American Immigration

Introduction:

America has been referred to as the “melting pot”.  Many people have left their homeland and immigrated to America in search of a better life.  Between the 19th and 20th century,  over thirty-five million people came to America.  For many of them the trip to America had its challenges and could be very dangerous.  When the immigrants arrived most of them had to go through Ellis Island, the immigration headquarters.  At Ellis Island, immigrants were inspected and had to pass many tests before they were allowed to enter America.  By completing the activities in this Web Quest, you will learn about the difficulties and hardships immigrants had to overcome before being allowed to enter America.

 

Tasks:

Your task for this Web Quest is to gain an understanding of what it was like for people who immigrated to America during the the 19th and 20th centuries.  You will learn what it was like for them on their trip to America, their experiences at Ellis Island, and what it was finally like to arrive in America.

 

        Students will:

 

·        Create a timeline of American immigration.

·        Read and listen to first-hand accounts of what it was like to immigrate to America.

·        Read an online story about a young boy, Seymour Rechtzeit, who left his homeland of Poland and journeyed to America in 1920.

·        Create a fictional immigrant and write a friendly letter to a person living in the country that they emigrated from.  The friendly letter will explain what it was like to immigrate to America during the years 1890-1920.

 

Process

Every student will be responsible for completing all of the following activities.  All activities will be given due dates.

1.  A Boy’s Journey

·        Read the story Relive a Boy’s Journey: A Story of Immigration at the Scholastic website.  It is an immigration story about a young boy, Seymour Rechtzeit, who left his homeland of Poland and journeyed to America in 1920.

·        As you read each subheading, decide what important events to place on your timeline. “Relive a Boy’s Journey: A Story of Immigration” . Use the site: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline_2/ to create your timeline.

 

2.  Tours of Ellis Island

·        Listed below are several interactive tours of Ellis Island.  Choose two websites to visit to learn about American immigration.

·        As you are visiting the sites record on your Immigration Letter Brainstorm sheet details that might help you when you are drafting your letter.  Remember you will need to include details about the journey, Ellis Island, and life in America.

o       Scholastic’s Interactive Tour of Ellis Island

o       Ellis Island – The History Channel

o       Ellis Island Immigration Museum

 

3.  An Immigrant’s Friendly Letter

·        Students will use the information that they have gathered during the previous activities to write a friendly letter as if they are an immigrant.

·        Each student will choose a country that they want to emigrate from.  After choosing your country of origin, write a friendly letter back to a person still living in your homeland.  This person can either be a friend or a relative.

·        The letter will be written in first person, as if you were really the immigrant coming to America.

·        In the letter you will need to include details about your journey, Ellis Island, and life in America.  You may use the Immigration Letter Planning sheet to help you plan your writing.

·        The friendly letter should be written using all the steps of the writing process (drafting, revising, editing, and final draft).  Your letter needs to include all five parts of a friendly letter. 

·        When your final copy is done antique your letter to give it an authentic look by using a tea bag or burning (only with parent supervision) the edges of the paper. Finally turn in you letter with the rubric.

 

Evaluation:

                       

                        The Immigration WebQuest will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

·        All tasks will be completed independently.  Remember to be mindful of each of the due dates when completing assignments.

·        The timeline  for Relive a Boy’s Journey: A Story of Immigration will be graded based on a  rubric.

·        The immigration letter will be graded using a rubric.

Conclusion:

                       

America is the offical “melting pot”.  We are a country rich in ideas, traditions, and customs, which have come from the thousands of immigrant who have made the journey to America.  After completing the Immigration WebQuest you will have a better understanding of what it was like for the early immigrants.  Never forget the risks, hardships, and sacrifices our ancestors endured in order to have a better life in America.   

Thank you to the teacher who created the American Immigration page.