Americanization

11.2

A. Linder, Edison High School

Printer Friendly Lesson Plan

Designer:  Andra Linder

Publication Date:  October 17, 2005

Standard (Include analysis skills and language arts standards):

• 11.2.3 Trace the effect of the Americanization Movement

1.     Key concepts (California Concepts Collection II/Vocabulary):  Immigration, demographic change, industrial revolution, assimilation.

Learning Outcome/ “Big Idea”/ “Essential Learning” (Objective)

• With the influx of immigrants in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the idea of assimilation, or Americanization, really took hold. Why were so many immigrants willing to lose so much of their cultural identity to become Americans? What did being an “American” mean to the early 20^th century immigrant and do modern day immigrants hold those American ideas the same level?

 

TCI Strategies:  Visual Discovery

EL/Inclusion Strategies:  EL students have the opportunity to work with a partner. The lesson also incorporates many visuals that should help the EL student follow along.

 

Materials:  LCD projector, computer to run PowerPoint, PowerPoint handout, “Immigration Class Flyer” Instructions, Overhead transparency of Preview Question

 

Opportunities to Learn/Perform (Procedure): 

 What will students need to do to achieve knowledge and skills identified in standards and learning outcomes?  Students will need to answer teacher prompted questions and also demonstrate their knowledge by completing an authentic writing assignment.

Technology Component:  LCD Projector, Computer, PowerPoint software.

Primary sources: Some images presented will be primary sources.

TCI Resources:  BLA book as background guide for lesson.

Other Resources:  Text, teacher, and other students

 

Assessment (Description of 2 or more assessment tasks with specific directions, questions, and prompts):  1. Students will answer teacher prompted questions during both the preview and the PowerPoint presentation. 2. Students will create a flyer, circa 1910, advertising a class for immigrants to attend to learn how to assimilate in to American culture.

1.     Attach rubric to explain criteria (required)

2. Create a flyer advertising a class on how to be an American. The flyer should

• Identify who should take the class.                                                                           1pt.
• A class description of what the person taking the class will learn                             3pts.
• Why the reader of the flyer should/needs to take the class.                                       3pts.
• The flyer should have at least one (1) visual (pictures/drawings                           3pts
  • that symbolize what will be taught in the Americanization class)
  • to help attract the attention of the intended participants.

• The flyer should also have information on who is making the                               2pts.
  • class available (government agency? political group? Settlement House?).
• The flyer should have at least three (3) different colors besides black and                  3pts.
  •  be on an 8 x11 1/2 unlined paper.

Reflection:

What did student samples reveal?  I need to cover the information better. Not all of the criteria were done even though it was in the instructions. More background on the topic may provide more motivation.

What do I need to model, change or adjust regarding criteria, assessment and opportunities to learn?  In my preview assignment I tried to connect the “Americanizing” the immigrants experienced with what my students may experience living in the area around Edison. Even though I checked with one of my students about using the term “west-sider” to describe students living around Edison High School, many of my students thought it was a strange term and the explanation of how I came up with it was not something I planned on and took more time than I wanted. The lesson I think has potential, but still needs some tweaking. I had several question in the preview assignment, I think in the future I will rework it so I’m only asking one or two. I had “technical difficulties” with the PowerPoint, so next time I will set it up prior to the lesson – maybe even put the preview assignment in the PowerPoint instead of on a transparency. On the PowerPoint I had brief explanations – next time I’ll draw them out and present the information so there will be more of a need to take notes. I could possibly see this lesson a being able to support an Act-It-Out, but I would have to play around with that later.