Introduction
Greetings, Friends!
You've made it to America--the land of the free and the brave! Congratulations! Whether you're here for lack of economic opportunity, religious discrimination, or political persecution, you're settling in the promised land. Let's explore further what you've come through and how you can help others along the journey to freedom. We're glad you're here!
Task
Well, now that you're here can you tell us your journey? We're very interested in finding out more. Some of our immigrants had first and/or second class passage and came to us with no problem. Others had to be screened and processed through Ellis Island before settling. There are some tasks for you to complete in order to become a full fledged United States Citizen!
Your tasks in this WebQuest are:
- Students will create a timeline of American immigration
- Read and listen to first-hand accounts of what it was like (is like for someone else) immigrating 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 they emigrated from. The friendly letter will explain what it was like to immigrate to America during the years 1890-1920.
Process
Every immigrant will be responsible for completing all of the following activities. All activities will be given due dates and will be posted.
- Go to www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/relive-boys-journey and read the story "Relive a Boy's Journey: A Story of Immigration". It is an immigration story about a young boy named Seymour Rechtzeit who left his homeland of Poland and journeyed to America in 1920. This article is also helpful to decide what important events to place on your timeline. Also, Google "Immigration to America: 1890-1920" and see what you can use for your timeline. Read immigrant stories, as well, to help gain a better understanding of what life was like for others. Please use this site to create your timeline: www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/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: teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration from Scholastic www.history.com/topics/ellis-island from the History Channel and www.libertyellisfoundation.org/immigration-museum from the Immigration Museum.
- An Immigrant's Friendly Letter. You will use the information that you have gathered during the previous activities to write a friendly letter as you are an immigrant--remember, Welcome to America! You will choose the country that you emigrated from--your choice. After choosing your country of origin, write a friendly letter back to a person still living in your homeland. The person can either be a friend or a relative. The letter will be written in first person as if you are really the immigrant living in America! In this letter you will need to include details about your journey, Ellis Island, and life in America. You may use the Immigration Letter Planning Sheet I have provided you to help you plan your writing. The friendly letter should be written using all of 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 it to give it an authentic look by using a tea bag or burning the edges (with parent supervision). Turn in your letter along with the rubric.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated independently with due dates.
Students will be assessed on their work on the Story of Immigration and their Immigration Letter and will be judged by originality, style, content, grammar, and usage. These assignments are worth 50 points a piece, given 20 for each area.
Conclusion
Well, you're officially a United States Citizen by all tasks completed! How does it feel? I hope that you have enjoyed your journey and have learned a lot! It took a lot for immigrants to get here. Congratulations!