Immigration
A Virtual Tour of Ellis Island
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm
AN INTERACTIVE HISTORY OF ELLIS ISLAND:
NOVEMBER 12TH, 1908
It was on this day that, after 20 million immigrants were processed through this facility, Ellis Island ceased to be the focal immigration port for America.
AMERICA, A HOME FOR EVERY CULTURE:
An astounding percentage of Americans can trace their immigrant ancestors back to Ellis Island; it’s definitely a large part of our history and who we are. This online exploration allows students to delve into the experiences of immigrants, with an interactive floor plan to explore in text, photos, audio, and video presentations. A 15 year old girl from Ireland was apparently the first immigrant to go through Ellis Island; find out more fascinating fare with both immigration explorations above.
Students will identify words that come from different cultures, explore the benefits of diversity within a culture, investigate the music of different lands, and create a multicultural cookbook – perfect for a Thanksgiving-themed unit for your classes. Some wonderful extension activities are included as well.
TEACHER’S GUIDE FOR IMMIGRATION:
In this exhibit from the Kennedy Center, students will look into the immigrant experience through a series of 20th century photographs. Ask students to observe details closely, take notes while working in pairs, and then write summaries for what they have seen – either in each picture, or in the collection as a whole.
This site features different lesson plans to teach the concepts of immigration to grades K-8, with background information, graphic organizers, assessments, and a writing rubric.
Explore an interactive timeline of immigration to America from 1800 to 1990. Important events are expanded in a drop-down option, along with Find Out More features on what life was like in any given time period, focusing on selected immigrants.
There is much here to explore, including an interactive tour of Ellis Island, stories of immigrants from yesteryear, as well as experiences of much more recent immigrants. Students can also submit their own or their family’s stories in the Oral History, or ask a question from recent immigrants. Immigration statistics are also available.
Welcome to Ellis Island. Find six stories of Americans researching their own heritage, as well as a timeline on The Peopling of America. A passenger search is available at the 2nd link above, where students can input family names and get lists of passengers and dates when they passed through Ellis Island (note that this free service requires a name & email registration to go into any depth).
Students will be examining primary documents and photographs from the Library of Congress, that cover immigration issues in the early 20th century. Six student activities introduce and evaluate student research into these documents, with discussion questions and guides. Students will be expected to conduct an immigrant interview, create a class presentation, and write a final essay on the subject.
Most of your students will still be familiar with the appealing lyrics to Woody Guthrie’s classic, “This Land is Your Land”. But how many know that it was penned as a protest to another popular song of the times? Learn the history behind the song in this installation from ArtsEdge, and then ask your students to work in pairs or small groups to come up with themes and lyrics for a song that might reflect the national character and attitude today.
