Curriculum / ELA / 2nd Grade / Unit 4: Stories of Immigration / Lesson 1
ELA
Unit 4
2nd Grade
Lesson 1 of 29
Jump To
Describe different reasons people chose to settle in the Americas by identifying and explaining the connection between historical events and ideas.
Book: Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro pp. 1 – 18
We participate in the Amazon Associate program. This means that if you use this link to make an Amazon purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which support our non-profit mission.
Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.
Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
What are the different reasons and ways people came to the Americas? Give one or two specific examples.
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
Who were the first “immigrants” to arrive in the New World? Why and how did they come?
Why did the author put the word “discovered” in quotation marks?
Why and how did early European immigrants come to America?
Was immigration always a positive thing? Why or why not?
Model fluent reading: Explain that most of the books they will read in this unit will be Read Alouds. They should notice what you as the teacher do as a fluent reader to read with prosody and accuracy. Ask: What did you notice I did as a reader on these pages?
The author states “Their hopes for the future gave the immigrants courage to face the long and difficult sea voyage.” Explain what this means.
Even though times were rough for new immigrants, they continued to come. Explain why.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
immigrant
n.
a person who comes to a new land to make a home
descendant
someone who is related to a person or group of people who lived in the past
poverty
not having enough money for basic needs such as food, water, shelter, or toilets
settle
v.
to find or make a home/the person who finds or makes a home
settler
a person who finds or makes a home
Bring your most engaging lessons to life with comprehensive instructional guidance, detailed pacing, supports to meet every student's needs, and resources to strengthen your lesson planning and delivery.
RI.2.3 — Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.2.1.f — Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy).
L.2.5.a — Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).
RF.2.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.2.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RI.2.10 — By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2—3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
SL.2.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL.2.2 — Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Lesson 2
RI.2.3
Describe what happened at Ellis Island by identifying and explaining the connection between historical events.
RI.2.3 RI.2.7
Writing
Explain why the United States is called “a nation of immigrants” by writing simple sentences in the past tense.
L.2.1.d L.2.1.f W.2.2
Explain how the author uses images and diagrams to help a reader better understand early immigration by explaining how specific images contribute to or clarify understanding of a text.
RI.2.7
Describe how the author uses photographs to help a reader better understand life on Ellis Island by explaining how specific images contribute to and clarify understanding of a text.
Describe the challenges Gittel faced when immigrating to the United States by identifying key details in the text.
RI.2.3 RL.2.2
Identify the main purpose of the text and infer what the author is trying to explain or describe.
RI.2.6
Describe what life was like on Angel Island using details from the video.
Explain why Sun can only use his memory to get to America by recalling key details and events from the text.
RI.2.3 RL.2.7
Describe the dangers and hardships the Lost Boys faced by describing reasons an author uses to support points in a text.
RI.2.3 RI.2.8
Explain what life was like for the Lost Boys in the refugee camp and how life would be different in the United States by identifying and describing reasons an author uses to support points in a text.
Describe the memories the people from the Island bring with them when they moved by describing how reasons support particular points.
RI.2.8 RL.2.7
Describe the challenges Amada and her family face when trying to get to the United States and how they feel about the different challenges by drawing conclusions about characters and character feelings.
Describe the challenges Alfredo and his Papa face when trying to get to the United States and how they feel about the different challenges by drawing conclusions about characters and character feelings.
Writing – 3 days
Interview a family member, neighbor, friend, or school staff member. Write a letter to the person explaining what you learned from them and why you admire them.
L.2.2.b L.2.6 SL.2.2 SL.2.4 SL.2.6 W.2.1 W.2.7 W.2.8
Discussion & Writing – 3 days
Discuss the different reasons people choose to immigrate and settle in a new community.
Write a letter to a child whose family is about to immigrate and settle in a new community by stating an opinion and supplying supporting reasons.
L.2.1.d L.2.2.b L.2.6 SL.2.1 SL.2.2 SL.2.6 W.2.1 W.2.5 W.2.7 W.2.8
Describe how Hildamar and Santiago’s feelings about living in El Barrio began to change by drawing conclusions about characters and character feelings.
RL.2.3
Explain what the author is trying to describe or explain about immigration by identifying and explaining how the Three Kings Day celebration brought the community together.
RI.2.3 RI.2.6
Describe how and why Xochitl and her family bring El Salvador to California by describing key details and events from the text.
Explain what the author is trying to teach a reader about immigration by identifying and explaining the main purpose of a text.
RI.2.3 RI.2.6 RL.2.7
Describe the confusing feelings some immigrants have when they immigrate to a new country by identifying character actions, dialogue, and feelings.
Informative Writing – 4 days
Research a culture that is represented in your class or community. Create a presentation to teach others about the culture.
L.2.6 SL.2.2 SL.2.4 SL.2.6 W.2.2 W.2.5 W.2.7 W.2.8
Opinion Writing – 4 days
Defend how immigrants enrich a community. Write a letter that explains how immigrants can enrich the community.
L.2.1.d L.2.2.a L.2.2.b SL.2.1 SL.2.1 SL.2.6 W.2.1 W.2.5 W.2.8
Assessment
Create a free account to access thousands of lesson plans.
Already have an account? Sign In
See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.
Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.
Yes
No
Access rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free