Kirsten Leighton

Unit: People Move From Place to Place

Title: Immigration Data
3rd Grade
Background Information:
Students will be presented with different graphs of data about
immigration to the United States from 1820-2010. The students will be
given a higher order question about the graphs presented to them,
they will use the graphs and be required to do further research to
answer the question. This lesson will take approximately 45 minutes to
complete.
Learning Outcomes:
The students will be able to discuss content and data presented
to them in different forms of graphs.
The students will be able to answer higher order questions about
the immigration content presented to them in complete
sentences.
The students will be able to use an online search engine to
conduct research to answer their higher order question.
The students will be able to participate within their assigned
group of students and contribute to the group.
Standards:
NCSS Standards:
NCSS.1.1.d ...encourage learners to compare and analyze
societal patterns for preserving and transmitting culture while
adapting to environmental and social change
NCSS.1.2.d ...guide learners as they systematically employ
processes of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct and
reinterpret the past, such as using a variety of sources and
checking their credibility, validating and weighing evidence for
claims, and searching for causality
PA Standards:
8.1.3.A: Identify the difference between past, present and future
using timelines and/or other graphic representations.
M3.E.1.1.2: Describe, interpret and/or answer questions based
on data shown in tables, charts or bar graphs.
Anticipatory Set:
Show the class the Total Immigrants by Decade graph, in the form of
a line graph and a table, project both of them on the screen so the
whole class can see both of them together. Use the screen shot
versions of the graph so the title is not in it (Appendix A and B). Ask

the class, what is different about these two graphs and what is the
same. Could this be the same graph? Why or why not? Explain that it is
in fact the same graph, just presented differently. Bring up the graphs
on the Scholastic site
(http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/immigration_data/
) to prove they are the same. Explain to the class that depending on
the information, sometimes it is easier to read a graph in different
forms. What are some advantages or disadvantages to each type of
graph?
Procedure:
Break the students into groups of three. Group base on the
students abilities, lower level students together and the higher
level students together.
There are three questions that will need to be answered using
the graphs from Appendix C, D, and E as well as research done
on the Internet. Assign the groups one of the three questions:
1.) From 1820 to 2010, which three countries had the
highest number of immigrants come to the United
States? Then choose one of those countries and research
one interesting fact about that country. (Lowest level
group)
2.) What is the total number of immigrants who came to the
United States from 1820 to 2010? Choose a decade, and
then use your research skills to find out what the U.S.
population was at that time. How does the overall
population compare to the number of people who arrived
in that decade? (Mid level group)
3.) In the 1930's, immigration to the United Stated declined.
Why? What was happening in the 1930's in the United
States? Research your answer. (Mid level group)
4.) Choose one of the countries that are represented in the
graphs. During which decade or time period did most of
the immigrants come to the United States? Why do you
think that is? Research your answer. (Highest level group)
Each group will be able to use the iPads to research the
question as well as have a printed copy of the graphs
(Appendix C, D, and E). Remind the children to use their
researching skills learned in the library, they may go to
KidRex.org as a search engine. (http://www.kidrex.org is a
search engine from Google that only brings up children friendly
material, still need to monitor the students though)
Explain to the groups that on the classroom website, they can
find the link to kidrex.org. Use the graphs to answer any part
of your question first, brainstorm as a group what you think the

answer could be? Do you have any background information on

your question? Have we discussed any part of your question in
class before? Etc. Once you have used the graphs and
brainstormed with your group, then you may go to the Internet
to help you with the rest of the question.
Monitor the groups and remind them that at anytime I might
call on them to send their screen up to the interactive
whiteboard via AirDrop/Apple TV.
If any group finds an interesting site from their search engine,
have them send their site up to the interactive whiteboard to
show to the class.
Give the groups 15-20 minutes to find research, adjust the time
if need be.
Once they have found enough research they need to write
down the answer to their question using complete sentences.
They also need to show the teacher where they found their
research. They may take screen shots of the webpage where
they found their research to show the teacher or write down
the exact webpage they used to answer their questions.
Have the groups that were assigned the same questions get
together and compare their answers, give them five minutes to
discuss their answers and make any corrections or additions
needed.
Then group the students together so that each group has a
member from another question group (groups of three,
someone who answered question1, answered question 2, and
answered question 3). Give the students another 5-10 minutes
to discuss their questions and answers, as well as what
websites they used, and how they used the graphs to help
them.
Bring the class back together, ask at least three students to
share their research (bring it up on the interactive whiteboard),
have the students share what they searched to find their
answers, did they find it in the first site they went to, did they
find their answers on multiple sites?

Differentiation:
For the lower level students in the class, they will be grouped together
and given a less challenging question (From 1820 to 2010, which three
countries had the highest number of immigrants come to the United
States? Then choose one of those countries and research one
interesting fact about that country). This question requires them to use
the graph to answer it and then the research part can be what they
deem to be interesting. They still will be required to answer in

complete sentences like the rest of the students; however, their

research will not be as specific.
For the mid-level students, they will be grouped together and their
questions have a clear answer by using the graphs and are more
specific research questions. The questions they will be searching online
have specific answers and should not take very detailed searching to
find.
For the higher level students, they will be grouped together and given
a more open ended research question. (Choose one of the countries
that are represented in the graphs. During which decade or time period
did most of the immigrants come to the United States? Why do you
think that is? Research your answer.) As a group, they will be able to
have more control over where they feel the research should take them;
there also is not one specific answer they are searching for when they
start researching. Depending on which country they choose, there
could be a clear answer as to why a majority immigrated at that time
or there may not be a clear answer. More research will need to be done
to answer their question.
Closure:
Bring up a blank smartboard slide on the interactive whiteboard. Draw
a line a across the middle to represent a timeline, start at the year
1820 and end at 2000. Ask the class anything they learned about that
happened during these years, either relating to their questions or any
interesting facts they learned while doing their research. As the
children share, fill in the facts on the timeline; make sure to write in the
appropriate spots. Once it is done save the timeline created and then
post it on the classroom website for the children to refer to when they
want.
Assessment:
Formative: Students will be monitored while they are conducting
research, look that the students are on task and are contributing to the
group. When collecting their answers, look to see that they used what
they found online to answer it as well as complete sentences used. If
groups struggled with answering the question, note what they
struggled with specifically so teacher knows to go back and reteach
any specifics that the particular group needed.
There is no summative assessment.
Materials:
Printed out sheet of question for the group
Tablets (iPads)
Graphs for the students (Appendix A-E)

Technology:
Website of graphs
(http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/immigration
_data/)
Tablets for students to conduct research on http://www.kidrex.org
search engine.
Reflection on Planning:
This lesson requires Internet access to conduct the research to answer
the students assigned questions, so if the Internet was not working this
lesson would have to be majorly adjusted. The graphs will be printed
out ahead of time, so this lesson could be broken up, the students
could answer the parts of their questions that require just the graph
first and then plan out what they will be searching online. The research
part could be conducted at a later date or at home for homework.
Content Outline:
Chapter 6: People From Many Places

1) A New Home
a) Read- aloud of a little boy immigrating to the USA
i) Immigrant a person who leaves one country and moves to
another
ii) Diversity variety/ suffix ity means the state or condition of
being
iii) Ancestor older relatives
iv) Generation people born and living at the same time
v) Culture definition
b) Reading strategy predict and infer based on read aloud
2) Coming to America
a) People from many places

b) Main idea: The USA is a mix of many people

(a) People have diverse backgrounds, blended together to
create American Culture
Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E