Standards:

Experiences that Provide for the Study of People, Places and Environments.

• 1.6. Cultural patterns and their interactions within and across places, by means such as migration and settlement, changes in customs or ideas, and in the ways people make a living.
• 5.9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Objectives:

• TSW be introduced to the concept of immigration using primary and secondary sources to gain insight, empathy, and relative understanding to historical events.
• TSW explore immigration using maps to determine that sometimes large numbers of immigrants from the same country can leave their homeland at the same time for a common reason.

Recommended Grade Level: 3rd – 4th

Introduction:

Talk to the students about immigration. Ask them what they think immigration is. Define it on the board: 

Immigration: Moving to a foreign country to make a new home.

Depending on prior knowledge of students…additional resources for introducing immigration or providing some background can be shared from https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/, the Scholastic website (http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm) or from the list of books provided below.

Books:

• https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/cornerstones-of-freedom-ellis-island-9780531208335.html
• https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/cornerstones-of-freedom-third-series-ellis-island-9780531265567.html
• https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/at-ellis-island-9780545133753.html
• https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/ellis-island-9781338128420.html
• https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/a-true-book-american-history-ellis-island-9780531147818.html

Lesson:

To begin the lesson, display the first primary source (https://www.loc.gov/item/97502760/) and ask the students: What do you think is happening in this picture?

After allowing students time to think and share their thoughts, the teacher will present students with the See-Think-Wonder (STW) primary source analysis tool (https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/4/4/104440805/see_think_wonder_template.pdf) and model the process for completing.

Next, pose questions to the students to think about and look for answers throughout the remainder of the lesson:

• Who are the people in the picture?
• When was this picture taken?
• What are they looking at?
• Why is this picture important/significant?
• Do you think this event is like events we have occurring in the US today?

Then, teach the students what a primary source (e.g., an eyewitness account or artifact) is and explain to the students that the image displayed earlier was a primary source because it was taken at the time of the event. Once students have a firm understanding of what a primary source is, the teacher will share audio of the second primary source – an oral history of Morris Schneider remembering being on the steamship Rotterdam - along with a typed transcription of the text (https://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/education/oral-history-ei-116.htm). The teacher will then share Color-Symbol-Image (CSI) activity (https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/4/4/104440805/colour_symbol_image_template.pdf) with students and use the oral recording and transcript of Morris Schneider to model…giving students opportunity to respond as they complete the CSI process together.

Assessment:

The students will then work in pairs (or small groups) to complete a See-Think-Wonder (STW) and Color-Symbol-Image (CSI) activity using their choice of the 2 provided primary source options.

STW Options:

• Immigrants Waiting to be Transferred https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a13599/
• Awaiting Examination, Ellis Island https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsc.00056/

CSI Options:

• Emma and William Remember Packing – along with a typed transcription of the text https://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/education/oral-history-ei-28.htm
• William Remembers the Storm – along with a typed transcription of the text (https://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/education/william-remembers-the-storm.htm)

Upon completion of these activities, the students will present to the class and discussions will be opened to address some the following questions (depending on teacher’s background knowledge of students):

• Have you ever moved to a new place? If yes, do you remember feeling scared? Unsure? Excited? Angry? Relieved? Sad? Out of place?
• If you have moved, how did you feel in your new location after three months? Six months? One year? Did you feel as if you would ever fit in? Did you make friends quickly or slowly? What did you miss?
• Have you ever lived in a place where the people did not speak your language? How did that feel?
• If you belong to a military family, where have you lived? Have you moved often? Can you describe your experiences? If you have lived in a foreign country, were you scared about moving there? Was the food strange to you?
• Have you ever known someone from another country who has moved (immigrated) to the United States?
• Can you think of several possible reasons why a person immigrates to the United States?

Conclusion:

After the lesson, the teacher will make connections to students coming into a new school and/or the current border crisis in Texas. Next, the class will discuss and share.

Pedagogy:

• Identify details when observing/using primary sources
• Ask questions related to utilized primary sources
• Make comparisons with primary sources
• Express learning in a variety of ways using primary sources
• Reflect on student learning