A Nation of Immigrants, by Bernard Weisberger

To answer the compelling questions, students could go in many different directions as this topic covers multiple eras and themes. This article from 1994 could be contrasted with a current event article regarding immigration issues such as HB 1070 in Arizona or the Dream Act legislation in Congress. The article states that immigration issues come and go on a cycle and arguments for and against are the same each time. Students could do a close read of the article looking for persuasive terminology, bias, and format. Students could then use the article to rebut or support their own stance on immigration. Students could also explain whether or not the arguments in the article are still valid today based on other current articles. This essay could be a precursor to reading the short story and/or novel listed to prepare for different perspectives on American immigration from both a native-born American and an immigrant. To give a representation of the broad topic of US immigration policy, the primary source documents included in this bundle cover a number of years and will provide students with many resources in which to answer the compelling questions. The article is very long with five parts; and introduction and four sections divided by immigration era. 

Consider adapting Task 14 by asking students to create a Wordle that represents immigration from the late 1700s to the present day. 

Literature Connection: Short story, Geraldo, No Last Name by Sandra Cisneros; House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros; The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan; The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri; My Antonia by Willa Cather; Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt.