Becoming American:
The German and Irish Experience in St. Louis
Overview
This lesson allows students to identify the opportunities and challenges that
German and Irish immigrants faced when they emigrated to St. Louis in the
middle of the 19th century. Students will simulate the experiences of recent
immigrants as they explore the physical landscape of St. Louis in the Virtual
City website. They will also compare and contrast how different groups
of immigrants sought to secure the benefits of American citizenship.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will:
- Identify why German and Irish
people migrated to St. Louis in the mid 19th century.
- Identify the opportunities and
challenges that German and Irish immigrants found in St. Louis in the 1850's.
- Compare and contrast the methods
that German and Irish immigrants used to secure the benefits of American
citizenship.
- Apply
a historical understanding of immigration to current issues facing immigrants
to the United States.
Show Me Standards 1.2, 1.4,
1.9, 1.10, 2.3, 3.4, 3.6, 4.2 Social Studies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Process
- Review the history of immigration in mid 19th century, discussing the reasons
for German and Irish immigration.
- Introduce the St. Louis Virtual City website
to the class. Show them how to navigate using Cortona. Familiarize them
with the three dimensional model
on the left side of the screen and the data on the right side of the screen.
Have students practice with the interface so that they can gain expertise
using the program.
- Divide students into two groups, one half will assume
an Irish identity while the other half will assume a German identity.
- Distribute
the student worksheets for the activity. Depending on computer access and
the teacher's learning goals, students can complete this task
individually, in small groups (by German or Irish identity), or in
two large groups (by German or Irish identity).
- Tell students to begin the
simulation at the riverboat on the 1850's map and then answer the questions
on their worksheet by exploring the
city.
- Once students have completed the worksheet, have them partner
with a with another student who has assumed a different identity. Students
should
compare
and contrast the experiences of German and Irish immigrants (possibly
using a Venn Diagram).
- Conclude the activity by facilitating
a class discussion on the immigrant experience in the 1850's and today.
The teacher may want to frame the discussion
around the concept of E Pluribus Unum, "out of many, one." Possible
questions might include: 1) What problems did immigrants in the 1850's face?
2) How did German and Irish overcome these problems? 3) Based on the experiences
of these groups in the 1850's, was the ideal of E Pluribus Unum achieved?
4) How are the experiences of the German and Irish similar to the experiences
of recent immigrants to the United States today? 5) Applying an understanding
of historic and current immigration issues, what does it take to make the
idea of E Pluribus Unum a reality in the United States?
Click here for student instructions