Designer: P. Beck
Publication Date: November 3, 2004
Standards:
History Social-Science: 11.2 Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large-scale rural-to-urban migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.
- 2. Describe the changing landscape, including the growth of cities linked by industry and trade, and the development of cities divided according to race, ethnicity, and class.
- 3. Trace the effect of the Americanization movement.
- 4. Analyze the effect of urban political machines and responses to them by immigrants and middle-class reformers
Language Arts:
- 1.0 Writing Strategies Students write coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. The writing demonstrates students' awareness of the audience and purpose and progression through the stages of the writing process.
- 1.3 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive, and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples
Key concepts: Change, Diversity and Interdependence.
Vocabulary: steerage, urban/rural, immigration, quarantine, tenements, nativism, five-cents-a-spot lodging, push factors, pull factors, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Johnson Act, National Origins Act of 1924, ethnic enclave, Ellis Island, Battery Park and processing.
Learning Outcome/ “Big Idea”/ “Essential Learning” (Objective): Students will, through an experiential exercise, be able to assume the role of a European immigrant coming to the United States by ship. Through this activity, students will achieve an understanding of the preparation involved in making the journey, the actual journey across the Atlantic, and life after arrival in New York City for early 20th century immigrants.
TCI Strategies: Because it’s a modified activity, it’s a combination of Visual Discovery and Experiential exercises.
EL/Inclusion Strategies: Students viewing the Video CD will incorporate their visual-spatial intelligence. The body-kinesthetic intelligence will be integrated in the processing part of the simulation as students are “processed” at Ellis Island. After the activity students will complete a T-Chart charting their class experience vs. the real immigrant experience (verbal-linguistic intelligence). Finally, students will write a letter “home” describing their experience.
Materials: A screen/wall, projection unit, DVD player or computer, white board, dry-erase markers, student journal matrix (pasted in notebook), spray bottle, small lamp (optional)
Opportunities to Learn/Perform (Procedure):
- What will students need to do to achieve knowledge and skills identified in standards and learning outcomes? Participate in the simulation and discussions as well as read the primary sources provided.
Technology Component: Using a computer, to view the VCD, with a projection unit. A word processor, such as Microsoft Word, to complete the processing assignment.
Resources (Indicate primary sources): A sheet with the necessary vocabulary will be distributed prior (to go over vocabulary essential to the simulation). Voices From Ellis Island book to look at immigrant letters home. VIDEO of New York and Ellis Island.
Assessment : After class discussion, the class will be reminded that many immigrants came to the United States (and other places) as a result of letters written home. Students will write a letter home that will include: a proper salutation and era appropriate date, state where in Europe they are from (Western or Eastern), share one aspect from each part of the journey (keeping in mind that the goal of the letter is to get a relative to come to the U.S.), and finally telling where they finally settled after arriving in New York and what job(s) they’re doing.
1. What did student samples reveal?
The student samples were all actually pretty good. At the last minute I decided to do a preview activity that tied what we were going to do with the students’ personal experiences. I think that brought the activity home a little bit more. There were those few that did just enough to get by, but the majority of the students wrote really good letters with lots of detail (i.e.- from NYC took the train to…, settled in…because, etc.)
2. What do I need to model, change or adjust regarding criteria, assessment and opportunities to learn?
I don’t want to sound overly confident or cocky, but it went really well and I can’t think of anything I would change at the moment. I will bounce it off my colleagues at the training and see what they might recommend. I always get good stuff from there.