How Does Immigration Influence Culture?

Teacher:Rachel Vos and Hannah Hougen Date: March 30, 2017 Big Idea: Michigan Immigration Thread: Culture

I. Objectives
What is the main focus of this lesson?

Explaining what culture is, identifying some of the components of culture, and having students share about their own culture as a
way of celebrating diversity within the group.

How does this lesson tie in to your units Big Idea?

All immigrants bring their own culture to wherever they are immigrating. It is important to first recognize and appreciate our own
cultures so that we can better understand others and their culture.

What are your objectives for this lesson? (As many as needed.) I ndicate connections to applicable national or state standards.
Include any themes or major concepts from the thread (themes of geography, Core Principles of Economics, etc)

NCSS
- 1.c. Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and
influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.
- Objective: Students will be able to define culture and recognize that it is both tangible and intangible.
- Objective: Students will be able to identify elements of their own culture and family traditions.
- 1.e. Give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups
- Objective: Students will be able to express an appreciation for the different cultures of their classmates and begin
to understand the importance of diversity.
- Objective: Students will be able to describe challenges that would come with the transition to a new culture, like
what an immigrant might face.
- 4-G4.0.2 Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural development of different places or
regions of the United States.
- Objective: Students will be able to identify examples of the impact of other cultures on American culture and
traditions, passed down through immigrants.

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and skills. Before this lesson, students will have learned what immigration is and they will have talked
about how immigration influenced culture in Michigan in the past.
Pre-assessment: Students will complete a matching activity introducing them to the idea that
immigrants influence American culture
Formative (as): Students will complete a journal entry on what it would be like to be an
Assessment
immigrant coming into a completely different culture
(formative and summative)
Formative (for): Students will have a discussion on the importance of having different cultures
in our world
Summative: Students will complete an exit ticket answering the question: What are the
different elements of culture? Give an example from your own life.
Universal Design for Learning Networks/Domains (see UDL Guidelines)
RECOGNITION STRATEGIC AFFECTIVE
Multiple Means of Representation Multiple Means of Expression (Action) Multiple Means of Engagement
Options for Perception Options for action/interaction Options for recruiting interest
We are asking students to think about
their own culture and apply the concept
to their lives
Options for Language/Symbols Options for Expression Options for Sustaining Effort & Persistence
We are going to have students come up
with ideas of what culture is, and then we
will give the students a definition to clarify
the meaning.
Options for Comprehension Options for Executive Function Options for Self Regulation
We will support students by helping them We are having students reflect on what it
think about family traditions and things would be like for them to move to a new
that could be part of their culture as they place with a new culture
try to think about what culture means for
them.
Materials-what materials (books,
-Matching handout
handouts, etc) do you need for this
-White board
lesson and do you have them?

Do you need to set up your Students will be in small groups for part of the lesson
classroom in any special way for
this lesson? If so, describe it.

III. The Plan

Time The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and student
Parts
activities (indicate in parenthesis where you are addressing standards and themes)
Motivation - Pass out the matching activity worksheet. On the top of this sheet, there is a list of things that
(Opening/ are a part of American culture along with the culture that those things originated from. Your job
Introduction/ is to try to match up the element of American culture with where it came from originally.
Engagement) - Give students time to complete the worksheet with the person sitting next to them. When all
the students have finished the first part of the worksheet, call the class back together and go
over the worksheet. Let students share what they think the correct answers are, and then let
them know the correct answer.
- 4-G4.0.2 Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural
10 development of different places or regions of the United States.
- Objective: Students will be able to identify examples of the impact of other
cultures on American culture and traditions, passed down through
immigrants.
- When you were looking at the list of different things, did you know that any of those things
came from somewhere other than the United States?
- Let students share their thoughts. Some students might know that all or some of the things
were not uniquely American, while others might now have realized it.
- Can you think of any other examples of things American culture has adopted?
- Let students share their answers. Possible responses include: different foods, music, clothes,
etc.
Development - What do you think culture is?
- Let students share their responses. Possible answers include: music, food, games, religion, etc.
- So that were all on the same page, Im going to define culture for us. Culture is the way of life
of a group of people. This includes many different elements, lots of which you already said!
Culture can include music, food, games, beliefs, traditions, values, languages, and more. A lot of
times, we might think of culture as just the things we can see, like music and food, but culture is
so much more than that. So when we think of culture, we want to think of it as the whole way
of life.
10 - 1.c. Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations
serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular
culture.
- Objective: Students will be able to define culture and recognize that it is both
tangible and intangible.
- Objective: Students will be able to identify elements of their own culture and
family traditions.
- We looked at some different elements of culture in the worksheet we filled out at the
beginning. What role do you think immigrants played in the different cultures we see in
America?
- Let students share their thoughts. Hopefully a student will say that they bring their cultural
traditions with them to the United States.
 - I want you to think about some elements of your culture. What are some of those things that
are part of your way of life? Give some examples of culture in your own life as the teacher to
model this for students.
- Give students time to think about elements of their own culture, and then have them write
down some examples on the back of their worksheet.
- 1.c. Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations
serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular
culture.
- Objective: Students will be able to define culture and recognize that it is both
tangible and intangible.
10 - Objective: Students will be able to identify elements of their own culture and
family traditions.
- When all the students have had time to write some things down, have students share elements
of their culture in their small group.
- Did everyone in your group write down the same things on their sheets? Students should say
no. Why didnt you all write down the same things?
- Let students share their thoughts. Possible answers include: because we come from different
places, because were all different, etc.
- If students would like, they can share any elements of their culture with the class.
- Why would it be important for us to all have different cultures? Why is that a good thing?
- Let students share their responses. Possible answers include: it would be boring, we would all
be the same, no one would ever have anything new to share, etc.
- As students share, write their ideas on the board.
- 1.e. Give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within
and across groups
- Objective: Students will be able to express an appreciation for the different
cultures of their classmates and begin to understand the importance of
diversity.
- Objective: Students will be able to describe challenges that would come with
the transition to a new culture, like what an immigrant might face.
- Have students answer the last question on their worksheet.
- Encourage students to consider all the aspects of culture that were discussed: language, food,
religion, etc.
- Once all the students have written, ask the students what they wrote and allow students to
15 share their responses.
- Does that make you think differently at all about immigration in the United States?
- Let students share their responses.
- Possible discussion questions to follow up with include: How would you want to be
treated if you came to a totally new culture? How do you think we should treat people
coming to a new culture in our community? Why is it important for us to treat
immigrants that way?
- 1.e. Give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity
within and across groups
- Objective: Students will be able to express an appreciation for the
different cultures of their classmates and begin to understand the
importance of diversity.
- Objective: Students will be able to describe challenges that would
come with the transition to a new culture, like what an immigrant
might face.
5 - For your exit ticket today, I want you to write down two of the elements of culture and give
Closure
one example of culture unique to your own life.
- Give students time to complete their exit tickets.
Explain how this lesson supports your Big Idea. What is the takeaway?
This lesson aims to meet the culture requirements of the Common core by helping students understand what culture is, what their
own culture is, and how our cultures all differ. They will also talk about the ways that immigration has affected culture in the
United States.