Mexico and Its Neighbor to the North Subject: Social Sciences Grade: 9-12

Brief Description

Students stage a debate about immigration between the United States and Mexico.

Objectives

Students research current political issues.

Keywords

Mexico, history, United States, border, immigration, debate

Materials Needed

Print and online information about U.S.-Mexican border issues, such as

• Rethinking History and the Nation State: Mexico and the United States
• The Border, Border Studies
• U.S.Immigration and Naturalization Service
• Death on the U.S.-Mexican Border
• An open US-Mexico border opens many questions

Lesson Plan

• Organize students into an even number of small groups. Explain to students that they will debate the restriction of immigration between Mexico and the United States.
• Ask: Should laws restricting immigration to the United States and/or the enforcement of those laws be eased or strengthened?
• Assign half the groups the "pro" position of the question and half the groups the "con" position. Ask students to research print and online information about U.S.-Mexican border issues and then write brief statements of their group positions.
• Review with students How to Hold a Class Debate.
• Choose two groups at random, one pro and one con, to debate the issue.
• When each group has had a chance to participate in a debate, make a list of the pros and cons brought up by all the groups. Ask students to vote on whether the border between the United States and Mexico should be open, allowing unrestricted travel between the two countries.

Assessment

Evaluate students on the information in their written statements and on their participation in the debates. For evaluating debate participation, consider using the Debate Rubric from About.com.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Linda Starr

National Standards

Social Sciences:
  NSS-C.9-12.4
  NSS-WH.5-12.8