[Detail] You came here seeking freedom...

Use these lesson plans, created by teachers for teachers, to explore immigration.

Creating a Primary Source Archive: All History Is Local (Grades 6-12) Creating an archive of primary source materials constitutes the principal activity of a year-long American Studies class focusing on historiography and the use of primary sources.

The Immigrant Experience: Down the Rabbit Hole (Grades 3-8) Students uncover the common themes of the immigrant experience.

Immigration History Firsthand (Grades 6-8) Elementary students use immigration as a theme to begin understanding primary sources.

The American West: Images of Its People (Grades 6-8) Students investigate the cultures of the western United States and identify their contributions to the nation.

Immigration and Migration: Today and During the Great Depression (Grades 6-12) Students compare the immigration/migration experiences of their families to those of people living through the Great Depression.

Immigration and Oral History (Grades 8-12) Students engage in visual and information literacy exercises to gain an understanding of how to identify and interpret primary historical sources, specifically oral histories.

Westward Expansion: Links to the Past (Grades 6-8) Students create scripts depicting the experiences of immigrants who settled California between 1849 and 1900.

Linking the Past to the Present: The Legacy of French Canadian Immigrants in New England (Grades 9-12) Students will investigate primary sources from the American Memory collections to learn about French Canadian immigrants and their contributions in New England.