Kendra+Grieser


 * The Affect of Immigration on U.S. Migrants **


 * __Area of Focus and Its Importance__:**

Today in America, the theme of immigration is constantly in the news, and everybody seems to have his/her own opinion on the topic. The questions regarding the topic abound: What should we do with illegal immigrants who currently reside in the United States? What if they are parents of legal US citizens, children who were born here? How should we deal with immigrants illegally crossing the border? How do we teach English Language Learners (particularly those who speak Spanish) in our classrooms? What kinds of programs and resources are in place to help them (i.e. Migrant Education Programs under Title I, Part C) and what do these programs and resources really provide? How do we keep migrant children up to speed in their education when they are moving several times a year and often from state to state?

Although I would love to address all of these issues, the main issue that I want to focus on is understanding what migrant families go through, whether they are legal immigrants or not. This unit plan is designed for a regular (50-minute) freshmen English class in a school with a large population of migrant children (such as Watervliet High School, Hartford High School, etc.). The major themes will be migrants and immigration, and, of course, at times the unit will touch on race and racial prejudices. In particular, this unit is geared for migrant children who may have never read any literature about people like themselves. Along with targeting this population, the unit is intended to educate other students who may not be migrants themselves about the struggles encountered by migrants. The unit is designed to relate to and give a voice to migrant students as well as allow non-migrant students to take a walk in another’s shoes and see the issue of immigration from another perspective.

**__Reading, Research, and Activities__:**

The main text of the unit will be [|The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child] ([|Cajas de cartón: relatos de la vida peregrina de un niño campesino]) by Francisco Jiménez. Students will also read Excerpts of [|This Migrant Earth] (Rolando Hinojosa’s Rendition in English of excerpts from Tomás Rivera’s [|Y no se lo tragó la tierra]). (Available in [|Bilingual Edition]). Excerpts include: “Water, Water Everywhere,” “Burnt Offerings,” and “This Migrant Earth.” The goal is to have students read the texts in English. However, based on their ESL ability level and the teacher’s discretion, students may listen to the books on tape or CD in English and/or read in their native tongue. Books will be available in both English and Spanish in order to aid in understanding. Students who have a good understanding of the English language will be expected to read the books in English.

Students will also keep a Reading Journal as they read the texts (see attached document Reading Journal Description and Sample Reading Journal Questions). They will also participate in Literature Circles as well, and they will choose a specific role in their Literature Circle (see attached document Literature Circle Roles). Additionally, students will research current topics on immigration on the internet, such as the Arizona Immigration Law, which is so controversial today.

Students will have the option to read other books by these same Spanish authors, but these books will not be a part of the required reading: · [|Breaking Through] ([|Senderos fronterizos]) by Francisco Jiménez · [|Reaching Out] ([|Más allá de mi]) by Francisco Jiménez · [|This Migrant Earth] (Rolando Hinojosa’s Rendition in English of excerpts from Tomás Rivera’s [|Y no se lo tragó la tierra]) full text

**__Writing Assignments and Activities (Integrated in Unit Plan)__:** · Free-writes on topics relating to immigration, migrants, race, etc. · Reading journal on texts · Write from the perspective of an inanimate object, telling what you see migrant families encounter (i.e. the wire fence as they cross the border, Francisco’s blue/black notebook, the hole in the wall of the buildings they stay in, etc.). May be written in poem, prose, or other genre form (See Samples Rubrics under Teacher Resources). · Write an ending to Jiménez’s //The Circuit//. What do you think happened to Francisco, his brother Roberto, and the rest of his family? · Write a Letter to a Congressman, a Position Essay, or a Persuasive Essay. Students will chose an issue on immigration, migrants, race, etc. and develop a professional document. The goal for this assignment is that students will call for action and make a difference in their world by addressing a controversial topic that affects them today.

**__Learning Objectives:__** · Students will understand basic issues that migrants encounter as they seek work in the United States (i.e. language barriers, housing arrangements, working conditions, racial prejudices, etc.) · Students will identify with and/or better understand the plight of migrant workers in America. · Students will see all sides of an issue (i.e. immigration) by reading and researching various points of view. · Students will think critically about a controversial topic and take a stance on a subject by writing to effect a change. · Students will learn to write in a professional manner, based upon the audience they are addressing.
 * __Standards Covered__:**


