Grade 5 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
America Will Be

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 1, Lesson 2: A Land of Immigrants (pp. 12-16)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Diversity Immigration to the United States has made this country a pluralistic society.

Share with students the difficulties immigrants faced in coming to the United States in the past, including leaving home and family members, surviving the rough trip across the ocean (or land), finding a new home, friends, and work, learning a new language, and settling in a strange place.

Discuss with students how immigration to the United States today is similar to and different from immigration here long ago. Use a Venn diagram to organize your discussion.

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

Have students pair up or work in groups to role-play a discussion between immigrants as they arrive in an American city. Be sure that students discuss where they will live and work in their new home and what they miss about their old home.
Ask students to draw a picture showing an immigrant's arrival in a big American city in the early 1900s. Be sure students include things that might be familiar and things that might be strange to an immigrant.

Social Studies Center | Houghton Mifflin Social Studies | Grade 5 Home
Education Place | Site Index

You may download, print and make copies of Lesson at a Glance pages for use in your classroom, provided that you include the copyright notice shown below in all such copies.