This unit challenged students in my history classes to research and make sense of a range of sources as they developed insights about the history of Migration, Citizenship and/or Treatment of the “Other” in different time periods in US History. It came at a time of year when we had done a lot of group work and the curriculum had us all focused on the same topics. (We had just completed our unit on Work & Consumerism and students groups spent multiple weeks researching for and then executing our Amazon Trial.) With this in mind I designed the Migration unit to begin as a broad inquiry of the unit themes followed by extensive individual research and the development of student projects that integrated choice of a wide range of accompanying historical events, covering the span of US history.

After a journal and discussion on different things the Western Frontier represented throughout history, the unit began with a close examination of the painting American Progress which allowed students to generate ideas and analysis, some of which was a close match to the many of my learning goals. Afterwards, students read Greg Grandin’s article American Extremism Has Always Flowed from the Border. This set us up for a very interesting discussion the following day.

At this point I had students take the US Citizenship Test which was followed by a journal and discussion of what the tests were actually testing. The class then deliberated about different ways our country could determine whether someone should be eligible for citizenship. This led to the film Documented about Jose Antonio Vargas. We spent some time discussing whether it mattered if one used the term Undocumented or Illegal before I showed the opening credits. They answered these questions as we watched. Watching the film is always an immersive and emotional experience for students.

At this point I introduced the project. I modeled multiple ideas for projects before I gave students time to research and begin work on their proposals, which consisted of answers to the following questions:

1) What topic will you focus on? What question will you investigate? (Example of two sample questions: What caused Irish immigration and how were people treated upon arrival in the US? In what ways did the US Government attempt to eliminate Native American Cultures?)
2) Why will this topic be important for others to learn about and why is it significant in US history?
3) What different types of primary sources will you look for? (Give at least four examples of things you will search for. Examples must demonstrate that this is a historical project that also has modern day significance.)
4) What is one primary source that you have located? What are at least three things that this source reveals?

In the following days I conference with students about their proposals, making sure that during each conference I provided students with resources and ideas to help them improve their work-in-progress. As I conferenced, students worked on the next checkpoint: Analytical Writing for Six Sources:

100 words of writing for each source. Writing can include:
– Background on the source (author, date, info on perspective)
– Deep description that can describe important details to notice, meaning of phrases, or other details of importance
– Explanation of meaning and significance of source

As the unit progressed I used the beginning of each class to highlight student work-in-progress and to model skills that students were expected to integrate into their work. This included me sharing sources I found and potential topics I could pursue and the writing I was doing to help analyze and contextualize the source. I began to share projects from previous years, using these as opportunities to highlight quality work and share thoughts for how students could improve aspects of their own work. Finally, we spent some time discussing what Treatment of the “Other” could mean in the context of this project and how definitions of American Identity throughout US History offer multiple examples of othering.

Once students were immersed in their research we did a thesis workshop. I reminded students of criteria we had worked with earlier in the year:
A good thesis/claim:
– Controversial & a little strange
– Specific, well supported
– Makes a case
I gave an example of a thesis-in-progress that I was developing for my project. Then students had to write one really bad thesis before coming up with two potential thesis statements for their work. I enjoy making a very big deal about the bad thesis statements, encouraging students to make them as bad as possible and then we all tell them how bad they are. I will then ask people to share their claim (aka thesis) and will help a number of students workshop what they have out loud so that the rest of the class can hear the revision process.

The day the project was due, students submitted on a Canvas Discussion so that everyone’s work was visible to all. Above the links to their projects they answered the following:

1) Title of your story and the main idea(s) you were aiming to communicate to viewers. 
2) What parts of your project are you proud of? What would you do differently if you were to do this project again?
3) Type: Click here to view my project and then hyperlink the words with a working link for all to view.

After posting they had to leave five specific appreciations for the work of others. In the following class periods we began class by hearing from small numbers of students in the form of Shoutouts for their projects. Their work was projected in the front of the room and they shared highlights from what they created. As a Reflection Assignment at the end of the unit, students had to answer the following:

Based on your own work in this unit and the work of others, what are six new ideas that you developed? These should not be things you would have said before the unit. For each statement explain which topics or sources led to this idea.

This unit proved to be a teaching experience where, in a lovely way, I could not have predicted the topics or content of student work beforehand. Many of the projects went beyond what I envisioned and the viewing of other students’ project and Reflection Assignment meant that student learning went beyond their individual line of inquiry. Please enjoy a sampling of the projects below!

Colonization of the Kingdom of Hawai’i
Carlisle Indian Industrial School
Jewish Immigration to the US
Haitian Refugee Crisis
The Coolie Trade
Black Cowboys on the American Frontier