Debbie Costello

20 February 2009

Lowell Public Schools

Through a Different Lens: Immigration and Migration in U.S. History – Movie Series

10th grade American History

Unit/Theme: Irish Immigration

History I lesson: Irish Immigration

Content Objective: Students will be able to describe Irish Immigration in the early 19th century. Students will analyze the reasons Irish Immigrants came to America (cause-effect).

Language Objective: Students will copy key vocabulary words. They will read in their books to check for definitions using context clues from the text and the book glossary.

Content Standard: USI.28 Explain the emergence and impact of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally throughout antebellum America. (H, E)

A. the technological improvements and inventions that contributed to industrial

growth

B. the causes and impact of the wave of immigration from Northern Europe

to America in the 1840’s and 1850’s

Language Standard: S.1 Vocabulary: Students will comprehend and communicate orally, using English vocabulary for personal, social and academic purposes.

S.3 Academic Interaction: Students will comprehend and communicate orally, using spoken English to participate in academic settings.

R.3Comprehension: Students will read English fluently and identify facts and evidence in order to interpret and analyze text.

W.2 Writing: Students will write in English for a variety of purposes with clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.

Key Vocabulary
Immigrate
Emigrate
Ireland
Famine
“Blight”
potato / Supplementary Materials
Word Wall
White board
Overhead projector
Notebooks
History books/dictionaries
Short reading on Irish immigration

Lesson Sequence:

Content and Language objectives are clearly visible to students (written on the board). I will explain both objectives so students have a clear understanding of the purposes of the lesson.

Vocabulary Words are written (in advance) on word strips and made into a word wall.

Class begins – Students will enter the classroom and pull out their notebooks and books.

After our review of the objectives, I will begin by asking students to look at the word wall and follow along as I read each word. I will then explain to students that these words will be important in understanding immigration and, specifically, Irish immigration.

1. “Okay, today we are going to talk about Irish immigration. Many people have come to America over the years for many different reasons, and today we want to look at why many Irish people left their homes and came to this country”

2. Modeling: “People from many different countries have come to America. My parents were immigrants to America. They came for many reasons- they wanted to make money, they wanted to get away from their country because of war, and they wanted their children to have a good education. They also wanted to be sure they would have freedom. In Greece, life was very hard for my parents and they were very happy to come to America.”

3.Linking students’ background experiences: “Can anyone give me some reasons why your family or someone you know came to America?” At this point, I would hope students would give at least 5-6 reasons why people come to America. These reasons would each be put on the white board. Then I would say, “Please come up and stand under what you think the main reason was your family or someone you know came to America.” At this point I would expect to get 5-6 students standing under each reason. “Now, everyone under reason 1 sit together and discuss this reason- Is it a good or bad reason? Does it make sense to you? Can you relate to this reason?”

4. I will give students 10minutes to discuss the reasons for immigration in their groups and then I will choose a student to report out. I will be observing the group to see who is participating and what kind of conversations are taking place. I will not let students know who will be reporting out, as I would like all of them to all be prepared to share.

5. Read: I will give each student one of the readings shown below. After they take a few minutes to read, I will begin a discussion on Irish immigration. Do you think most Irish people were happy or sad to come to America? What were the pros and the cons of coming to America? Was America really a welcoming melting pot with great opportunity or another poverty trap immigrants got stuck in? I hope for great discussion within the class.

6. Finally, I will ask students to look at the picture shown below and just think about it for a few minutes.

Assessment:

  1. Students will be asked to look for the vocabulary words in a dictionary or their history books then try to relate the meanings of these words to their individual readings.
  1. Vocabulary will be written in their notebooks, along with definitions.
  1. Homework: Study the photograph we looked at in class and fill out the NARA photo analysis worksheet. What do you see? What do you think? What do you feel?

I have tried my best to use as many strategies as possible to help my English language learners. I hope by sharing my personal story the students will feel more comfortable sharing their own stories. Strategies such as a word wall and photo analysis sheet are included in the lesson in hopes that they will help the students.

(1) A farmer from Ulster who settled in Missouri wrote to a Belfast newspaper in 1821 comparing life in Ireland and the United States.
In Ulster I could go to a fair, or a wake, or a dance, or I could spend the winter nights in a neighbour's house cracking jokes by the turf fire. If I had there but a sore head I would have a neighbour within every hundred yards of me that would run to see me. But here everyone can get so much land, and generally has so much, that they calls them neighbours that lives two or three miles off. I would sit down and cry and curse him that made me leave home.

(2) In 1849 a Health Committee investigated a cholera epidemic in Boston. The committee reported that the disease had badly affected the Irish population in the city.
The average age of Irish life in Boston does not exceed fourteen years. In Broad Street and all the surrounding neighbourhood, including Fort Hill and the adjacent streets, the situation of the Irish is particularly wretched. During their visits last summer, your committee were witnesses of scenes too painful to be forgotten, and yet too disgusting to be related here. It is sufficient to say, that the whole district is a perfect hive of human beings, without comforts and mostly without common necessaries; in many cases, huddled together like brutes, without regard to sex, or age, or sense of decency: grown men and women sleeping together in the same apartment, and sometimes wife and husband, brothers and sisters all in the same bed.

(3) In 1850 an Irish settler who had been living in Wisconsin for twelve months wrote a letter to The Times in London (14th May, 1850)
I am exceedingly well pleased at coming to this land of plenty. On arrival I purchased 120 acres of land at $5 an acre. You must bear in mind that I have purchased the land out, and it is to me and mine an "estate for ever", without a landlord, an agent or tax-gatherer to trouble me. I would advise all my friends to quit Ireland - the country most dear to me; as long as they remain in it they will be in bondage and misery.
What you labour for is sweetened by contentment and happiness; there is no failure in the potato crop, and you can grow every crop you wish, without manuring the land during life. You need not mind feeding pigs, but let them intothe woods and they will feed themselves, until you want to make bacon of them.
I shudder when I think that starvation prevails to such an extent in poor Ireland. After supplying the entire population of America, there would still be as much corn and provisions left us would supply the world, for there is no limit to cultivation or end to land. Here the meanest labourer has beef and mutton, with bread, bacon, tea, coffee, sugar and even pies, the whole year round - every day here is as good as Christmas day in Ireland.

Photo Analysis Worksheet

Step 1. Observation
A. / Study the photograph for 2 minutes. Form an overall impression of the photograph and then examine individual items. Next, divide the photo into quadrants and study each section to see what new details become visible.
______
B. / Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities in the photograph.
People / Objects / Activities
Step 2. Inference
Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.
______
______
______
Step 3. Questions
A. / What questions does this photograph raise in your mind?
______
______
B. / Where could you find answers to them?
______
______

Bibliography

Education Staff, National Archives and Records Administration, "The National Archives". Photo Analysis Worksheet. 21 February 2009 <

"Irish Immigration". Spartacus Educational. 21 February 2009 <