Activities:
Introduction (15 minutes)
Introduce the workshop and goals and then have each person introduce him/herself. To do
this, ask participants to first introduce themselves by saying "hello" and "My name is..." in any
other language they may know, then in English. (Some will only be able to do this in English.)
Pre-Viewing Activities
What do we bring with us? (15 minutes)
Introduce the film and give the students these questions as a focus for viewing:
Which student has experiences like yours?
Do any of the students express feelings that you sometimes have?
Let the students view the film in 10- to 20-minute segments and take notes in order to answer
the focus questions above. Have a class discussion after each segment, using the guidelines
described in the Post-Viewing discussion below. Write each word listed below on a separate
sheet of paper or card and hold each word up to the group, one by one. Ask participants to
write down their immediate reaction to the word in a few words or a phrase. After you've gone
through the series of words, ask participants to go back through and label where they think this
reaction comes from. Mark an F if it's from their family upbringing, an M if it's due to the media,
or an S if it's something that just comes from them. Discuss the group's responses, word by
word.
Immigrant, Refugee, Alien, Muslim, Asian, Hispanic, African, Citizen
Discussion (15 minutes)
Hand out copies of the glossary of immigration terms and give participants a few minutes to
review the terms.
Discuss the following:
1. Why would someone choose to leave their country to come to the United States?
2. If you had to leave this country to go live someplace else, what would you miss the most?
3. What does being an American mean to you?
4. What do you think America represents to someone coming here from another part of the
world?
Staff Training
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