Immigration and Citizenship

Lesson 1

Objectives 1. Students will develop a sense of empathy

with the experiences of immigrants who came to America.

2. Students will understand the idea of a citizen as being a member of a country who has certain rights and responsibilities.

3. Students will recognize our national motto, “e pluribus unum,” as meaning “out of many, one” and as being descriptive of our country.

Vocabulary Words

motto: a short saying that explains the beliefs of a group of people

immigrant: a person who leaves their home to settle in another country

E Pluribus Unum: Latin words that mean, “out of many, one”

America Think about all of the people

who live in American. Your favorite foods? Like spaghetti, ravioli, tacos, egg rolls, or fried rice?

Many Americans love these foods. The funny thing is that all these foods came to America from other countries. It’s not just the food. It’s the people.

Think about the people who live around you.

How are they different?”

Pretend you are walking around in China or India. Do the people of these countries look more alike?

Why do most of them share the same skin color, eye color, and hair color.

Why are we so different?

The United States is a nation of immigrants. An immigrant is a person who leaves their home to settle in another country. People from countries all around the world have immigrated to America. The the Native Americans came, and later they were followed by the Spanish, colonists from England, and others from Europe, Africa, and Asia. At first, the United States was like this measuring cup

It was easy to notice all the differences between the American people because they often spoke in different languages. After many years of living together in America, the newcomers started to learn to speak English and to think of the United States as their home.

E Pluribus Unum

Many people from different countries had settled in America. How could so many people from so many different countries settle here and and live together peacefully?

E Pluribus Unum

It wasn’t always easy. People from different countries didn’t always like or trust each other. Sometimes they couldn’t even speak to each other , because they spoke different languages, but since the beginning people knew that if America was going to succeed, all the different people must try to get along.

E Pluribus Unum

After the Revolutionary War, our country adopted a motto: E Pluribus Unum. They are in an old language called Latin, and they mean “ from many, one” That means that Americans are determined to make one country out of many people from many different countries, and we are still trying to do that today.

The Name Jar Do you know where your

family originally came from? Where you born In America? What about your parents and grandparents?

Let’s listen to a book called The Name Jar. It’s a story about a young girl coming to America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fpZYXF3oGE