Immigrant issues are on all teens minds, whether from personal experience or from knowing a recent immigrant at school. On pages 8-9, various teens interview other recent teen immigrants on their adjustment to life in the U.S. Have your class read the articles.
Geography
• Have your students locate on a map the following
countries: Armenia, Bulgaria, Germany, India, Iran, Korea, Moldavia, and Sri Lanka.
What did you say?
• Ask your students to submit a sheet of paper with one negative thought they had about new immigrants (the entry can be submitted anonymously). Once all the statements are collected, write all of them on the board.
Based on the comments written, lead a discussion about the statements, reminding them that this is what they really think. How do they feel about the statements on the board? Are they surprised by some of the statements? Did one in particular make them angry? The exercise is designed to alert them that everyone has a prejudice, and that these prejudices can be erased through open communication.
Letter to a recent immigrant
• Your students are about to have a recent immigrant as a new classmate. Ask your class to write him/her a letter to welcome them to your class.
• Ask your students if they think they should provide a guide to life in the U.S. as a part of their letter, or if it is better to write that they will be accepted for who they are, even if it means wearing unusual clothing or having a heavy accent.
If you get outstanding letters from your students, feel free to forward them to LA Youth and we would love to send them to the Belmont Newcomers School, a school dedicated to helping recent immigrants adjust to schools in the U.S.