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Lesson Plan Image

Character Quotes

Creating and playing an original game based on book about immigration will provide students with lively discussions and interactive gameplay.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Heavy Paper
  • Index Cards, Unlined
  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have students read a book that focuses on immigration issues. Suggestions include "Her Right Foot" by Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris, "Tani's New Home" by Tanitoluwa Adewumi and Courtney Dawson, or "Grandfather's Journey" by Allen Say. Have a discussion about some of the past and present immigration laws in the United States, including the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (which established birthright citizenship in the US) the Page Act of 1875 (which prohibited the entry of "undesirables") the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

  • Step 2

    Have students form teams to create a game based on the book they read. One half of the team can create a decorated game board on which they will write quotes that a character in the book said or might say. The other half of the team can create game cards by folding an unlined index card in half and writing the names of the characters, one per card.

  • Step 3

    To play the game, one student will pull a character card and place it on or near the quote on the board they believe the character said or might say. If other team members disagree, they can discuss and debate the choice. Encourage students to reflect on the experiences the characters may have undergone during their respective journeys.

Standards

LA: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events, challenges, and other characters.

SEL: Relationship Skills: Communicate clearly/effectively, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively.

SS: Global Connections: Become aware of how things that happen in one part of the world impact other parts of the world and the global connections within basic issues and concerns.

Adaptations

Invite a community member who immigrated to the United States to talk to the class, either in person or via video, about their experiences. Before the meeting, have students research the country of origin and prepare questions for the speaker.

Have students choose a specific area of immigration and create a timeline of it. If they choose Mexico, for example, they might start with 1513 when Ponce de Leon landed along the Florida coast, 1718 when Father Antonio Olivares founded the Mission San Antonio de Valero (better known as The Alamo), 1910-1917 when the Mexican Revolution impelled many Mexicans to cross the US border, etc.