In times of shrinking expectations,...everyone feels like a victim and pushes away outsiders to defend his own corner.

~ Oscar Handlin

Goal: To gather data from a variety of sources to support or refute commonly held assumptions on immigrants and immigration policies

Objectives:

• Students will suggest reasons for bias and stereotypes about immigrants
• Students will reflect on discrepancies between facts and beliefs
• Students will discuss the importance of and ways to achieve a voting public that is well informed and thinks critically about complex issues

Materials:

• Video: “The Energy of a Nation”
• Other relevant materials from local media, personal stories, and/or Appendix

Time Frame: Four to five class periods

Age Level: Middle school to adult

Vocabulary: Naturalization, Nativism

Relevant Subject Areas and Connection to Minnesota State High School Standards:

• Inquiry and Research: History through Culture
• Social Studies: Themes of United States History, Diverse Perspectives, Community Interaction, Institutions and Traditions in Society