The Value that Immigrants Bring to Our Community: A Socratic Seminar
- Preview |
- Resources & Preparation |
- Instructional Plan |
- Related Resources |
- Standards
Overview
Having read stories from Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book, students discuss the richness and diversity of the immigrant experience and the value that immigrants bring to our communities.
In this lesson activity, teachers will facilitate a Socratic seminar in which students discuss the denotation and connotation of the word “immigrant.” Having read stories from Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book, students will share and discuss the richness and diversity of the immigrant experience and the value that immigrants bring to our communities.
Note: For teachers new to Socratic seminar, consider visiting ReadWriteThink’s Socratic Seminar Strategy Guide before implementing this lesson.
Featured Resources
Materials and Technology
- Printout copies of Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book, if needed
- Slides exploring Denotation, Positive Connotation, or Negative Connotation, Power Point or PDF
Printouts
- Students complete these guided notes as they read about each immigrant. For students needing additional support with creating a comic vignette, this page is available here without prompts.
- Printout copies of Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book, if needed.
- Immigrant Values Cards: Teachers can use these vocabulary words to guide students in defining terms that will support their Socratic discussion, partnering with classmates, or inspiring processing through visual storytelling.
Websites
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of its Great Immigrants, Great Americans tribute, the Carnegie Corporation of New York published this comic book, which features over a dozen naturalized citizens who have made contributions to the US.
This ReadWriteThink guide explores the research basis, practical implementation, and key resources to support teachers in implementing Socratic seminars in their classroom.
Preparation
1. Assure that students have explored the denotation and connotation of the term “immigrant” using the slides exploring Denotation, Positive Connotation, or Negative Connotation (available as a Power Point or PDF) or on their own.
2. Either assign groups of students or allow students to choose selected stories from Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book.
3. Develop a list of starting questions and questions to use if discussion lags during the Socratic seminar.
Student Objectives
Students will:
- read one or more stories in Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book.
- identify and apply the denotation and connotations associated with the term “immigrant.”
- identify the contributions of naturalized citizens of the US featured in Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book.
- write graphic representations of central values represented in the biographies of Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book.
Session Introduction and Activities
Socratic Seminar
This Socratic seminar activity may be a culminating activity for a unit on immigration or could be an introduction to Socratic seminars where students learn the basics of the strategy that can be applied in later Socratic discussions.
Visual Storytelling Possibilities
Teachers can build in opportunities to process the values immigrants bring to their communities at various times throughout the reading process. Ideas for processing opportunities using visual storytelling might include:
- Prereading: Teachers lead a discussion of key vocabulary to describe central values of immigrants or immigration. Students draw a visual representation of terms that can be used in discussions to describe immigrants. These could be displayed as a word wall for students to refer back to through their reading, the Socratic seminar, or various extension activities.
- During Reading: Teachers conduct a reading comprehension check. Students draw a three-panel summary of their reading so far.
- During Reading or Post-Reading: Classroom communities combat negative stereotypes. Students create a comic-strip (3–5 panels made individually or with a partner) response that contrasts a common stereotype about immigrants with the truth illuminated through the comic’s narrative.
Extensions
- Students may read the remaining stories in Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book or they may read additional books and articles about immigrants.
- Students may write a persuasive essay, editorial, or other nonfiction piece focused on immigration. Possible starting prompts:
- Write a persuasive essay about why immigrants and immigration are important to the US.
- Someone in your town has sent an anti-immigration letter to the editor of your local paper. Write a rebuttal explaining what important contributions immigrants make to our country.
- Write a personal essay about what immigrants and their stories have taught you and how you might apply these lessons to your own life.
- Students might write a multi-panel autobiography or a biography of a family or community member who embodies central values of immigrants and immigration.
From Theory to Practice
Worlds and Miller (2019) call for a reimagining of the literary canon for racial justice. This lesson plan works to provide students the opportunity to delve into the hurdles, contributions, and experiences of the immigrants featured in Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book in hopes that students identify the value immigrants bring to their school, local, and national communities.
Work Cited
Worlds, M., & Miller, H. C. (2019). Miles Morales: Spider-Man and reimagining the canon for racial justice. English Journal, 108(4), 43–50.
Student Assessment / Reflections
- The guided notes can be used as a formative assessment to gauge and support student reading comprehension.
- A discussion rubric may be used to assess student participation in the Socratic seminar.
Standards
A complete listing of the standards can be found here.
1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).