Tuesday, 10/18: Intro to Immigration Reform

Class Biz

• If you were absent yesterday, make sure you get the Exhibition dates for Model Senate from yesterday's blog and get a copy of the Senior Project Teacher Conference handout from me.
• If I marked you wrong for a FALSE answer on question 5 of the Bill to Law Quiz, turn it back in. Sorry!
• A note about Model Senate, debating, and understanding the nature of people's roles and the principle of being hard on ideas, soft on people.
• Notes from yesterday's Party Caucus are now available on the Documents page!  These will be helpful for committee legislation work.

Please take this quick survey for our Model Senate Class Switcheroo

We are now beginning our 2nd issue study: Immigration Reform
Your task this week will be to:

1. Understand in a nuanced way the problems our nation faces with regards to immigration in these three realms: Refugees, jobs, and border enforcement
2. Understand your parties’ position on immigration reform
3. Analyze various Immigration reform policies in the three realms of refugees, jobs, and border and law enforcement. 

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Ashley to pass out the Immigration Notebook (feel free to download the electronic copy linked here if you'd prefer)

Starter: (On page 2 of your notebook) Where do you come from? (5 minutes)

1. Where (what countries) does each side of your family come from? List as many countries as you can, and what side of the family they are from.
2. How long has each side of your family been in the U.S.?
3. To what extent do you feel that immigration is an American value?

 
Pair-Share: Share your starter response with a partner (10 minutes)

Watch Obama’s 2014 Immigration Reform Speech where he announces Executive Action meant to override Congress’s inaction. (First 10 minutes only)

Discuss! Get with someone from your same political party and discuss the following questions (10 minutes)

• What surprised you from his speech?
• Obama spoke about a bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate in 2013.  What did that bill include? Why didn’t the bill become a law?
• Do you, personally, think undocumented immigrants should have a pathway to citizenship? Do you think your Senator would support it?
• What are the actions Obama is taking to override the House of Representatives’ refusal to pass the Senate bill?  (He lists 3 specific actions)
• What don’t his actions include? In other words, what is the “commonsense middle ground approach”
• What VALUES or IDEALS does Obama speak to in this speech?

Read Time Magazine article: “Not Legal, Not Leaving” (7 pages)
http://marcushumanities12.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/9/0/37903231/time_magazine_not_leaving.pdf
Take notes on page 2 of your notebook as you read this article:

1. What is ICE?
2. What is the DREAM Act?
3. What are two things you learned about immigration (or living illegally) from the article?
4. What are two questions you still have about immigration or immigration reform?
5. What is your one takeaway from the article?

 
Position Research: Now it’s time to wrap your head around what your Senator and party believe about immigration and immigration reform.  Complete pages 3-5 of your issue notebook.
 
Homework: You should have pages 2-5 complete by tomorrow!