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LESSON
PLAN: IMMIGRATION 2004: ISSUES FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND A SAMPLE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE NATURALIZATION TEST (CAN YOU PASS?)
By
Syd Golston, an educational administrator, curriculum writer and historian Subjects:
Government, civics, social studies Topics
Covered: Legal and Illegal Immigration to the United States in 2004; Bush's
Guest Worker Program and the Presidential Election; Sample Citizenship Test for
Naturalization Time:
One Class Period
(Extension activities can expand the lesson for an additional
day. Teachers in schools with significant immigrant populations may decide to
follow the issue throughout the campaign.) Lesson
Objectives - Analysis
of immigration issues in the campaign of 2004
- Understanding
of the process of naturalization
Overview:
Students
will learn the provisions of the 2004 Bush immigration initiative, and examine
critiques of the proposal. They also study the process of naturalization of immigrants,
and try their hand at answering questions asked on the Citizenship Examination
they must pass as one of the nine requirements for becoming a United States citizen.
Correlations
to National Standards
Materials
Needed - Reproductions
of both handouts, in appropriate numbers for the class
- Online
computer access, if possible.
Procedures
for Teachers Icebreaker/warm-up
(5 minutes): Ask
students to raise their hands in response to the following questions, and give
the correct answer before going on to the next question. Ask students which responses
surprised them. (Probably they will note: more illegal immigrants than they thought,
doing financially better than they expected, with more graduate degrees than U.S.
natives).
- How
many illegal immigrants are there in the United States?
A)1-2
million; B)more than 8 million; C)more than 12 million.
Answer: B - between
8 and 11 million
- What
percentage of immigrants, legal and illegal, live below the federal poverty level?
A)about
20% B)about 50% C) about 75%
Answer: A - about 20% - compared to 11.1%
of native born Americans
- True
or false: A greater percentage of immigrants have graduate degrees than do native
citizens?
Answer: True. 9.7% of immigrants have graduate degrees, vs. 8.4%
of native born Americans
Reading/
Pair Share Activity - Ask
pairs to discuss for 5 minutes (and then record their responses) to the following
problem: Having read these handouts, how should Bush campaign on the immigration
issue? How should Kerry? Give the pairs 10 minutes to share their best suggestion
for either party.
Citizenship
Test Extensions - If
students can be brought to a computer room, assign each a different portion of
the "Immigration" folders at the Public Agenda Web site (www.publicagenda.org).
There are more than enough background essays, newspaper articles, and information
summaries to go around to students.
- Call
your County Recorder's Office to arrange a trip to a Citizenship Swearing In Ceremony.
Correlation
to NCSS and Civitas Standards II.
What are the foundations of the American political system? B.
What are the distinctive characteristics of American society?
About
the Author Author Syd Golston is an educational administrator, curriculum
writer and historian. She taught secondary Social Studies for 20 years, wrote
lessons and in-serviced teachers in 40 states as Supervisor of Education for Kids
Voting USA, and serves now as Dean of Students at Alhambra High School in Phoenix,
Arizona. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council for
the Social Studies. | 
