Ellis Island

 

Name: Lori Shephard                    Date:  June 21, 2006                    Age/Grade Level:  3^rd

 

# of Students:  28       # of IEP Students:  3      # of GSSP Students:  0       # of LEP Students:  0

 

Subject:  Immigration       Major Content:  Social Studies     Lesson Length:  4, 60 minute class

                                                                                                                           periods

 

Unit Title:  Coming to America        Lesson Number and Title:  #2 Ellis Island

 

 

Context

• Goal— The objectives and lesson relate to the broad goal of how immigration was in the past.  The students will learn how immigrants entered America and the procedures for entry.  Students will have opportunity to “experience” immigration entry and how it may have felt so they can relate the experience to their own lives.
• The students have previously learned that immigrants come from many places for many reasons and that Ellis Island was an important port of entry for the immigrants in the late 19^th century.

 

Objectives

(A)  Students will be able to explain the procedures immigrants followed at Ellis Island.

(B)   Students will recognize the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty in the immigrant experience.

 

Connections

(1)                                       Kentucky Learner Goals:

                                    SS-P-H-4 Students will describe and illustrate historical concepts or

                                    events through symbols, slogans, songs, poems, and passages.

SS-P-H-5 Students will understand simple historical time lines and use

primary and secondary sources and artifacts to examine the past.

SS-P-G-5 Students will recognize factors that influence human movement

and settlement.

SS-P-H-2 Students will understand how and why (cause-and-effect) events

occurred in the community, state, or nation.

 

(2)                                       KDE’s Core Content for Social Studies Assessment

Elementary:

SS-05-5.2.3 Students will compare reasons (e.g., freedoms,

opportunities, fleeing negative situations) immigrants came to

America long ago with why immigrants come to American today.

SS-05-4.1.4 Students explain how different factors in one location have an

impact on other locations (e.g., natural disasters, building dams).

SS-EP-2.1.1 Students will describe cultural elements (e.g., beliefs,

traditions, languages, skills, literature, the arts).  DOK 1

 

Resources, media and technology

For this lesson we will use chart paper, markers, and ...If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island.  Students will use a variety of computer media throughout this lesson.  Informational sites and interactive/virtual tour sites will be utilized for preparation of re-enactment. 

The teacher will gather internet sites for student use and prepare the guided virtual tour and sound bytes.  Checklists and sites list were developed using word processing software. 

 

Procedures

Sequential activities

v     Day One:

Teacher asks students to imagine that they are going on a trip, not just any trip, but a trip to a new land, a land of opportunity and freedom.  This trip will be a long, difficult journey that will forever take you from the only place you have ever known as “home”.  You can only take what you can carry.  What will those items be?  Those items will be all you have in the new world.  Choose wisely. 

Teacher and students discuss, as a group, which items they would take and why they chose those items.  Teacher will direct/support discussion as needed to focus students’ thinking.

Teacher explains that the students will be working in small groups to research and then present information about Ellis Island by re-enacting a processing station.  Teacher reviews cooperative group procedures and behavior expectations with the class.

Students are separated into six small groups.  Each group will be given chart paper and several copies of …If Your Name Was Changed At Ellis Island.  Students are given forty minutes to read pages 24-58 dividing the pages by questions/chapters so five groups have three questions and one group has four.  Students will read their pages/questions and record those questions and brief answers on chart paper in that time.  At the conclusion of the activity, student groups will share their questions and answers with the class as other groups take notes.

Each group will have a chance to draw a slip of paper from a bowl to determine which Ellis Island station the group will re-enact.

Students are given a list of internet links to research at home if they would like to prepare for tomorrow’s activity.  Link list is attached.

v     Day Two:

            Teacher again reviews cooperative group procedures and behavior expectations.  All students go to computer lab to research links for Ellis Island (#1 & #3) and Statue of Liberty (#4).  Students who were able to research at home will assist others and review their notes. 

            Teacher leads students in the Ellis Island virtual tour including audio bytes of actual immigrants.  Students take notes pertinent to their group’s station.  After researching the links, groups reconvene to compare notes and prepare for re-enactment—deciding on materials, props, etc. needed for re-enactment. 

v     Day Three:

Teacher again reviews cooperative group procedures and behavior expectations.  Teacher also reminds students that re-enactments should be brief but accurate and informative and should include appropriate characters and activities (i.e., immigrants, examiner, exams, procedures, etc.).

Groups are given class time to work on re-enactment preparation—props, script, etc.

v     Day Four:

Each group presents their re-enactment of the previously chosen Ellis Island station.  Between re-enactments students discuss the stations (not performance) and what happened in each station.

            After students re-enact the Ellis Island stations, the teacher will guide a classroom discussion of processing through those stations and what it must have been like for the immigrants (adults and children).  Ask the question:  Would you do it?  Why or why not?

 

Questioning

Five questions I will ask during this lesson:

1. What items will you take with you to your new home?  Why?
2. What must it have been like for the immigrants (adults and children) to go through processing at Ellis Island?
3. How would they probably have felt?
4. How would you feel?
5. Would you do it?  Why or why not?

 

Choice, authenticity and diversity

Students are given the opportunity to choose their role in small groups.  Re-enactments are to be creative.  Students must follow teacher guidelines for content but students choose how to portray their characters, activities and stations.  Ethnic groups were not assigned for this activity so students could portray the ethnic group they choose.

Gifted students and those reading above grade level will be asked to evaluate accuracy of information portrayed in re-enactment with a written review—a content critic, if you will.  Reviews will focus on content not performance and will be turned in for extra points.

Students reading below grade level and those with IEP’s will work cooperatively within small groups with support or assistance as needed by fellow group members.  There will be readers in all groups to ensure that those with difficulty reading will not have to read unless they choose to read.

 

Assessment Plan

 

Objective/Assessment Plan Organizer

Learner Objective Number	Type of  Assessment	Description of Assessment	Adaptations  and/or Accommodations
A, B	Formative	Informal Observation, Participation	Extended Wait Time, Prompting/Cueing
A, B	Formative	Self-checklist	Extended Wait Time, Prompting/Cueing
A, B	Summative	Teacher Checklist	Extended Wait Time, Prompting/Cueing

 

 

 

Name ________________________________ Date _______________________

 

Individual and Group

 

Self-Checklist

___ Taking turns                                                  ___ Working together

___ Sharing materials                                      ___ Everyone working

___ Doing my part                                               ___ All parts completed

 

 

 

 

 

Name _____________________________ Date _________________________

 

 

Individual and Group

 

Self-Checklist

___ Taking turns                                                  ___ Working together

___ Sharing materials                                      ___ Everyone working

___ Doing my part                                               ___ All parts completed

 

 

 

Date ______________________

Ellis Island

 Re-enactment Checklist

Group _____________                   

Students ___________________________________________________________

 

Works cooperatively _________________________________________________

Prepared __________________________________________________________

Accuracy of information _____________________________________________

Notes ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet Sites for Research

1. Ellis Island Virtual Tour

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm

 

2. Port of Entry

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/port/start.html

 

3. Pictures of Ellis Island and Immigrants

http://138.23.124.165/collections/permanent/projects/stereo/immigration/ellisisland.html

 

4. Statue of Liberty Facts

http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/liberty/liberty.html

 

5. Statue of Liberty by 4^th graders

http://www.kusd.edu/s_projects/statue_liberty/state_liberty.html

 

6. Poem of The New Colossus

http://capital.net/~alta/Lazarus.htm