4th Grade United States Studies

Unit 3: Human Geography in the United States

SS040304
Lesson 4

Lesson 4: The Impact of Immigration on Culture in the United States

Big Ideas of the Lesson

Culture is the way of life of group of people. Immigrants brought their culture with them when
they immigrated to the United States. This included traditions, foods, stories, languages, music,
values and beliefs.
Different ethnic groups settled in different regions. For example, many Mexicans settled in the
southwest region of the U.S and many Chinese settled along the west coast.
The cultural influences of these various ethnic groups are evident in these regions.
Immigration has resulted in significant cultural diversity in the United States.

Lesson Abstract:
This lesson explores some of the effects of immigration on the United States with an emphasis on
how immigration has affected cultural development throughout the country (e.g. the Asian impact
on California; the Mexican impact on areas of the Southwest). It begins with a brief review of the
impact of immigration on regions of Michigan through an activity relating to the influence of Finnish
people in the Upper Peninsula. Students then use several demographic maps of the United States
to work in groups to construct generalizations about cultural influences in different regions of the
United States. Students share their generalizations with the class and construct a class list of
generalizations about cultural influences in the United States. Working with a partner, students
select a region of the country to investigate and collect evidence of cultural influences in that
region to display on a small poster board.
Content Expectations
4 H3.0.2: Use primary and secondary sources to explain how migration and immigration
affected and continue to affect the growth of Michigan.
4- G1.0.3:

4- G1.0.4:
4 - G4.0.2:

Identify and describe the characteristics and purposes (e.g., measure distance,
determine relative location, classify a region) of a variety of geographic tools and
technologies (e.g., globe, map, satellite image).
Use geographic tools and technologies, stories, songs, and pictures to answer
geographic questions about the United States.
Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural development
of different places or regions of the United States (e.g., forms of shelter, language,
food).

Key Concepts
culture
immigration
movement
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4th Grade United States Studies

Unit 3: Human Geography in the United States

SS040304
Lesson 4

Instructional Resources
Equipment/Manipulative
Desktop U.S. Maps
Highlighters
Overhead projector or Document Camera/Projector
Student journal or notebook
Student Resource
American Ethnic Geography. 14 November 2008
<http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/geo/courses/geo200/usa_maps.html>.
Teacher Resource
Americans in the Raw. Ohio State eHistory. 14 November 2008
<http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/Immigration/AmericansinRaw.cfm>.
Egbo, Carol. Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 4).Teacher-made material. Michigan
Citizenship Collaborative, 2008.
Lake Gogebic Area. 14 November 2008
<http://www.lakegogebicarea.com/lakegogebicsnowmobile.htm>.
Photo of the Annual Finnish Music Festival. 14 November 2008
<http://www.playdembones.com/workshops.htm>.
Photo of Finlandia University. 14 November 2008 <http://huntsupguide.com/hancock_finlandia_university_finnish_american_heritage_center.html>.
UP Information. 14 November 2008 <http://www.mgh.org/uphec/up_info.html>.
Lesson Sequence
1. Pose the following question to students and have them write an answer in their social studies
journals: Besides the objects they carried with them, what else did immigrants bring to the
United States? Give students time to write and then have them share their ideas with the class.
Make a class list of their ideas. Note that possible answers include stories, beliefs, songs,
languages, recipes, traditions and dances.
2. Go over the class list generated in Step 1 and ask students to think of a term that could serve
as a label for the whole list of things. Discuss student responses and guide students to the idea
that all the things on the list are related to the term culture. Define culture for students as the
way of life of a group of people. Explain that when immigrants came to the United States they
brought elements of their cultures with them. Note to Teacher: Culture includes all the ways of
life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation
to generation. As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, games,
norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief as well as the art.

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4th Grade United States Studies

Unit 3: Human Geography in the United States

SS040304
Lesson 4

3. Review the following resources used in Lesson 3 of this unit as listed here and ask students to
look for evidence of cultural elements immigrants described in these resources brought with
them. Note that examples are listed in italics.
The book Grandfathers Journey (values, what people feel is important)
The book The Keeping Quilt (religion, wedding traditions)
Photographs of Immigrants (clothing styles)
Quotations Sheet: What Did They Bring with Them? (traditional foods)
Immigrant Artifacts (instruments like the accordion and music)
4. Briefly discuss with students how immigration has led to the rich cultural diversity of the United
States. Then, explain that in this lesson students will explore cultural influences in different
regions of the United States.
5. Make and display an overhead transparency of Map #1 located in the Supplemental
Materials. Use the following questions to guide students in interpreting the map:
What is shown on the map?
Do Finnish people comprise a major ethnic group in the United States?
Where is the largest concentration of Finnish people in the U.S?
Why do you think this is true?
What did you learn in Michigan history that might help you better understand about
Finnish immigration to the United States?
6. Explain that the Internet is a good resource for locating evidence of cultural influences in
regions of the United States. Evidence can be found in both text and visual images. Make and
display an overhead transparency of Finnish Influences in Michigan: Visuals located in the
Supplemental Materials. Discuss the types of cultural influences shown in the photographs.
7. Divide students in pairs and give each pair a copy of the Finnish Influences in Michigan: Text
located in the Supplemental Materials and a highlighter. Explain that students should work with
their partners to highlight examples of Finnish cultural influences evident in the two text
selections. Give pairs time to complete the activity and then have them share ideas in the large
group. Note that cultural influences described in the text include language, cultural traditions
like the use of a sauna, cultural values like sisu, food traditions, legends and music.
8. Explain that students will now explore a set of maps showing concentrations of different ethnic
groups in the United States. Then, they will have the opportunity to choose a region and work in
a small group to locate evidence of cultural influences in that region. Divide students into small
groups and give each group a folder with Maps #2 - #7 and a copy of the Map Analysis Chart
located in the Supplemental Materials. Encourage students to also use a desktop U.S. map to
help them in locating cities in various regions. Explain that groups should carefully examine the
maps and draw conclusions regarding cultural influences in different regions of the U.S. based
on the maps. Conclusions should be recorded on the chart. Note that a chart showing sample
answers has also been included in the Supplemental Materials.

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4th Grade United States Studies

Unit 3: Human Geography in the United States

SS040304
Lesson 4

9. Give groups time to work and then have them share their conclusions in the large group. Guide
students in formulating possible reasons for concentrations of ethnic groups in certain regions.
For example, ask them why Florida has a high concentration of Cubans and California has a
high concentration of Chinese.
10. Assign groups to one of the six ethnic groups shown on the maps. Explain that groups should
use the Internet to locate visual and textual evidence of the cultural influence of their assigned
group. Remind them that in Steps 6 and 7 they practiced finding evidence based on the visuals
and text you provided. Give students sufficient time to gather evidence and then have them
create a poster display of what they have found.
11. Write the term diversity on an overhead transparency or on the board. Remind students that
diversity is a core democratic value. Ask students what this term means. Then, guide students
in understanding that as Americans we value differences in cultural and ethnic background, as
well as in race, lifestyle, and beliefs. Finally, ask them to do a journal entry explaining how the
core democratic value of diversity relates to what they have learned in this lesson.
Assessment
The Map Analysis Charts can be used as an assessment as well as the evidence of cultural
influences gathered in Step 10. In addition, instead of doing the journal entry for Step 11, students
could write a short paragraph on the same topic.

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