Do We Need Limits on Immigration Numbers?

by Darby Paddock and Alexis Lecznar

C3 Framework Standards:

Students will be able to determine and evaluate bias in sources

Students will be able to analyze the effect that immigration has on their local community

Students will be to analyze the economic and social impacts (positive and negative) that immigration has on a local community

How do demographics change a community over time?

What does it mean to have your own cultural perception?

How does unintentional bias happen?

Accommodation: If a student does not want to have their face recorded they could put a sticky note over the camera so it is just their voice. They could also write their response.

Part I

Prior to watching video with students, have every student choose a role. The teacher could do this randomly as students enter the room or it could be pre arranged. All roles are people who are interviewed in the video. They include: John Karsten, Craig Rich, Angelina Ann Halina, Gonazles, Ignacio, Ralla, Student, Gail Harrison, and Hao Huynh

Students will get their handout (can be printed or shared electronically) and take notes about their individual person while they watch

A Day in the Life Document

Objective of this activity is to get students to think about bias regarding immigration and be able to identify unintentional bias. We want them thinking about in a 3rd person context so, there is prior knowledge when we move to immigration in their own communities. Helps to create a respectful norm surrounding the issue.


After viewing the video and sharing out with their group, students will write a reflection about what that person’s experiences are like. “A day in the life of…”

Students should be grouped and there should be a different person represented in each group.

Students should participate in a discussion about what a day in the life of their person would be like.

Guiding questions for discussion:

What cultural perceptions and unintentional bias might every person have?

Part II

Socratic Seminar:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of putting limitations on immigration numbers?

Annotate a few articles (2-3) on the advantages and disadvantages of limiting immigration numbers

Note: Newsela has a text set with 40 articles titled “Policy Issue: Immigration.” Teachers may select their own articles based on their comfort level and students.


Use discussion and sentence starters to help students

Have students refer back to individuals from video

This will help to keep personal emotions out of the discussion

This will promote students using references and evidence to support their thinking

Exit Ticket:

Using Flipgrid, respond to your thoughts on the Socratic. Summarize 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages to limiting immigration numbers.

Choose a community close to you and research the following questions:

What is the majority immigrant population in that community?

Was it always that population? If not, what was it before? Why do you think there was a change?

How is that culture represented in that community?

What challenges and advantages exist in that community and to those people due unintentional bias?

Key Vocabulary:



Agricultural economy

Geographically isolated

Unintentional bias


World Wall Document

*all definitions for word wall came from