Exploring Immigration in 'Coming to America': Grade 5 English
Inquiry Framework
Question Framework
Driving Question
The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we, as readers, explore and interpret the author’s perspective on immigration through specific language and examples provided in Coming to America: The Story of Immigration?Essential Questions
Supporting questions that break down major concepts.- What is the author’s point of view on immigration as presented in the text?
- How does the author use language to portray the experience of immigrants coming to America?
- What evidence from the text supports your understanding of immigrant life as described by the author?
- In what ways can we understand the experiences of immigrants by examining specific details and examples in the text?
Standards & Learning Goals
Learning Goals
By the end of this project, students will be able to:- Students will be able to accurately quote and make inferences from the text to support their understanding of the author’s perspective on immigration.
- Students will understand and determine the theme related to immigration based on text details and characters’ responses to challenges.
- Students will analyze language and vocabulary used by the author to interpret the portrayal of immigrant experiences.
- Students will describe how the author's point of view influences the description of events related to immigration in the text.
Common Core Standards
Entry Events
Events that will be used to introduce the project to studentsImmigrant Experience Day
Transform the classroom into an Ellis Island simulation where students must 'immigrate' to a new country. Each student is assigned a different cultural background and must go through various stations that mimic the immigrant experience in new and challenging ways, sparking curiosity about diverse stories of immigration and encouraging empathy and understanding.Portfolio Activities
Portfolio Activities
These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.Evidence Hunting Expedition
Students will gather verbal and text-based evidence to draw inferences about the immigrant experience as portrayed in the text.Steps
Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.Final Product
What students will submit as the final product of the activityA graphic organizer containing quotes from the text classified as either facts or inferences.Alignment
How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1 by quoting accurately from the text to support explanations and inferences.Immigrant Life Storyboard
Students will create a storyboard illustrating the life of an immigrant character based on textual evidence.Steps
Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.Final Product
What students will submit as the final product of the activityA five-frame storyboard illustrating the character's journey with supporting quotes from the text.Alignment
How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2 by determining a theme and describing character responses to challenges using text details.Rubric & Reflection
Portfolio Rubric
Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolioExploring Immigration Perspectives Rubric
Textual Evidence Gathering
Evaluates the ability to accurately quote from the text and distinguish between facts and inferences.Quote Accuracy and Relevance
Assesses the accuracy and relevance of quotes selected to describe the immigrant experience.
Exemplary
4 PointsQuotes are accurate, highly relevant, and enhance understanding of immigrant experiences. Students provide insightful connections between quotes and their portrayals.
Proficient
3 PointsQuotes are accurate and relevant, demonstrating clear understanding. Students make logical connections between quotes and portrayals.
Developing
2 PointsQuotes are mostly accurate but may lack clear relevance to immigrant experiences. Connections to portrayals are inconsistent.
Beginning
1 PointsQuotes are inaccurate or irrelevant, with little to no connection to the portrayal of immigrant experiences.
Fact vs. Inference Classification
Assesses the capacity to classify gathered quotes as facts or inferences within a graphic organizer.
Exemplary
4 PointsDistinctions between facts and inferences are clear, precise, and consistently applied across the graphic organizer.
Proficient
3 PointsMost distinctions between facts and inferences are clear and logical, with minor inconsistencies.
Developing
2 PointsDistinctions between facts and inferences are attempted but contain notable inaccuracies or inconsistencies.
Beginning
1 PointsLittle to no effort in distinguishing between facts and inferences, or significant inaccuracies present.
Immigrant Story Interpretation
Evaluates the student's understanding of a character's journey and challenges as portrayed in a storyboard based on the text.Theme Identification and Illustration
Assesses ability to identify themes and illustrate character challenges and responses in a storyboard.
Exemplary
4 PointsThemes are insightful and well-chosen. Illustrations depict character challenges and responses with creativity and depth.
Proficient
3 PointsThemes are clear and support a well-executed storyboard that follows character challenges and responses.
Developing
2 PointsThemes are identified but may lack clarity or depth. Illustrations inconsistently depict character challenges.
Beginning
1 PointsThemes are poorly identified or illustrated, with minimal depiction of character challenges or responses.
Use of Textual Evidence in Storyboard
Evaluates the integration of direct quotes into storyboard frames to support illustrations.
Exemplary
4 PointsQuotes are skillfully integrated into storyboard frames, strongly supporting each illustration and theme.
Proficient
3 PointsQuotes are appropriately included and mostly support the storyboard illustrations and themes.
Developing
2 PointsQuotes are inconsistently used, with limited support for illustrations or themes.
Beginning
1 PointsQuotes are largely absent or ineffectively used, offering little support to illustrations or themes.