Irish-Americans: Work and Song
Irish immigrants came to the United States in search of work and a better
life for their families. When they arrived, they faced discrimination
and found that their job opportunities were limited. In this lesson, students
will use video and web-based primary and secondary source documents to
examine the experiences of Irish immigrant workers who helped build America’s
railroads.
Grade Level:
Grades 6 to 8
Time Allotment:
Three 45-minute periods
Subject Matter:
History, Social Studies
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the experiences of Irish immigrants
who worked to build the railroads in this country.
- Analyze primary source documents to gather information.
- Demonstrate note-taking skills.
- Synthesize information from primary and secondary source documents
to create an artistic piece.
Standards:
National Standards:
From the National Standards of Social Studies
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/toc.html
3. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for
the study of people, places, and environments.
McREL Standards:
Historical Understanding
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=3&StandardID=2
Level III, Benchmark 6
Knows different types of primary and secondary sources and the motives,
interests, and bias expressed in them (e.g., eyewitness accounts, letters,
diaries, artifacts, photos; magazine articles, newspaper accounts, hearsay)
United States History Era 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=5&StandardID=10
Level III, Benchmark 1
Understands how immigration affected American society in the antebellum
period (e.g., the connection between industrialization and immigration,
how immigration intensified ethnic and cultural conflict and complicated
the forging of a national identity)
Unites States History, Era 6
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=5&StandardID=18
Level III, Benchmark 1
Understands the conditions affecting employment and labor in the late
19th century (e.g., the change from workshop to factory in different regions;
how working conditions changed and how workers responded to new industrial
conditions)
This lesson was prepared by: Adrienne J. Kupper.
