The topic of immigration is just as controversial today as it was at the turn of the twentieth century. In this one-day lesson, students will immerse themselves in the attitudes and opinions of many native-born Americans (Nativists) who did not welcome the arrival of immigrants from certain countries. Students will use music and political cartoons from the period to wonder, investigate, and construct new understandings of the popular opinions towards immigrants at the time. Students will then will reflect on their learning and connect that to their knowledge of opinions on immigration today. Their homework will be to create a period-correct Letter to the Editor expressing their opposition to or support for immigration, or to create a period-correct political cartoon also expressing their opposition to or support for immigration. Included in the lesson is a Universal Design for Learning Chart and a rubric for editorial writing.
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