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WISCONSIN LESSON PLANS

 
Investigating Immigration & Settlement in Wisconsin  
Wisconsin

 

Fourth grade lesson plan prepared by Peggy Beahm, Nancy Burfield, and Shelly Cook, Onalaska School District, Onalaska, Wisconsin
Looking into family history
Identify reasons why early settlers emigrated from their homelands
Develop timeline depicting immigration patterns to the United States
Areas settled in Wisconsin by immigrant groups
Immigrant's daily life experiences
Ethnic celebration

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Day 1:  Looking into Family History
Objective:  Students will be able to locate on a world map where their ancestors originated and will share this information with the class.
Note:  Two weeks prior to this lesson, students will have been given a family tree sheet,
a family interview form, and a genealogy family chart to complete at home with the assistance
of their parents and grandparents. 
It was optional for students to audio tape or videotape the interviews.

Materials
  • family trees
  • family interview form
  1. Where did your ancestors emigrate from?  (list)
  2. From what country does your father's name originate, and what does it mean?
  3. From what country does your mother's family name originate, and what does it mean?
  4. Why did your family come to the United States?
  5. What family traditions and customs do you sill participate in?
  • genealogy family chart
  • large world map and push pins
Introduction
Distribute copies of a family tree to students and ask students if they know what it is and what it represents.
Lesson
  1. Students will review their interview sheets and focus mainly on question #1 (countries where ancestors originated).  They will also be asked to review their genealogy charts and to focus on the places where their grandparents and great-grandparents were born.
  2. Using push pins, students will individually locate and mark on a large world map where their ancestors originated.
  3. Students will look for patterns/clusters in given areas on the map and will make generalizations based on this information through a teacher guided discussion.
  4. Students will be divided into cooperative groups of three.  Each student will share the remaining information from the interview sheet.
Conclusion
Students will be asked to think about the clusters of pins on the map.  They will need to be prepared to discuss why their ancestors were form other parts of the world and the reasons they immigrated to the United States.
Extensions
In math class students will graph the countries where their ancestors originated using
the information provided on the world map where students had marked the countries
with push pins.

Throughout the the entire unit students will participate in reader's workshop in which
realistic fiction and nonfiction reading materials will revolve around immigration and settlement in Wisconsin.
Correlation to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Social Studies
     A.4.1, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7
     E.4.4

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Day 2:  Identify Reasons Why Early Settlers Emigrated From Their Homelands
Objective:  Students will be able to identify the various reasons why early settlers emigrated from their homelands.
Materials

Introduction
Brainstorm possible explanations for pin locations on the map from lesson one.  Discuss the fact that all ancestors except Native Americans originated from outside the United States.
Lesson
  1. Using the interview sheet and brainstorming, develop a list of reasons why early settlers may have come to the United States.
  2. View video -- Exploring Wisconsin Our Home program 4: "Where We Came From"
  3. Add to the list in "a"
  4. Access Web site
  5. Discuss push-pull factors from Exploring Wisconsin Our Home teacher guide. 
    Using the worksheet, have the students work in pairs to list various push-pull factors.
Conclusion
Discuss how the reasons for immigrating varied over time. 
What do you think might have happened?

Correlation to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Social Studies
     B.4.4, 4.5
     E.4.8

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Day 3:  Develop Timeline Depicting Immigration
Patterns to U.S.
Objective:  Students will develop a classroom timeline depicting the immigration patterns
to the United States.

Note:  Cross curricular with mathematics
Materials

Introduction
Yesterday we discussed the reasons why immigrants came to America.  Today we are going to develop a timeline depicting when they came, how many came, and from where they came.
Lesson
  1. Review reasons for emigrating to the United States.
  2. Access Web page:  Peaks/waves of immigration
  3. Discuss the graph on the Web page:  greatest number, least, waves, etc.
  4. Using the information from the Web page and the transparency, students will indicate when certain ethnic groups emigrated to the United States.
  5. Make a bulletin board of the decade cards or hang them from the ceiling, placing them
    in chronological order.  Using the information from the Peaks/waves of immigration
    Web page, students will indicate how many "Number of Immigrants" cards are needed for each decade.
  6. Students will then label the immigration number cards with the nationalities that were immigrating at the time.
  7. Note the patterns and information that are generated from the timeline.
Conclusion
Ask the question, "Where did all of these immigrants settle?  We will discuss this tomorrow."
Extensions
Access World Wide Web site: 
Genealogy.com: International, Ethnic, and Religious Organizations
Students may browse this site for further information about specific nationalities and religions.
Correlation to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Social Studies
     B.4.2, 4.3, 4.7

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Day 4:  Areas Settled in Wisconsin by Immigrant Groups
Objective:  Students will study the various immigrant groups and where they settled in Wisconsin.  They will create a Wisconsin map, using colored stickers to indicate the cities where each immigrant group settled.

