Read Kansas! Intermediate - I-8 Immigrants to Kansas: Why Did They Come?
The purpose of this fourth grade lesson is to introduce students to a variety of immigrant groups that settled Kansas and the reasons for their immigration. It encourages cooperative learning by having small groups of students focus on a specific immigrant group. Students will practice expository reading and determine the meaning of words in context. Each group will create a small exhibit or poster. The students will discuss the costs and benefits of immigration. The lesson is designed to take place over five or more days but can be adjusted to meet your individual schedule.
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4th Grade Kansas History Standards:
- Benchmark 2, Indicator 1: The student compares the various reasons several immigrant groups settled in Kansas (e.g., English, German-Russian, French, Swedish, Czechoslovakian, Croatian, Mexican, African American, Vietnamese).
4th Grade Economics Standards:
- Benchmark 5, Indicator 2: The student analyzes the costs and benefits of making a choice.
4th Grade Geography Standards:
- Benchmark 2, Indicator 2: The student identifies the human characteristics of Kansas and regions of the United States (e.g., people, religions, languages, customs, economic activities, housing, foods).
4th Grade Reading Standards:
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Benchmark 3, Indicator 1: The student determines the meaning of words or phrases by using context clues (e.g., definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions) from sentences or paragraphs.
4th Grade Writing Standards:
- Benchmark 2, Indicator 10: The student writes paragraph(s) with a topic sentence that includes supporting details in a logical order (typically 3-5 sentences).
Kansas College and Career Ready Standards (Common Core ELA):
- RI.4.4.: The student determines the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
- W.4.2 a-e: The student writes informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
