What is My Heritage Report?

Unit Assessment

Social Science Lesson Objective – By the end of this unit students will be able to investigate, analyze, and understand the causes and impact of industrialization on the socio/political/economic and cultural life of America leading to unrest over labor and immigration issues.

The Details: We all came here from somewhere, but from where and how? What is your family story? What is your heritage? In the Humanities we are in process of learning the story of immigration. As the United States grows in size it does in population. People have populated the Americas for at least 10,000 years depending on your perception of the Beringia theory possibly much longer. But, large-scale immigration doesn’t take place until after the Civil War. In fact, the half-century after the Civil War, some 26 million immigrants arrived in the United States. The majority of these immigrants arrive in a time period that is often called The Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was the period from the 1870s to the turn of the twentieth century. The term was coined by writers Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, satirizing what they believed to be an era of serious social problems hidden by a thin gold gilding. The Gilded Age was an era of enormous growth, especially in the North and West. This attracted millions of immigrants from Europe and Asia in search of a new life. Maybe some of those immigrants were family members of yours? As we progress through our Reconstructing America mini-book please pay special attention to pages 111-129. Start talking to your family members and finding out about your heritage. The next step is research your heritage and start answering the beginning and essential questions below. You will be required to complete the assignments attached. Then start to organize your research and thoughts into a research paper. Do your best to relate the material to the Gilded Age, I understand this won’t always be possible, but people with similar heritage did arrive here during the Gilded Age. Relate your research to immigration policies then and now. You are to write a minimum of a 2 page word processed report and answer the essential and beginning questions. You will be graded using the attached rubric based on the CPS Common Core standards.

Essential Questions -How are diverse cultures alike and different? How do economic needs and wants affect decisions of individuals, groups, and institutions (political and social)? How can studying the past help us understand the present world and the future? What has happened in the past and how am I connected to those in the past? Where does you sense of identity come from? What sorts of things "make you, you?" Progress at what cost?

Beginning Questions - What is culture? Who were the first people of my heritage to immigrate to America? What historical events made this immigration necessary and possible? How has the culture (traditions/lifestyles) of my heritage influenced the American culture? Where do I get my last name?

CPS Common Core Standards Based Rubric

Common Core Standards & Expectations / 4 - Exceeds Standards / 3 - Meets Standards / 2 - Almost Meets Standards / 1 - Does Not Meet Standards
Essential Question / Student eloquently explains and understands how the past helps us understand the present world and the future. / Student expressively explains and understands how the past helps us understand the present world and the future. / Student superficially explains and understands how the past helps us understand the present world and the future. / Student is absent in explaining and understanding how the past helps us understand the present world and the future.
Essential Question / Student concisely explains how economic needs and wants affect decisions of individuals and groups (politically and socially). / Student clearly explains how economic needs and wants affect decisions of individuals and groups (politically and socially). / Student inconsistently explains how economic needs and wants affect decisions of individuals and groups (politically and socially). / Student never explains how economic needs and wants affect decisions of individuals and groups (politically and socially).
Essential Question / Student eloquently identifies of cultural group(s) and their contribution to American socio/cultural/economic and political identity. / Student appropriately identifies of cultural group(s) and their contribution to American socio/cultural/economic and political identity. / Student occasionally identifies of cultural group(s) and their contribution to American socio/cultural/economic and political identity. / Student never identifies of cultural group(s) and their contribution to American socio/cultural/economic and political identity.
Speaking & Listening SL.8.2 / Student elegantly analyzes the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluates the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation. / Student correctly analyzes the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluates the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation. / Student attempts to analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation. / Student is absent of analyzes the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
Reading History RH.6-8.1 / Student flawlessly cites
specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. / Student accurately cites
specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. / Student occasionally cites
specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. / Student rarely cites
specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Rubric Score: ______/ 20 - multiple by two equals Assessment OF Learning Final Grade: ______

Student Handout #1 What is My Heritage Report? Family Tree

Name: ______Homeroom: ______

Directions: Complete as much of you can of this 4-generation Family Tree. Put your name at the bottom and start asking your family questions. In each box put the name of your family member and where they where born.

Student Handout #2What is My Heritage Report? The Checklist

Name: ______Homeroom: ______

Use this checklist to review the materials you collected from your web search.

_____I have information about the history of my ancestors.

_____ I haveanalyzed maps of my country or countries of origin, region, city, and/or state and understand geographical reasons for my ancestors to immigrate to America.

_____ I have information about the immigration patterns of my heritage.

_____ I have facts about the area, its geography, industry, population, and reasons when and why people of my heritage migrated to America.

_____ I have information about the music, songs, art, sports, and entertainment of my heritage and how they have influenced the American culture.

_____ I have started to properly citeeach my sourcesof my researchusing APA format and will continue to do so.

If the answer is NO to any of the above items, you will probably have to return to the Internet to continue your search.

NOTES: Use this space to write a self-evaluation of your work

______

______

______

______
______

______

______

______
______

______

Student Handout #3 What is My Heritage Report? The Graphic Organizer

Grouping Information

What is My Heritage Report? FYI Resources:

BOOKS:

  • My Backyard History by David Weitzman
  • Who Are We? Stories of Immigration and Migration: A Middle School Resource Unit for

The Great Ancestor Hunt by Lila Perl

  • Discovering Your Roots by Dian Dincin Buchman
  • Across America on an Immigrant Train by Jim Murphy
  • Rylant, Cynthia (1998) Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds. Voyager.
  • Greeenfield, Eloise (1993) Childtimes: A Three Generation Memoir. Harpertrophy.
  • Freedman, Russell. (1995) Immigrant Kids. Puffin.
  • Conrad, Pam (1991) My Daniel. Harpercollins Juvenile.

WEBSITES

  • What’s In Your Name: Allowssearches of hundreds of names. Access to the entire list requires a paid subscription.
  • Family History Research: Finds information on history of surname. Offers materials for sale after search. Warn studentsnot to complete order forms.
  • Stories of Native Americans:
  • African Museum Exhibit:
  • American Slavery:
  • Mayan Folktales:
  • Kwanza:
  • Japanese Folktales:
  • Official Heritage website
  • California Museum of Photography – Pictures of immigrants and Ellis Island
  • Immigration Records –
  • Virtual Ellis Island Tour – shows all steps of immigration and has list of other links
  • Ellis Island Immigration Museum –
  • Trace family history –