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title image German Immigrant Contributions:
Student Overview

For this project you use primary source materials found at the Library of Congress American Memory web site. This project requires you to use computer technology to access the resources necessary for completion of several classroom activities.

Content Objectives

Information Literacy Objectives

Develop questions and potential answers or opinions based on examining photos and reading primary source documents.

  • Why did Germans settle in the Upper Midwest?
  • Where in Europe did Germans immigrate from?
  • What were the economic, political and sociological factors the immigrants faced (hardships and good experiences)?
  • What and where are some German communities in the Upper Midwest?
  • What significant contributions did the German immigrants make to our cultural heritage?

Become familiar with the Library of Congress American Memory collection.

  • Use primary resources.
  • Develop questions about German immigrants.
  • Separate facts from point of view and opinion.
  • Combine new information with previous information.
  • Use non-text forms of information.
  • Learn, develop, and apply search processes and strategies to access resources in the American Memory collections.

Description of activities you will complete.
(Your teacher will provide more information as you work on the project.)
  1. Select one of the photos on the Resources and Activities Page. Use the Activity worksheet to identify the people in the photo, where they live, the time period, and other information revealed in the photo and bibliographic record.

  2. Use your knowledge of the German language to describe the photo you have chosen.

  3. Read primary source documents found on the Resources and Activities Page. Answer questions designed to help you understand why Germans immigrated to the United States and the contributions they made to our culture.

  4. Create a product designed to encourage Germans to immigrate to the Upper Midwest.

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Last updated 09/26/2002