Unit Guide

Understanding Why We Left Home

Lindsay Novellino

This unit is made for fourth grade English Learning students, to help answer their questions of why their parents chose to come to the United States. The unit is comprised of activities that will focus on addressing four of the WIDA Standards for English Language Learners, as well as fourth grade Geography Standards. Students will learn about different types of maps, push and pull factors, create interview questions, and collect data from their interviews. Once they have completed their interviews, students will use different forms of imagery to show how far their families have traveled, and compare their current homes in Delaware, to the ones their families left. Students will be able to compare economic data, education level, and job opportunities of the two locations, as well as use aerial imagery to view the landscapes and status of the homes. The goals of the unit is to allow students to gain a better understanding of their families’ decision to leave their home country and bridge the communication gap between members of the family, and acquire interview skills, which will improve their speaking, reading, writing, and listening abilities according to the WIDA Standards.