People have come from all over the world to settle in Sacramento. You probably know several people who have come to Sacramento from another state or country. The stories of the people who have settled here make up the unique history of Sacramento. In order to learn more about Sacramento immigrants, you will be conducting research about someone who came to Sacramento from another country. Then, you will consider the stories of others who have immigrated to California as you write about an immigrant's life experiences.
Activity One - Interviewing a
Sacramento Immigrant
You may choose to interview a classmate, grandparent, neighbor, or other community member. Use the following steps to guide your research.
- Think about what you would like to know about the person and their experiences.
- Decide on the interview questions that will guide your discussion with the person you choose to interview. You may use ideas from the list below, but you should also make an effort to develop some questions of your own. For more ideas, visit an oral history web site like the one found at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oralhist.htm.
Sample Questions
- Where are you from?
- What is your ethnic background?
- What languages have you spoken and do you now speak?
- What is the primary language spoken in your home?
- Who immigrated with you? Did anyone stay behind?
- Why did you immigrate?
- When did you first arrive in Sacramento? How did you get here?
- What do you remember most about your arrival?
- Where in the Sacramento area did you settle? Why?
- With whom do you live? Do you live with other members of your family?
- Do you live near other families of the same ethnicity?
- Do you and/or your family maintain cultural traditions? If so, how?
- Do you feel that any of your cultural traditions have been lost? Which ones? How?
- What was your first job after you arrived? What was your job before you arrived?
- Do you belong to any organizations? Which ones and why?
- Do you receive communication (letters, newspapers, etc.) from your native country?
- Do you identify with a specific religion?
- What educational opportunities have you had? Are these opportunities the same or different from the opportunities your parents have had?
- What do you like most about living in the Sacramento area? What do you like least?
- Prepare a list of at least ten interview questions.
- As you interview the person, take notes to record their answers for future reference.
- After the interview, use the information you have gathered to prepare a summary of your interview. Tell about the questions you asked the person, and their responses.
Activity Two - Biographical Research
Before you begin writing a biographical account of an immigrant's life, look for other biographical accounts. Use the accounts to decide what information is relevant for a biographical account.
- Use available research tools to find several biographical accounts about other California settlers. For example, if you have Internet access, visit the Library of Congress American Memory web site <http://memory.loc.gov/> for ideas about biographical writing.
- Try to determine what information can be found in biographical accounts. Think about and answer the following questions:
- What general information can be found in biographical writing?
- What did you read that reveals information about the history of California?
- What information is revealed about California culture?
- What types of information are specific to the individual person?
Activity Three - Journal Writing for a Fictional Immigrant
Now that you have completed the interview process, you will need to apply what you have learned in writing a biographical journal entry for a fictional character who might have been a Sacramento immigrant similar to the person you interviewed.
- Using the People of Sacramento software, find a portrait of a person who looks like they may be of the same age and ethnicity as the person you interviewed.
- Using what you have learned from your research, write an imaginary journal entry for the person in the picture. The journal entry should relate information about the person's experiences in immigrating to Sacramento. You may choose to focus the entry on a significant event in the person's life. Give as much detail as possible, so that your account seems realistic to the reader.
Activity Four - Scrapbook
Consider the character you wrote about in the journal writing activity. Based on what you have learned, what things do you imagine this person has experienced in his or her life? Use the People of Sacramento software to create a scrapbook of some of the things you imagine the person may have seen and/or experienced in the past.
- Use the People of Sacramento software database to browse for images that may be appropriate for your purpose.
- Use the scrapbook option to save a pictorial history for your character.
- Be prepared to share your scrapbook with classmates.
Activity Five - Reflection
Answer the following questions: Give complete essay answers.
- In writing about your fictional immigrant, what personality traits did you give your character? Are these the same characteristics you observed in the person you interviewed?
- Describe some of the pictures you placed in the scrapbook for your character. Why might these images have been significant in the life of your character?
- What have you learned about immigration from these activities? What have you learned about cultural diversity in Sacramento?
Lesson developed by Heidi Dettwiller, San Juan Unified School District