Grade 3 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 8, Lesson 4

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
From Sea to Shining Sea

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 8, Lesson 4: Coming to America (pp. 160-163)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Diversity Immigrants from Europe and Asia came to America to improve their lives, but found many challenges, including prejudice.

Write a chart on the board with the following two headings: Immigrants from Asia and Immigrants from Europe. Have students brainstorm reasons why immigrants might have come to America, where they came in America, and what they may have found there.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Read the poem by a Chinese immigrant on page 160. Then ask students to write a poem from a European immigrant passing through Ellis Island. The poem can relate how the immigrant might have felt about leaving home, feelings about coming to America, or anything that happened on the journey or at Ellis Island.
People crossing the ocean to a new country could not take many things with them. Ask students to draw pictures of three things an immigrant from Asia or Europe might have brought to America. Have students explain why they chose those things.

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