Middle School History
6th Grade History: March-April 2008
History
Port of Entry: Immigration Unit
"America has been a land of dreams. A land where the aspirations of people from countries cluttered with rich, cumbersome, aristocratic, ideological pasts can reach for what once seemed unattainable. Here they have tried to make dreams come true. . . ." Daniel J. Boorstin
Activity Description:
This unit highlights the immigrant experience in American life. Students will travel back in time and assume the role of an actual immigrant who entered the United States through Ellis Island in the early 1900’s. Through various activities, research, gathering of information, and reading students will learn about the patterns and history of immigration in this country.
Objectives:
1. Students will explore and share feelings about what it might have been like to enter the United States as an immigrant.
2. Students will develop an understanding of the concept of immigration and reasons why people immigrate.
Vocabulary:
crucible, melting pot, discrimination, emigration, nativist, persecute, port, tenement, steerage, ancestor, opportunity, Ellis Island, xenophobia, nationalism, racism, pilgrim, liberty, Jewish, symbolism, Statue of Liberty, archives, inspection, poverty, restoration, sacrifice
Activities/Procedures:
- Write a letter to a friend or relative (sponsor) in America asking them to support their arrival to America. They must have a sponsor who lives and works in America to vouch for them. (This should be authentic looking and written in your own handwriting, like a letter. It should be dated and written on stationary or handmade paper from whatever source might have been available.)
- Students will write a letter to a friend or relative back home from the point-of-view of an immigrant (you). In the letter students will describe their journey over to America, and their arrival at Ellis Island. Some students may not be granted permission to pass through and some may be deported. (This should be authentic looking and written in their own handwriting, like a letter. It should be dated and written on stationary or handmade paper from whatever source might have been available.)
- Students will choose three+ photos from the classroom’s “immigration photo-memory collection” and write a picture caption for each image you select. These photos will be part of your family scrapbook to take to America, showing your family and where you come from. (These photos and captions should be glued into your journal.)
- In their journal, students will draw a map of their home to where they embark on the ship. They either walked, rode in a carriage/wagon, or on the train. How long did it take them to get from their home to the ship? They should mark 2-4 locations and mention what happened in those spots…(had to hide, had to search for food, stayed at an inn, stayed at a farm, was searched, had to work to earn more money for travel, was robbed, was sick…)
- Create a Birth Certificate with their name, their parent’s names, their birthdate, their parent’s birthdates, their birth place, and nationality
- Keep a journal explaining feelings and reasons for immigrating to America, family experiences/ideas, the trip across the ocean, arrival at Ellis Island, and America. The journal should have at least 10 different entries of at least a paragraph. Each entry should be dated.
- Students will be given several daily questions to answer. These questions should be written and answered in journal.
- Students will list what they want to take with them on this journey. They may only take 5 items from their home. After they have listed the 5 items, they should write a couple of sentences on why they chose those particular items and what importance they will have in their new life. (Students need to remember that these items must be authentic to their character and way of life.)
- Students will participate in several Electronic “Field Trips”. After concluding each field trip, students will document, in their journal, the web link, the title of the lesson/activity, and write a brief summary.
- Students will create a book cover for a book about immigration. The book cover will include an illustration on front, author and illustrator, title, summary on back, statements from others recommending the book.
- Using the class’ statistics, label and color a world map showing countries where your ancestors and ancestors of classmates were born.
- Look at excerpts from the Ellis Island Cookbook. http://www.i-channel.com/features/ellis/food.html Recipes are provided for Potatoes and Dandelions from Italy, Croatian Nut Roll from Austria-Hungary, Cabbage Rolls from Lebanon, lemon Pudding and Ginger Snaps from England, and Beet and Carrot Salad from Finland. Make a class cookbook from the countries represented in #1 above. Students may bring prepared recipes to class for a Celebration of Ancestral Country Cooking.
- Students will write a poem about immigration. This should be written in journal.
- Students will go through an assimilation of entry through Ellis Island. They will have to show all required documentation (above assignments) for entry. It is possible that some may have contracted a disease, will be detained, and may not be allowed entry. Those without all required docs will not be granted entry and will be sent back to their homeland.
- Students will complete a citizenship test. http://uscis.gov/graphics/servies/natz/100q.pdf These tests are given to immigrants when they apply for citizenship in the U.S.
Week 1 (March 24-28):
*Introduce new unit and student learning objectives.
*Read Textbook, Chapter 1 “A Nation of Immigrants”, pages 242-246.
*Students will be given their new identity and information packet/folder.
*Create Birth Certificate.
