Lesson Plan: Roll the Dice

Rationale: To use role-playing as a way of encouraging students to research the history of specific immigrant populations and to develop a deeper understanding of the complexities of "pioneer life" from the 18th through 21st centuries.

Materials: Pencil, paper, dice, library and/or online resources for background research by two or more teams of students.

Timeframe: Two hours (minimum) for research and discussion.

Methods: Who you are in this roll-playing exercise is determined by a roll of the dice. This game can be played individually or by groups of students. If dice are not available, draw numbers written on slips of paper. Share your answers with your group, and write abaout

  • Roll the die or dice.
  • Match that number with the scenarios listed below.
  • Think about the role you are assigned - you can research your new-found situation online or at your local library or historical society.
  • React! Write an essay or poem or draw a picture to describe and respond to your situation.

1 The year is 1943. You are an American citizen of Italian descent living in Terre Haute. What makes your community unique? Do you have family members living in Italy? What issues concerning citizenship are you facing as an Italian American living in the United States during World War II?

2 It's 1996 and you are a young professional who moved to Fort Wayne from Mexico City. What is the size of the Latino (Hispanic) community your new state? What community-based organizations are available to you? What is the process you had to follow to obtain a work visa?

3 The year is 1850. You are an Irish Catholic who came to Indiana because your landlord paid you to emigrate. You survived the Potato Famine in your homeland and your journey by ship to the United States - how do you now survive in this new land? What jobs are open to you? How do you obtain citizenship papers?

4 The year is 1943. You are an American citizen of Japanese ancestry. What language(s) do you speak and write? In what part of the state do you live? Do you have family members residing in Japan? What issues are you facing as a Japanese American during World War II?

5 You are an undocumented worker living in Corydon in 1985, but your spouse is an American citizen. You have a young family. What health care and educational opportunities are available to you as an alien without a greencard or work visa? If you choose to stay in this country, what options are open for you to obtain citizenship?

6 The year is now. You are a Bodewadmi (Pottawatomi) Native American living in Indianapolis, a region where your nation has lived for hundreds of years. What other Native American communities live in Indiana? What opportunities are there for you to celebrate your heritage in Indiana? What immigration issues are most important to you?

7 The year is 1925. You have just moved to Gary, Indiana from Poland in order to find work in the steel mills. Do you have family in the area, and is there a Polish community already established in the region? What is unique about your heritage? What happens to the economy of northern Indiana during the next 5 years?

8 The year is 1990. You are an Amish farmer living near Elkhart, Indiana. How did your ancestors arrive in this state, and why did they choose to come here? What language(s) do you speak and write? What makes your community unique? Do you have family ties with relatives in another country? What do you think about current immigration policies?

9 The year is 1855. You are an African-American who recently emigrated to Indiana from the southern US. How did you get here? Now that you've arrived, what laws govern how you live your life - where you can build a home, where you can celebrate your religion, where you can go to school, where you can work?

10 The year is now. You are an Asian college student living in central Indiana. What language(s) do you speak and write? What community-based organizations are available to you? Make a list of the reasons why you would decide to stay in Indiana, or why you would return to your home country.

11 The year is 1882. You are one of 250,000 Germans who arrive in the United States in this year. You plan to move to Evansville with your family but your parents are denied permission to emigrate due to their age and are sent back to Germany. How do you keep in touch with them and with your home country? What jobs will you find in your new hometown?

12 The year is now and you are yourself. What is your cultural or ethnic heritage? What language(s) do you speak and write? What is unique about who you are? Do you know your family history? Is citizenship important to you? Whether it is or isn't important, tell us why.