Materials
  • large Wisconsin map
  • at least 8-10 different colored small stickers
  • pages 12-15 of Names and Maps Tell A Story of Wisconsin by Robin Carufel.  Madison, Wis:
    Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction [Indian Culture Units].
Introduction
Review the interview forms from day one, noting question #1 - "Where did your ancestors emigrate from?"
Procedure
  1. A legend will be made on the large Wisconsin map displaying a different colored sticker for each immigrant group.
  2. Using the page with the list of cities in which the immigrants settled, pairs of students
    will place color-coded stickers on the Wisconsin map.   These will be placed on the
    cities where each immigrant group settled.
  3. Discuss clusters of immigrants in certain areas with the students and why they
    settled there.
Conclusion
  • Complete: Names and Maps Tell A Story of Wisconsin -- pages 12-15
  • Discuss
Extensions
  • Read the Badger History books for information about the main immigrant groups that settled in Wisconsin.  Madison, Wis: State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
  • World Wide Web site:  Wisconsin Electronic Reader.  This Web site has stories and essays about immigration.
Correlation to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Social Studies
     A.4.4

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Day 5:  Immigrant's Daily Life Experiences
Objective:  Students will investigate the experiences of Wisconsin's first settlers and will write letters or diaries from the settlers' point of view.
Note:  The teacher would need to reserve the computer lab for this day.
Materials

Introduction
  1. Discuss the positive and negative aspects associated with a move to a new place.
  2. Using the large world map (from day one), review where immigrants to the U.S. came from.
  3. Using the Wisconsin map (from day four), review where immigrants settled.
Lesson
  1. Using the CD-ROM (Wisconsin: Celebrating People, Place and Past) in the computer lab, select the following:
         People
         Fur Trade, Frontier, or Progressive era
         Click "Go"
         Select "Wisconsin Voices"
  2. Listen to the voices of the various immigrants in the three different eras (Fur Trade, Frontier, or Progressive Era).
  3. Students will now write a one day diary entry or a one page letter from one of these person's point of view, reflecting the feelings and experiences they may have encountered in moving to Wisconsin.  Students may use additional resources to learn
    of the daily lives of these people (ex., travel, getting settled, lifestyles).
Conclusion
Sitting in a large circle, each student will share their favorite part of their diary or letter.
Extensions:
  • Students could illustrate their writings and display them on a bulletin board about Wisconsin immigrants.
  • At this point the teacher and students would invite a guest speaker who immigrated to Wisconsin from another country to share her or his experiences.
Correlation to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Social Studies
     A.4.4
     B.4.1, 4.3
     E.4.11

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Day 6:  Ethnic Celebration
Objective: Students will be able to describe in writing the unique differences in ethnic background/cultures and why it is important to celebrate diversity.
Note:  A note would have been sent home with the students several days in advance explaining the ethnic celebration, the purpose for it, and how each child should prepare.  Each child would be expected to bring an ethnic food item, a handmade flag from a country in which some of their ancestors originated, and any special belongs/artifacts (music, clothing, etc.) that they would like to share that would explain their family interests or traditions.  This note would also include an invitation to parents, grandparents, or guardians inviting them to participate. 

Materials
  • audio and video tape players, if students need them for their presentations
  • food table, paper plates, toothpicks, napkins, knife, cups, beverage, etc.
  • display table for special artifacts
  • large world map
  • prepared bulletin board to hang flags of various countries

Introduction
The teacher will review with the students how this two hour celebration will be organized. 
See the lesson below to find out how a celebration like this may be organized.

Lesson
Students will take turns making presentations about their ethnic backgrounds.  
Each student will share for approximately five minutes.
  1. First, they will tell the class where their ancestors emigrated from and will place a flag from one of those countries on the bulletin board.
  2. Next, the student will describe the food item brought for the rest of the class to taste, explain where the food item had its origins (which country), and then point to the
    country on the world map.  Students will taste food items at a later time toward the
    end of the celebration.
  3. Finally, the student will share artifacts brought to class that relate to the family's ethnic background or family traditions.  This could include music, antiques, costumes, etc.

After all students have finished sharing, continue the celebration.   Begin the food tasting while listening to various ethnic music.  Several guests would have been invited, including parents, grandparents, guardians, the principal, guests speakers who participated during
the unit, etc.
Conclusion
The teacher will provide the students with 20 minutes of writing time to reflect on what they learned throughout the ethnic celebration and the entire unit.  The writing they are not able
to complete in class can be assigned for homework due by the next day.

Extensions
Students will be encouraged to investigate an ethnic group of their choice and report back to the class as the resident expert.
Correlation to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Social Studies
     C4.1
     E4.3, 4.4, 4.14

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Sample Letter to Parents and Guardians
click to download printable version (.doc)

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Your child will soon be starting a new unit in Social Studies about cultural heritage.  During this unit the children will learn about the many immigrant groups that settled in Wisconsin and how the blending of these different cultures gave Wisconsin its unique character.  As part of this unit we ask students to research their own heritage.  We would like the students to:

  • ask question about their family tree,

  • listen to family stories, and

  • find out about customs and traditions practiced by your family.

We encourage your participation in helping your child gather family information at this time.  With this letter your child will receive a family tree and interview sheet.  This should be returned to school by _____________.  Your interest and help will make this unit more meaningful for your child.

 

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Investigating Wisconsin History / Exploring Wisconsin Our Home

Wisconsin CD-ROM Web Site / Wisconsin Powwow

 


wis.gov link