(Here’s a USA Today interactive timeline on the law, including Supreme Court ruling striking down most of it).

The state of Arizona has just passed a law that, as an article in the Los Angeles Times says:

…makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and directs police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal.

This law (which I strongly oppose) provides many good teaching and learning opportunities, especially since many English Language Learner students are Latinos, the group obviously targeted by the law.

I’m going to divide this post into two sections — one for resources accessible to ELL’s and the other for teacher materials that provide good background and would need to be modified for use with students:

FOR STUDENTS:

The Associated Press has a good interactive on the issue.

Protests Erupt Over Immigration in Arizona is a New York Times slideshow.

Immigration Law Splits Arizona is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

CNN has an article on a potential challenge to the law by the United States Attorney Journal (which would need to be modified for students), but the same page has several online videos about the topic.

CBS News has a similar article that is accompanied by several online videos.

Voice of America has a relatively accessible article that gives an overview of the situation.

MSNBC has a video about other states considering calling for a boycott of Arizona until they repeal the law.

Here’s a video report from The Washington Post.

Rally Against Arizona Immigration Law is a CNN video.

How Arizona became center of immigration debate is a slideshow from the Associated Press.

U.S. police chiefs say Arizona immigration law will increase crime is an article from The Washington Post.

The Voice Of America also reports on the what the police chiefs had to say.

Immigration Protests is a slideshow from CBS News.

Thousands Protest Arizona Immigration Law is from NPR.

The United States Justice Department is challenging Arizona’s recent anti-immigrant law. You can watch a short MSNBC video about the challenge. It also provides a transcript of the audio. That’s a very nice feature, but it’s the first MSNBC video I’ve seen that provides that transcript. I wonder if they will start doing it more often?

As Arizona immigration law looms, local tensions mount is the title of a Washington Post slideshow on the law.

Judge blocks controversial parts of Ariz. law is the title of an MSNBC video report about the federal judge’s ruling blocking its worst portions. The neat feature of the video is that it provides the transcript right under the video player. It’s a feature that MSNBC appeared to start trying out last month with its redesign, and is using with more and more of its videos. It’s be a great asset for English Language Learners.

Specter of Arizona immigration law slowly drains economy is a CNN video and text piece that tells a very interesting tale about the impact of the immigration law.

Arizona’s immigration enforcement law SB 1070 is the headline for a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

Strong Reaction to Immigration Ruling is a Wall Street Journal video.

In Arizona, undocumented face a choice: Stay in fear, or join exodus is the title of a Washington Post slideshow.

FOR TEACHERS:

Both The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The New York Times provide good overviews.

Learning About U.S. Immigration With The New York Times is a compilation of materials put together by the New York Times Learning Network.

Immigration and Arizona Schools is a good post from Public School Insights on the possible impact of the law on schools.

Breathing While Undocumented is a column from The New York Times which provides good background information on a court case in the eighties which could have prohibited undocumented children from attending public schools.

The Associated Press also has a text report on the Justice Dept. challenge to the law.

(Note: Arizona hasn’t stopped just with this law. Read Another Bad Idea From Arizona, an editorial from The New York Times.)

Suggestions are welcome.

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