Idaho Social Studies 6-12.US1.46

Social StudiesGrades 6–12United States History I

The Standard

Analyze the religious, political, and economic motives of 19th-century immigrants who came to North America.

Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Growth of Industrial World 1877-1890 (Bridge with US History II)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain why people left their homes and why they chose North America. They identify religious, political, and economic motives in short accounts. They notice when one person had more than one reason to move.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can name a motive and point to a detail in an account that supports it. They can explain how a threat at home and a job opportunity abroad could both shape one family's decision.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume everyone came only for work. They may miss the religious impact of a ban on worship, or assume each immigrant had just one motive.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A Jewish family flees attacks in Russia and joins relatives in New York who can help them find factory work. Name two motives for the move and cite a detail for each.

Lesson moves

Write three profile cards: a Jewish family fleeing attacks in Russia, a German reformer fleeing arrest, and a Chinese worker seeking wages; sort by motive.
Ask, 'Why might someone leave home for more than one reason?' Have students support an answer with two details from a profile card.
Read six one-line migration scenarios aloud; students hold up R, P, or E cards, then explain any case that fits two letters.
Show a current local job ad; ask students how an advertised wage might attract newcomers, as factory jobs did in the 1880s.

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