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An Immigrant's Journey
Young scholars use books, resource CDs, and the Internet to research and collect images of the experiences of immigrants in 1907. They are divided into groups of four to write journal entries for a fictional, yet historically accurate,...
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When Jessie Came Across The Sea
Students engage in a study about immigration by using children's literature. They conduct research about the immigrations to New York City in the past and the current status. Students conduct class discussion about Ellis Island and what...
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Pilgrim Immigration Lesson Plans: Then and Now
Pilgrim immigration lesson plans offer more than a study of these early settlers. It gives students an insight into modern immigration.
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Lady Liberty
If you're looking for a fantastic cross-curricular lesson on the Statue of Liberty, then this lesson is for you! Learners watch a Reading Rainbow episode which focuses on the Statue, then gather facts about the creation, construction,...
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Don't Miss The Boat
Fourth graders study immigration and what it is like to be an immigrant. They choose immigrant identities, dress appropriately, and role play during an International Fair where each student displays some aspect of his/her "home country."
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Chapter 5 - Cram Jam Session
Explore new vocabulary words which cover a diverse array of concepts from the world of business, immigration to the U.S., and immigrants who became famous inventors and business people in our country with your class. This is a great...
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Writing as a group activity
Did you know that 50% of all Americans can trace a relative who traveled through Ellis Island? Relive these journeys with your class and then provide sentence strategy templates for them to use to compose their own informative...
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Port of Entry
Students research patterns of immigration throughout American history. The focus is on the process of how immigrants came through Ellis Island. Students reflect upon the topic to develop critical thinking skills.
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Immigration and Urban Life
Fifth graders research the impact of immigration. In this social studies lesson, 5th graders discuss how immigration affected the economy. Students discuss the living and working conditions of immigrants in the 1800s.
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Oral Histories
One of a series of lessons from Ellis Island. In this lesson, students use research from a previous lesson to conduct oral history interviews of family members to learn about their cultural and ethnic heritage.
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Immigration Explorations, Part I
Learners visit a number of web sites on immigration created by other Students, evaluate types of research used, structure of sites, and what types of information were included.
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What was Behind the Golden Door?
Students adopt the persona of an immigrant child to explore the reasons underlying why families left their homelands. They empathize with the emotional plight of immigrants through creative composition.
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Website Publishing
Students visit the student-created John Schick's Virtual Ellis Island Museum website. They evaluate the sorts of research the students carried out to create their site, how they structured the site, and what sort of information and...
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Coming to America
Students present tableaus showing scenes from The Memory Coat, a book about immigration. In this tableau lesson, students examine the cover of the book and make predictions about what is happening and who the people are. They...
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Turning the Century
Students examine the Gilded Age. In this Gilded Age lesson, students create a museum of their own showing what life was like in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Students investigate immigration, settlement and how these...
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Virtual Ellis Island Museum Unit:
Students conduct secondary source research using the internet and library resources to research the backgrounds of their family's cultural and ethnic heritages.
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Virtual Ellis Island Museum Unit: Oral Histories
Learners conduct oral histories of family members to explore their cultural and ethnic heritage after developing a set of research questions.
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Stowaway?
Students research and describe what happens to immigrants coming to America today. It is designed to get students thinking about the similarities and differences in immigrant experiences over the past 100 or so years.
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Immigration Unit
Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...
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Final Reports
Students write reports, including a summary of their research findings and their historical journal entries, to be shared with friends and families, and publish their reports.
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Lady Liberty: The New Colossus
Students research the history of the Statue of Liberty and the symbols associated with it. They read and discuss Emma Lazarus' poem and why it should persuade people to donate money to bring the statue to America. Students role-play as...
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Creative Writing/Historical Journals
Students research primary and secondary sources to find information about their ancestors. They write a series of journal entries, from the perspective of one of their ancestors, on what life was like in that given time period.
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Jews in America at the Time of Growth and Change: Forging New Frontiers
Tenth graders examine the role of Jewish Americans in the 1900s. They examing the changes in industry and inventions. They also identify how Jewish Americans changed society and religious organization.
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Thematic Unit: Beginning Holocaust Studies
Fifth graders discuss concepts of diversity, culture, and prejudice, gain understanding of harm caused by prejudice, and demonstrate ability to think critically and a desire to act morally.