Why do people immigrate to the United States?

What challenges have immigrants faced throughout history?

What challenges do immigrants face today?

How do immigrants negotiate between two cultural worlds?

What makes a conceptual art piece “successful”?

This cross-curricular humanities/art project aims to engage students in exploring the human face of immigration. Through interviews, literature circle reading, and field experiences, students will better understand the challenges that immigrants face and their perspectives on life in the United States. Students will learn about the history of various immigrant groups and explore how immigration influences our local community.

Students worked in groups to create an immigration podcast to share information and perspectives on a chosen immigration theme (e.g., The American Dream, 2nd generation immigrants, economic opportunity). Students had an individual role within the group and researched their chosen topic. These roles included a narrator, field reporter, literary expert, and interviewer.

All students read a literature circle book related to the immigration theme. These books included Breaking Through, Ashes of Roses, Alligator Bayou, The Red Umbrella, Uprising, Funny in Farsi,and Enrique’s Journey. Each literature circle group created a conceptual art piece to highlight an important quote in their book.

In addition to these group roles, students also created reflection journals, which documented their experiences in the field and classroom.