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Lesson Plan:

Immigration: Ellis Island

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September 19, 2015

by Caitlin Fahey

September 19, 2015

by Caitlin Fahey

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to understand the process for immigrants traveling through Ellis Island into the United States.

Lesson

Introduction (5 minutes)

Display pictures of Ellis Island on the board for students.
Explain that an immigrant is a person who leaves another country to move to a new one.
Ask if any students have heard of Ellis Island to see if any students have background knowledge.
If this does not trigger interest, ask if any students are immigrants or if any have family members who are.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling (10 minutes)

Hand out the Ellis Island worksheet.
Show photos of Ellis Island in the early 1900s and as it is now.
Read the worksheet with your students, and direct them to underline important information and vocabulary.

Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling (20 minutes)

Have students work with partners to answer the questions at the bottom of the worksheet.
Ask them to write down 5 facts from the article on the back of the worksheet.
Review your students' work, and have each student list one interesting fact he learned from the worksheet.

Independent Working Time (20 minutes)

Hand out the Ellis Island interview worksheet.
Read the instructions, and have your students independently work on the survey.
Direct your students to write a journal entry from the point of view of a child their age who went across the Atlantic Ocean to go to Ellis Island.

Extend

Differentiation

Enrichment: Have students use 5-8 new vocabulary words in their entries, and direct them to write a parallel journal entry from the point of view of an immigration official.
Support: Have students write a journal entry of 5 sentences with a drawing of Ellis Island.

Review

Assessment (5 minutes)

As you walk around the room, check to make sure that your students are using facts from the worksheet to back up their journal entries.

Review and Closing (15 minutes)

Have students share their entries aloud.

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