The
Process
Now that you've accepted the task of recreating one of America's most
intersting historical stories, its time to see exactly how you need to
do it.
Step
#1
Before you
can truly jump back into time and become an immigrant you'll need to
learn a bit more about who the people were and why they made the move
to America.
- Find the defition of immigration by visiting Columbia Encyclopedia , it will
give
you a more clear explanation and reasons why people made the move.
- Check each
of the following sites to see examples of the reasons from specific
countries, because remember not everyone moved for the same reason!
- After seeing some examples of immigrants its now time to choose
the country that you will be sent back into time to immigrate from!
- Don't forget to send an email! (Minimum of 2 paragraphs)
Step #2
Now that you've
gotten a better idea on who the immigrants were and why they were
leaving their respective countries its time for you to learn a little
more about their journey and what is was like to finally reach Ellis
Island!
- Revisit some of the sites above to search for some of the
personal accounts of the actual journey across the Atlantic or Pacific
Ocean.
- You should be searching for specific bits of information:
- City and country that you immigrated from
- How long the journey took
- What mode of transportation did you use
- What were some of the ups and downs of the trip
- Next you should visit Ellis
Island
and read some of the first hand accounts of what it was like to be
processed. You should also take a virtual tour to paint a better
picture in your mind of what it might have been like to see America for
the first time.
- Send another email!
Step #3
Next you
will need to dig a little deeper into the life of the immigrants.
But instead of observing what the trip was like or why the came here,
you need to find out what you are going to do now that you've become an
American!
- Using your favorite search engine look for the following:
- What area of the U.S. did people of your ethnic background move
into?
- What was your new home/neighborhood like?
- What type of job could you find and describe the conditions of
it?
- What is your family life like now that you've made the journey?
- If you don't
have a favorite here are a few related sites and search engines that
might help you:
- Send another email!
Step #4
We've finally made it! You have endured the
long and hard journey that millions of people faced in order to start
new lives. Now it is time for you to think about one last aspect
of immigration before you complete your journey.
- Place yourself in the shoes of your character and think about
what it means to now be an American.
- Send the last email!
Now that you have
completed the journey and gathered tons of vital information its time
to organize it all and begin writing your first person account of the
trip. Remember you will have a written version and then you will
present your story to the class. In my opinion it is best to
organize your information directly inline with the 4 steps that you've
just completed. The steps were designed to work you through the
story from start to finish. Remember to be creative and use as
much detail as possible. The requirements for the paper are found
in the following link Paper
Instructions. I will discuss due dates, and presentation
dates at a later time. Be sure to move onto the evaluation page
to see the grading rubric for the entire project.
Top Introduction
Task Process
Evaluation Conclusion
Teacher Pages