stupid of their nation...They are not used to freedom and do not know how to use it properly ... Unless the stream of these people can be turned away from their country to other countries, they will soon outnumber us so that we will not be able to save our language or our government." -Benjamin Franklin

INTRODUCTION:

On December 7, l94l the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, an American military base in Hawaii. This attack effectively started World WarII in the Pacific. Early in l942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a resolution allowing the War Department to determine war zones in the country and relocate anyone who might pose a threat to national security. The War Department declared that Americans of Japanese descent must be evacuated from the West Coast. The government established internment camps inland where many Japanese –Americans were sent. Manzanar was one of these camps.

Farewell to Manzanar is an autobiography by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houson who was a little girl when she and her family were placed in an internment camp during World War II. She lived there for the duration of the war. Although her family had been loyal to the United States they were not citizens. In 1911, the United States Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization had decided that only whites and people of African descent could file for citizenship. Although this law is no longer in force, new immigrants still face problems of discrimination today.

Pretend that you are a sociologist in the United States investigating the problems immigrants face today. You will use Public Policy Analyst to help you write a report and offer solutions.

THE TASK

Using the six-step PPA Analyst, each student will skim the hyperlinked articles and select an article of special interest. From your article you will produce a report that:

1. Includes a short summary of the article. Be sure to identify the way in which the article deals with the problems of immigrants.

2. Includes six completed worksheets that are hyperlinked below.

3. Use your research to include some of the obstacles that immigrants still face today

4. Develop three possible solutions to the problem of prejudice.

5. Present your findings in a written report.

THE PROCESS

You will work in groups of three. Each member of the group will present a one page summary of the article of his/her choice. Group members will discuss their articles with one another and discuss the possible causes of prejudice. By brainstorming, each group will develop three possible solutions to the problem of prejudice. Each group member will be responsible for presenting their findings in a written report.

WORKSHEETS :

Complete the following to help you with your TASK

1. Define the problem
2. Gather the evidence
3. Identify the cause
4. Evaluate the policy
5. Develop solutions
6. Select the best policy

IMMIGRATION WEBSITES:

http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/EDT628/shovanes/index.HTM

http://js154.k12.sd.us/My%20Unit/Immigration%20Today.htm

http://www.rapidimmigration.com/usa/1_eng_immigration_history.html

http://www.usembassy.de/usa/society.htm

http://www.milforded.org/schools/westshore/agekas/wq/FamilyQuestions.html

http://usinfo.stategov/usa/infousa/facts/democr/65.htm

http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.discrimination.0702w

EVALUATION:

RUBRIC:

CONTENT: UNITY
A. Develops a main idea and accurately addresses all six steps of Public Policy Analyst	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
B. Contains necessary and relevant ideas about the social problem of prejudice.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
ORGANIZATION:
C. Is organized on a logical and sensible manner	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
D. Uses transitions effectively to connect ideas.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
LANGUAGE:
E. Uses language appropriate to the audience and occasion.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
F. Uses vivid, precise, nouns and verbs, and modifiers.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
CONVENTIONS:
G. Avoids spelling errors.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
H. Avoids grammar errors.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
I. Avoids usage errors.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
J. Avoids punctuation and capitalization errors	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
K. Avoids errors in manuscript form.	1 2 3 4	x 4=___
1=needs substantial improvement 2=needs improvement 3=good 4=outstanding

CONCLUSION:

You have discussed the issue of immigration, its effects on American society and the obstacles that immigrants face today. You have used the public policy analyst to identify the causes of prejudice against immigrants and have worked in groups to develop solutions to these problems.