 * CE 1.1.2 ** Know and use a variety of prewriting strategies to generate, focus, and organize ideas (e.g., free writing, clustering/mapping, talking with others, brainstorming, outlining, developing graphic organizers, taking notes, summarizing, paraphrasing).
 * CE 1.2.2 ** Write, speak, and visually represent to develop self-awareness and insight (e.g., diary, journal writing, portfolio self-assessment).
 * CE 1.3.7 ** Participate collaboratively and productively in groups (e.g., response groups, work teams, discussion groups, and committees)—fulfilling roles and responsibilities, posing relevant questions, giving and following instructions, acknowledging and building on ideas and contributions of others to answer questions or to solve problems, and offering dissent courteously.
 * CE 1.5.3 ** Select format and tone based on the desired effect and audience, using effective written and spoken language, sound, and/or visual representations (e.g., focus, transitions, facts, detail and evidence to support judgments, skillful use of rhetorical devices, and a coherent conclusion).
 * CE 1.5.1 ** Use writing, speaking, and visual expression to develop powerful, creative and critical messages.
 * CE 2.1.7 ** Demonstrate understanding of written, spoken, or visual information by restating, paraphrasing, summarizing, critiquing, or composing a personal response; distinguish between a summary and a critique.
 * CE 2.1.11 ** Demonstrate appropriate social skills of audience, group discussion, or work team behavior by listening attentively and with civility to the ideas of others, gaining the floor in respectful ways, posing appropriate questions, and tolerating ambiguity and lack of consensus.
 * CE 2.3.7 ** Participate as an active member of a reading, listening, and viewing community, collaboratively selecting materials to read or events to view and enjoy (e.g., book talks, literature circles, film clubs).
 * CE 3.1.10 ** Demonstrate an understanding of the connections between literary and expository works, themes, and historical and contemporary contexts.
 * CE 3.2.4 ** Respond by participating actively and appropriately in small and large group discussions about literature (e.g., posing questions, listening to others, contributing ideas, reflecting on and revising initial responses).
 * CE 3.2.5 ** Respond to literature in a variety of ways (e.g., dramatic interpretation, reader’s theatre, literature circles, illustration, writing in a character’s voice, engaging in social action, writing an analytic essay) providing examples of how texts affect their lives, connect them with the contemporary world, and communicate across time.
 * CE 4.1.3 ** Use a range of linguistic applications and styles for accomplishing different rhetorical purposes (e.g., persuading others to change opinions, conducting business transactions, speaking in a public forum, discussing issues informally with peers).
 * CE 4.1.4 ** Control standard English structures in a variety of contexts (e.g., formal speaking, academic prose, business, and public writing) using language carefully and precisely.
 * CE 4.2.4 ** Understand the appropriate uses and implications of casual or informal versus professional language; understand, as well, the implications of language designed to control others and the detrimental effects of its use on targeted individuals or groups (e.g., propaganda, homophobic language, and racial, ethnic, or gender epithets).

**__Unit Outline__:**


 * Day 1**

Free-write (15 minutes): · If your family abruptly moved and you could only take 3 items with you, what would you take and why? Free-write Discussion (10 minutes): · Ask for volunteers to read their free-writes. · Ask students how many times they have moved in their lives, how it felt to move, why they moved, etc. Introduction of Text //The Circuit// by Francisco Jiménez (15 minutes): · Brief author information (see link under Francisco Jiménez Author Information under Teacher Resources) · Briefly overview text Explanation of Literature Circle and Student Roles (see Literature Circle Roles under Teacher Resources) (10 minutes): · Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. · Have students decide on their role in the group (all roles will not be filled) Homework: · Read chapters 1-3 (Under the Wire, //Soledad//, Inside Out), pages 1-26 · Reading Journal (see Description of Reading Journal under Teacher Resources section)


 * Day 2**

Introduction to/Discussion of Immigration (20 minutes): · Brainstorm on board o What is an immigrant? o What do you know about immigration? o What are some of the struggles that immigrants face? o Are any of you immigrants or do you know people who are immigrants? o What is the difference between an immigrant and a migrant? Literature Circles (20 minutes): · Break into small groups. · See that students have completed their Lit. Circle Role and Reading Journal. · Make contact with each group. Free-write (10 minutes): · How would you react if you couldn’t speak your first language and were physically punished when you spoke it? How did Francisco react? (Relates to Chapter 3 Inside Out) Homework: · Read chapters 4-5 (Miracle in Tent City, //El Angel del Oro//), pages 27-50 · Reading Journal


 * Day 3**

Introduction of Writing Assignment (20 minutes): · Write from the perspective of an inanimate object, telling what you see migrant families encounter (i.e. the wire fence as they cross the border, Francisco’s blue/black notebook, the hole in the wall of the buildings they stay in, etc.). May be written in poem, prose, or another genre form. (See Samples Rubrics under Teacher Resources). · Have students brainstorm possible ideas. Literature Circles (30 minutes): · Students discuss in their groups. · Check Lit. Circle Roles and Reading Journals. Homework: · Read chapters 6-8 (Christmas Gift, Death Forgiven, Cotton Sack), pages 51-72 · Reading Journal


 * Day 4**

Literature Circles (entire period): · Students discuss in their groups. · Check Lit. Circle Roles and Reading Journals. Homework: · Read chapters 9-10 (The Circuit, Learning the Game), pages 73-95 · Reading Journal


 * Day 5**

Literature Circles (entire period): · Students discuss in their groups. · Check Lit. Circle Roles and Reading Journals. Homework: · Read chapters 11-12 (To Have and to Hold, Moving Still), pages 96-113 · Reading Journal – Write an ending to Jiménez’s //The Circuit//. What do you think happened to Francisco, his brother Roberto, and the rest of his family?


