Date: 1994

Grade Level(s): 4, 5, 6, 7

Subject(s):

• Social Studies/US History
• Social Studies/Multicultural Ed

Objective: To have students recognize the diversity of cultures in America

Materials Needed: Newspapers, poster board

To Start:

Ask students what they think is meant by that old-time saying, "America is a melting pot." Ask students who know their family history to describe their family origins to the class; or tell them something about your own background.

Group Activity:

Look for articles about new immigrants to this country. Have the class read the articles; then ask students to try to imagine what life is like for these new Americans-new language, new schools, new jobs, etc. What day-to-day problems might they face? What changes would they need to make in their life styles? How might we help new Americans adjust?

To drive home the "melting pot" idea, make a big black kettle out of poster board. Hang it at the base of the bulletin board. Coming out of the top of the kettle could be a montage of student-selected newspaper articles and photographs that reflect America's diverse population.

Follow-Up:

Try to arrange for recent immigrants to speak to the class about what it was like to leave one country for another. Or invite a representative of the local immigration department to talk about what a person has to do to become an American citizen; the speaker also might touch on other challenges new immigrants face. Have students develop questions beforehand, based on their newspaper reading.