Matthew J. Yates

October 28, 2003

Grade 4 Teacher

McDaniel College

SLM: 521-MC

Instructor: Charles Phillips

WebQuest Activity: Turning Points in U.S. History

Developed By Matt Yates, Grade 4, DuFief Elementary, Fall 2003

Overview ~ Introduction ~ Questions ~ Process ~ Resources ~ Evaluation ~ Conclusion

Overview

Students will analyze the interviews of 4 people from different parts of the world that immigrated to the United States. This will involve the social studies and language arts disciplines. This webquest is designed for fourth grade students but could be adapted for middle and high school students. It supports the essential questions and indicators from the Maryland State Board of Education.

Introduction

How does America treat its immigrants? In 1462, the Puritans arrived in Plymouth on the Mayflower. They left England to practice their religion without being bothered by the king. These Puritans were soon joined by many other immigrants from all over Europe. Later, Africans were stolen from their homelands and forced into slavery. Together they eventually built the 13 colonies, declared their independence in 1776, fought the revolutionary war with England, and founded the United States of America. They were all immigrants to America but who was really here first?

Go back more than 10,000 years and you would find the people that we now call Native Americans! These people immigrated across the Bering Strait that separates Russia and Alaska. The Ice Age created low water levels and they were able to walk from Russia to Alaska!

The history of immigration has not been a smooth road. The first English settlers were greeted by friendly Native Americans. Other Native Americans attacked the settlers. Settlers eventually took over the land from the Native Americans. In addition, settlers brought diseases with them that caused many Native Americans to die.

The next waves of settlers didn’t have to fight as many Native Americans did but hey did have to fight for their rights. New immigrants from countries around the world found that established descendants of the original English settlers didn’t allow them to have well paying jobs, live in good neighborhoods, or get a good education.

Today there are still many challenges for people new to the United States. However, many of their rights are protected by law and education is free for everyone. Today’s new Americans fly from all over the world: Mexico, the Caribbean, countries in Central America, South America, and Asia. These most recent immigrants come for the same reason as earlier immigrants – Tough conditions at home and a chance for a better life in America.

Questions and Task

· From what countries do most immigrants come from?

· When did most immigrants migrate to the United States?

· Why do the immigrants want to leave their countries?

· What draws the immigrants to the United States?

· What were the immigrants’ journeys like?

· How were the immigrants treated?

· How did the immigrants react to America?

Latif Shelly Harriet Guisseppe

Process

1. Read about the experience of each of the immigrants listed above (Latif, Shelly, Harriet, & Guisseppe).

2. Create a 6 x 5 table on a Microsoft Word document with the names of the immigrants in the left side column and the following questions on the top row:

· Where Were You Born? & What Continent?

· When Did You Immigrate?

· Why Did You Leave Your Country? Why Did you Come to U.S.?

· What was the Journey Like?

· How Were You Treated? How Did You React to America?

3. Fill in the table with all of the information that you can collect from the immigrant interviews.

4. Pick one immigrant and design a Power Point presentation about their journey.

Resources

· URL Links Provided on this WebQuest

· Computers in classroom and lab

· Color printer in media center

· Microsoft Word

· Microsoft Power Point

Evaluation

Your grade on this webquest project will be based on the following:

· Completeness of information table about immigrants

· Accuracy of information collected

· Quality of presentation on Power Point: Content, Creativity, Organization, Appearance

· Oral speaking grade will be scored on the separate rubric: Volume, Eye-Contact, Posture/Poise, Enunciation, Pace, & Intonation

Conclusion

Reflect on the experiences of all the immigrants that you read about from all over the world as you answer these questions:

· What things do all of the immigrants share in common?

· Why do you was this a difficult choice for them to make?

· What would you do differently or the same as any of the immigrants?

Extension (Extra Credit)

Create a timeline using the TimeLiner software program to show an immigrants’ journey.