Article - American history: Immigrants from Europe seek a better life in a new land



   For English language learners, a website like Voice of America (http://learningenglish.voanews.com ) could be very valuable.  It provides articles on many topics, and the print text is accompanied by a photo and oftentimes a digital recording with clearly spoken English.  The particular article that was chosen focuses on the waves of immigrants - many who would work in the American factories - during the 1800s.   Although the immigrants sought a better life, as stated in the article title, students will be learning that reality contradicted some of their hopeful expectations.  One activity could be for students to write a short essay that connects this article to the other information they will be learning about the immigrants' living conditions.  Another essay could be to connect the 1800s' immigrant experience to the immigrant experience of themselves or their family.  For the students with lower English language proficiency, they could complete a graphic organizer that shows the immigrants' troubles in their homeland next to their troubles in America for the first activity or a Venn diagram to compare/constrast the 1800s' and the modern immigrant experience for the second activity.

American history: Immigrants from Europe seek a better life in a new land. (May
   12, 2010). voanews.com. Retrieved from http://learningenglish.voanews.com/
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