 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
4 to 8 (middle school)
social studies, civics, history
approximately 2 class periods
|
|
 |
|
Using the story of the transformation of immigrants in
turn-of-the-century New York as a starting point, this activity asks
students to think about how immigrants are changed by America and how
America is changed by immigrants.
The activity is divided into two parts, reflecting the two
different questions being asked. Students can choose which question they
would like to answer. If they choose to explore how America changes
immigrants, they are asked to interview an immigrant family and report
their findings. If they opt for the second question -- how America is
changed by immigrants -- they are asked to conduct a survey of their own
community.
Begin by having your students read the articles "The 'Bintel Brief'," "The Young Americans," and "'Bread Givers'."
Hold a class discussion about immigrant transformations in turn-of-the-century
New York. How did America affect immigrant life? What impact did the new country have on the immigrants' work lives? What about their social lives? Did it change the foods they ate and the clothes they
wore? Were there people and organizations trying to change them? Talk
about the settlement houses. They provided health care and educational
services, but they also tried to reshape America. How did this affect
immigrants? How did all these things affect different generations of
immigrants? How did immigrants hold onto their culture? Then, turn to how
New York City was changed by them. How did the millions of immigrants
reshape the economy, politics, and society of New York City?
You might then ask the students how America shapes immigrants
today. In what ways does this happen? Through the schools? Through the media? Are there any reasons that today's immigrants might choose to resist these influences? Do immigrants have a different
attitude today than in previous generations about holding onto their cultures? And what about the "melting pot" metaphor? Is this an
appropriate goal for today's society? You might have your students try to
come up with a better metaphor -- for example, a mosaic or a quilt. And how have
America and the students' communities been changed by immigrants? Perhaps you
might want the students to list all the things that recent immigrants have brought to our common culture: for example, Chinese food, expressions like "hasta luego," and music like salsa.
The exercises can be done by individual students or in groups. One
appealing option might be to have students team up -- with one handling each
question and then presenting their findings together.
As noted above, this activity asks students to do one of two
things: explore how America changes immigrants, or how immigrants change
America.
- Students who choose the first option are asked to interview an
immigrant family. A family is better than an individual because it offers
more points of view and includes generational differences. You might go
over the questions suggested to the students in Step 2A of the activity.
-
Students who choose the second question are asked to conduct a
survey of their community to see how much it has been affected by
immigrants. In doing this, they are asked to focus on businesses. You
should probably help the students lay out the parameters of the
survey -- what blocks and neighborhoods they want to cover. You might also
want to point out the various ways they can assess what businesses are run
by immigrants and which businesses are run for immigrants (although these
are often the same). Noting the kind of business, noting the name
connected with the business, and/or talking with workers or owners is a good
way to find out this information. Also, have students think about the
difference between businesses run by and for immigrants. A Chinese
restaurant, for example, is probably run by immigrants, but most of its
customers might be native-born, non-Chinese Americans.
- Finally, in steps 3A/3B, students are asked to present their data. Again, there are two options: a written report or a visual display. A
written report may be more suited for the first question, while a visual
display might be better for the second. Of course, with a little
imagination, your students may come up with all kinds of ways to present
their materials. And if you have decided to have your students work in
teams, you might want to think about ways to present the materials as a
kind of two-sided display: how America shapes the immigrant, and how the
immigrants shape America.
The Melting Pot
It used to be said that this country was the great melting pot -- people from all different lands blending into a single American identity. That idea is no longer a popular one. Many new immigrant groups want to maintain at least part of their old identities. Older ethnic groups are trying to rediscover theirs. People are calling themselves the hyphenated Americans: African-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Irish-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Vietnamese-Americans. Is it time for a new idea about America? Should the melting pot give way to the quilt, the mosaic, the jigsaw puzzle? In this activity, students have found some of their own answers to these questions.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Early New York