Ellis Island
Grade Levels: 4 - 6
Objectives
- Students will use vocabulary related to the immigrant experience at Ellis
Island.
- Students will understand the origins, history, and structure of Ellis Island.
- Students will appreciate the difficulties faced by immigrants during the immigration process.
Materials
- Ellis Island worksheet
- Ellis Island website (http://www.historychannel.com/ellisisland/gateway/index.html)
Procedures
- Introduce key vocabulary: admission, deportation,
detention, dormitory, immigrant, inspect, interpreter, quota.
- Have students work individually or with partners to complete Ellis Island worksheet as they
explore Ellis
Island.
- Set aside time for students to share and discuss the information they discovered.
Assessment
- Use a rubric to assess students' understanding
of the immigrant experience at Ellis Island.
- Find a variety of assessment
techniques to use with this lesson.
Extension Activities
- Choose from a large collection of cross-curricular activities for all grade levels.
- Explore a wealth of lessons on Immigration.
- Encourage students to work with a partner to play A Day in the Life: History
Game
(http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/sa_kids/index.html?body=irish_girl.html) and learn about the life of a young Irish immigrant in the 1800s.
- At the end of the game, have students follow the directions for learning
about special holidays celebrated by different ethnic groups in the United
States, such as St. Patrick's Day. Begin by making a list and then researching
the holidays at the library.
- Have students share the information they have gathered, and create a classroom calendar featuring days when ethnic holidays are celebrated.
Standards Correlations
National Social Studies Standards
Students develop an understanding of:
- their historical roots, and they are able to locate themselves in time.
- how reading about and reconstructing the past allows them to develop historical
perspective.
- places and regions, and interactions of environment and society.
National Educational Technology Standards
Students:
- practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
- use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
