Lesson 3: Defining Citizenship
Materials:
Opening (10 minute)
Individual reflection: Students journal in response to the question of: what does citizenship mean to you? This can mean you personally or how you would typically define citizenship in a broader sense.
● 5 minutes journaling
● 5 minutes sharing
Main Content (40 minutes)
1. Part One: 20 minutes
Hand out print-outs of What Part of Legal Immigration Don’t You Understand? as a reference.
Students complete PART 1 to this worksheet to navigate what it is like to get citizenship.
Next, on one side of the board write “Qualifications” and another write “Barriers.” Students take post-its and write down an answer for each and paste them on the board. Answers may include:
● What are the qualifications?
○ Spousal/family ties
○ Advanced degrees or “extraordinary abilities”
○ Evidence of job offers in the U.S.
● What are some of the barriers?
○ Adult children have a longer wait time
○ Parents of permanent residents are ineligible to apply for a green card
○ The lottery system has incredibly slim chances and a long wait time
○ U.S. employers need to prove the need for employees outside the U.S. and file the proper paperwork to sponsor the employee’s visa
○ If you’re from a country with a large population, there is a longer wait time
2. Part Two: 20 minutes
As a group: For PART TWO, Students break out into six groups and listen to two of the oral histories on Breathing Free. Recall what it means to think like an oral history researcher as students actively listen to their oral histories. (An oral history practitioner aims to maintain the integrity of what their narrator is saying. Their stories can fit in the narrative of the immigrant story but they also mean something else in their own right).
Students consider these questions as they listen:
● What does it mean to “fit in” or live a satisying life to him/her?
● How does citizenship affect one’s place in the United States?
In pairs or small groups debrief:
● What does it mean to fit in or live a fulfilling life in the U.S.?
● How does citizenship affect one’s place in the U.S.?
● What else affects his/her feeling of belonging or contributing to the U.S.?
● Can you think of personal examples of how citizenship changed someone’s life?
Possible answer: Their stories illuminate the variety in the immigrant experience and the ways that immigration policy influences their positions in the U.S.
Closing Dialogue
Students can revisit what they journaled in the beginning of class.
● Did your notion of citizenship shift from our opening activity after listening to the oral histories?
● Would you add anything to the print-out?