Author: aruiz8

EC-6 Education Major, Psychology minor.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island Immigration Lesson

Grade: 3rd

Content: Social Studies

TEKS: 113.16(b)(13)(C)
(13)Economics. The student understands patterns of work and economic activities in the United States. The student is expected to:
(C) analyze the effects of immigration, migration, and limited resources on the economic development and growth of the United States.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/

Title: Interactive Tour of Ellis Island

Author: Scholastic

Summary: This is an interactive tour of Ellis Island. The students can follow the steps of the immigrants. There are 10 stops: first the boat that brought the immigrants from the country to Ellis Island, second the arrival of the boat where the statue of liberty greeted the immigrants, third the baggage room where their items were checked, fourth the stairs where the immigration process started, fifth the registry room where people waited to get inspected, sixth the medical exam, seventh the legal inspection where they were asked 29 questions and had to get each right, eighth was for some people who were detained due to failed medical exam etc., ninth the stairs of separation were the filed out to their final destination, finally the kissing post where families were reunited and enter the United States. Throughout the tour the students can hear stories, see historical films and photos, read facts and learn how Ellis Island played in the story of American immigration.

Instructional strategy: One idea I have is to have students in groups take the tour. Then assign groups a specific point on the map and have them research in depth what happened at that check point including stories, pictures, films have the students create a presentation about their point. Then present their project to the class after we would have a discussion.

Another idea I had was as the students went through the interactive map have them take notes of what happened at each stop then as a class we would create a simulation in the classroom designating parts of the classroom as each check point. Then have students pick between working as an American at a station and acting as an immigrant. If they choose to be an American they would research what happened at that point and create a script. The students who choose immigrants would research the heritage, culture etc. of people who came to America and ‘become’ that person. I would choose some student immigrants to be healthy or unhealthy, if they were unhealthy I would provide them with the disease/sickness and some information on that sickness. Once it was time to do the simulation the students would play out what happened at Ellis Island. After the simulation we would have a discussion.

Joyce Sidman

Joyce Sidman is an American poet. She has written 11 children’s books. Some have won awards and Caldecott honorable mentions. Her recent book Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature had been critically acclaimed and is a Junior Library Guild Selection. She has a love for the nature world and it shows in her writing. I read that she said, “the natural world fascinates me, elates me, grounds me. It raises questions that I try to answer in my writing.” Her writing pulled me into her poems and books and I couldn’t stop until I got to the last page. Her themes include nature, animals, and insects. She give the natural world a voice. Her books can be used for Science and Language Arts. On her website www.joycesidman.com there are lesson ideas that can help students use her books in their classroom.

Crazy Loco Snippet

Excerpt From the short story Valentine  From David Rice’s short story collection Crazy Loco

I became nervous, but I tried to shake off my old bullies. After all, we were graduates now, not schoolboys. “Hey, guys, how you doing? Oh, you want some cake? Here, let me get out of your way.”

I turned to make a fast exit, but there she was, coming towards us: Nina in a red satin dress. Bobby and Marco beamed with smiles and not enough innocence. I had thought I was over Nina. There were far prettier girls in San Antonio, and I’d even dated a few. But Nina was a girl from the Valley, sweeter than chocolate cake.

As she joined us, I tried to position myself as closely to her as possible, but she chose to stand between Bobby and Marco. We all talked about our plans for the fall. I was going to college in San Antonio, and Bobby, Marco, and Nina planned to attend the local college. Bobby and Marco were being surprisingly nice to me, until I brought up Valentine’s Day.

“Hey remember the time in first grade,” I said to Nina, “when these guys picked up your dress and you thought it was me?”

Nina looked confused, and the guys scowled and said, “Man, what are you talking about?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, remember? We were in first grade, Ms. de los Santos’s class, and you guys lifted up Nina’s dress with your pencils.” I turned to Nina. “And you thought it was me, but it was them. Remember?”

“What?” Nina said. “I know we were all in Ms. de los Santos’s class, but I don’t remember that.” She looked at Bobby and Marco, and they shrugged.

I turned to the guys. “Remember? It was Valentine’s Day. You two lifted Nina’s dress, and I saw you do it. And I told Ms. de los Santos and I got your chocolate cake and you guys got nothing. Don’t you remember?”

Nina began laughing. “Oh, Luis, you’ve always had an imagination.”

“But it’s true,” I said.

“So what if it’s true?” she answered. “Hello, that was elementary school. We’re not kids anymore. We’re high school graduates now.” And she walked off, shaking her head.

Once she was out of view, Bobby and Marco both turned to glare at me. They were the same glares I’d gotten before they knocked me off the monkey bars. They both let their heavy hands drop back on my shoulders, and they leaned towards me. Marco stuck his finger out and tapped my chest. “Hey, vato,” he said, “why don’t you have some chocolate cake for us? We haven’t forgotten.”

                                                                                                               

I choose this book because personally, it’s my favorite collection of short stories. It’s a collection that students from Texas, mostly south, and students of Mexican-American heritage can relate too. The stories are loosely based on Rice’s own childhood. Therefore, students can find similarities to their lives in the stories. I also choose this book because I had the chance to meet David Rice when I was a freshman in high school. He read us some stories and told us about the writing process he went through and I would like to share those stories with my studentsCrazy loco is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a 2002 PEN USA Children’s Literature Award Finalist. I believe a collection of short stories is a important type of text. They can be used before students write their first story. It can be used when students begin to collect their portfolios..Most short stories have a theme, POV, morals, we could use a short story when students are learning about these topics.  There are endless possibilities, i think, and I would like to learn some!