 * Day 6**

Literature Circles (20 minutes): · Finish discussions · Exchange story ending with friend and discuss. Turn in for credit. Class Discussion (30 minutes): · Discuss possible story ending of //The Circuit//. · Watch youtube video on Arizona Immigration Law: [] · Read CNN Immigration Article: [] · Begin discussion immigration issues, laws, etc. o Is the Arizona immigration law fair (touch on race/racial profiling)? o What problems do you see it posing? o How should the government deal with illegal immigrants? Homework: · Have students begin research on Arizona Immigration Law and other immigration issues. · Have students bring draft of Inanimate Object Piece discussed previously.


 * Day 7**

Research/Conference Day (entire period): · Take students to Media Center and let students look up information on immigration while teacher conferences with individual students on papers. Homework: · Continue work on Inanimate Object Piece.


 * Day 8**

Research/Conference Day (entire period): · Take students to Media Center and let students look up information on immigration while teacher conferences with individual students on papers. Homework: · Continue work on Inanimate Object Piece.


 * Day 9**

Research/Conference Day (entire period): · Take students to Media Center and let students look up information on immigration while teacher conferences with individual students on papers. Homework: · Continue work on Inanimate Object Piece.


 * Day 10**

Class Discussion (entire period): · Discuss students’ findings on immigration. Brainstorm list of ideas with students for their final assignment. Students have a choice (Letter to a Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay). · Discuss plagiarism and citations. Use the essay on [] to practice paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. · Discuss ideas for Letter to Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay. Students will chose an issue on immigration, migrants, race, etc. and develop a professional document. The goal for this assignment is that students will call for action and make a difference in their world by addressing a controversial topic that affects them today. Homework: · Completed draft of Inanimate Object Piece due next class.


 * Day 11**

Reading Day (entire period): · Briefly introduce text //This Migrant Earth// and author information. · Have students read excerpts from //This Migrant Earth//: “Water, Water Everywhere” (pages 9-11) “Burnt Offerings” (pages 12-15), and “This Migrant Earth” (pages 75-84). Homework: · Finish reading excerpts from //This Migrant Earth//. · Reading Journal


 * Day 12**

Literature Circles (30 minutes): · Discuss Reading Journals, Lit. Circle Roles, etc. in groups. Class Discussion (20 minutes) · Recap of Lit. Circles. · Continue discussion.


 * Day 13**

Movie Clips (entire period): · Show clip from //[|And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him]//, which corresponds to //This Migrant Earth//. (Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1994. Alexandria, VA.) · Show [|Mi Vida: The Three Worlds of Maria Gutierrez]. (Gold Mountain Productions, 1986. Capitola, CA.) · See Annotated Bibliography of Movies
 * Day 14**

Movie Clips (entire period): · Show clip from //[|And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him]//, which corresponds to //This Migrant Earth//. (Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1994. Alexandria, VA.) · Show [|Mi Vida: The Three Worlds of Maria Gutierrez]. (Gold Mountain Productions, 1986. Capitola, CA.)


 * Day 15**

Movie Clips (dependent on time left of movies): · Show clip from //[|And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him]//, which corresponds to //This Migrant Earth//. (Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1994. Alexandria, VA.) · Show [|Mi Vida: The Three Worlds of Maria Gutierrez]. (Gold Mountain Productions, 1986. Capitola, CA.) · See Annotated Bibliography on Movies (includes these movies and more on the migrant experience) Homework (remaining class period): · Bring first draft of Letter to Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay


 * Day 16**

Writing Workshop (entire period): · Try to group students together by same genres. · Conference with groups and individual students throughout class period.


 * Day 17**

Writing Workshop (entire period): · Individual writing, student groups, conference with teacher, etc. as needed Homework: · Continue revisions on Letter to Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay


 * Day 18**

Writing Workshop (entire period): · Individual writing, student groups, conference with teacher, etc. as needed Homework: · Continue revisions on Letter to Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay


 * Day 19**

Writing Workshop (entire period): · Individual writing, student groups, conference with teacher, etc. as needed

Homework: · Continue revisions on Letter to Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay


 * Day 20**

Homework: · Letter to Congressman, Position Essay, or Persuasive Essay due next class (*Note, evaluate students’ progress and extend Writing Workshop into next week, if necessary.)
 * __Teacher Resources__:**

[]
 * Francisco Jiménez Author Information:**

See Attached Document See Attached Document Taken from: []
 * Description of Reading Journal & Sample Reading Journal Questions**:
 * Literature Circle Roles**

See Attached PDF Taken from: []
 * Annotated Bibliography of Movies:**

Poetry Rubric: See Attached PDF Taken from: []
 * Sample Rubrics/Explanations of Assignments:**

Persuasive Essay Rubric: See Attached PDF Taken from: []

Persuasive Essay Explanation: [] Position Paper: []

[]
 * Plagiarism and Citation Information:**

[] [] [] [] [|“Where Do I Go From Here?”: Meeting the Unique Educational Needs of Migrant Students] by Karen Vocke
 * Additional Resources:**


 * Documents and PDF's:**