*Students will be asked to bring in actual photos and information for a classroom cultural bulletin board- “Where We Come From”
*Electronic Field Trip-
*Journal Entries
Week 2 (March 31-April 4):…SBA TESTING
*Read Textbook, Chapter 2, “Starting Over”, pages 247-250
*Assemble classroom cultural bulletin board- “Where We Come From”
*Electronic Field Trip-
*Journal Entries
*Choose photos; write captions
*Write letter from sponsor
Week 3 (April 7-11):
*Read Textbook, Chapter 3, “The New Immigration”, pages 251-255
*Electronic Field Trip-
*Journal Entries
*Locate ethnic recipes; collect for cookbook
*Write poem about immigration
Week 4 (April 14-18):
*Read Textbook, Chapter 4, “An Uncertain Welcome”, pages 256-260
*Students attempt entry to America through Ellis Island. Some may be detained or deported.
*Students will make a book cover
*Write letter to relative or friend back home
Week 5 (April 21-25):
*Read Textbook, Chapter 5, “Becoming American”, pages 260-262
*Students attempt entry to America through Ellis Island. Some may be detained or deported.
*Students will take citizenship test.
Week 6 (April 28-May 2):
*Unit Conclusion: Unit Test
*Modern Day Immigration (Mexico)
*Angel Island-West Coast Port of Entry for Asians
*Bring in prepared ethnic dish
*Handout Class Immigration Cookbook
Questions and Concepts:
Port of Entry/Ellis Island-
- Look at pictures of Ellis Island in the early 20th century (1900’s). then, compare them to Ellis Island today. http://www.i-channel.com/features/ellis/today/html
- When was Ellis Island first opened as a station for immigration?
- When did it finally close?
- Can anyone visit Ellis Island today?
- Where is it located? What are the days and times it is open?
- Find Ellis Island on a map of the United States.
- What is the latitude and longitude for Ellis Island?
- How do you think immigrants felt when they entered the U.S.?
- What hopes did the immigrants have when entering the U.S.? What fears did they have?
- What difficulties did the immigrants face when entering the U.S.?
- In your opinion, what would be the most difficult struggle for an immigrant to face? Explain your answer.
Traveling Steerage-
(The cheapest tickets on a ship were those in steerage. Read about the information and view the pictures on http://www.libertystatepark.com/immigran.htm )
- Where was steerage located?
- What was it like to travel in steerage?
- Sketch a side view of what the inside of the ship might have looked like. Mark your room with an X.
Inspection of Immigrants-
- Did all passengers have to go to Ellis Island for inspection? http://www.i-channel.com/features/ellis/journey.html
- Read about medical inspections. http://www.i-channel.com/features/ellis/process.html
- Doctors on Ellis Island checked immigrants for diseases or deformities. Two diseases doctors looked for which were not found in the United States although common in people from Southeastern Europe, were trachoma and favus, both considered highly contagious and difficult to cure. Use the dictionary to find out more about these two diseases.
- Immigrants with medical problems were labeled with chalk marks on their shoulders. For what reasons besides trachoma and favus would immigrants be labeled? http://www.i-channel.com/features/ellis/medical.html
- What happened to the immigrants who were allowed entry into the United States? How many immigrants stayed in New York City? http://www.i-channel.com/features/ellis/free.html
Liberty-
- Students at Roosevelt Island, New York created their own visions of liberty with colorful artwork located at http://www.yany.org/projects/visions/PSIS217.html Create your own artwork, your own colorful “Vision of Liberty”. Create an art exhibit on “Visions of Liberty” using artwork created by the class.
- Find out more from the History of the Statue of Liberty as well as a diagram of the Statue of Liberty. What are the dimensions of the Statue? Who created the Statue? http://www.yany.org/projects/visions/Liberty.html http://www.nps.gov/stli/prod02.htm http://www.nps.gov/stli/prod02.htm
3. Read the Visions of Liberty http://www.yany.org/projects/visions/Yourvis.html
using Moodle, submit your “vision of liberty” so that it can be shared by others.
Anti-Immigration Feelings-
Unfortunately there were some attitudes of nationalism, anti-immigration, and racism that developed during the early 20th century.
- Read Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s poem “Unguarded Gates” http://xroads.virginia.edu/-CAP/LIBERTY/aldrich.html published in 1895. The poem is considered a chilling example of xenophobia.
- What is xenophobia?
- Why do you think Aldrich’s biographer Charles E. Samuels refused to refer to this particular poem, writing: “The less one says of it, the better”?
- What are the dangers of extreme nationalism and xenophobia?
- Does extreme nationalism and xenophobia exist today?
- What fears did Americans have about immigrants?
- How did these fears affect how they treated immigrants?
- What fears did Americans have about immigrants?
- How did these fears affect how they treated immigrants?
Moving Beyond Ellis Island-
- After viewing the pictures of immigrants at work in towns in Iowa and Illinois, what types of jobs and occupations did they have? http://www.augustana.edu/liberty/SpecialCollections/ethnic/Busi.html
- Look at photographs of immigrant family life. Compare and contrast the family life of these immigrants with your own family life and with families in your community. http://www.augustana.edu/library/SpecialCollections/ethnic/family1.html
