About This Lesson
A major concept of the American Dream that drives many people to come to the United States is family. For generations, family values have greatly shaped our society. However, these values have been threatened at various times in our country's history, most recently in April 2018 when the Trump Administration signed an Executive Order that resulted in the separation of families who crossed the U.S. border in search of sanctuary. Due to this Executive Order, more than 2,000 children were separated from their parents. Although the family separation Executive Order, also known as "zero-tolerance", was rescinded two months later in June, the backlash of the policy continues today as hundreds of children continue to live in detention centers waiting to be reunited with their families.
In this lesson, you and your students will explore the complex push and pull factors that lead people to migrate to the U.S. for sanctuary. Furthermore, this module will show the negative implications of the family separation policy and how you and your students can make an impact. Since this topic is very sensitive and you may have students who relate to the different stories, it is important that you set ground rules for this lesson in order to have a healthy dialogue about this very controversial issue. Click here for helpful tips on "How to to talk about immigration in your classroom (or anywhere!)" from the American Friends Service Committee.
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