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Share the experience of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island around the year 1900. Try one of four suggested activities to go with your virtual exploration:
Share the experience of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island around the year 1900. Try one of four suggested activities to go with your virtual exploration:
Click on the image about to go to Scholastic's Virtual Tour of Ellis Island. We will explore 10 stops in the experience of immigrants arriving around the year 1900.
Click on the image about to go to Scholastic's Virtual Tour of Ellis Island. We will explore 10 stops in the experience of immigrants arriving around the year 1900.
ACTIVITY ONE
ACTIVITY ONE
Visit only Stops 1 "The Passage" and 2 "The Arrival". Imagine that you are one of the immigrants. Write a postcard to friends or family whom you left behind. Make sure that you mention at least three things in your postcard: What was it like to "Go Steerage" when you travelled? What did you notice about your fellow immigrants? How did people feel when they saw the Statue of Liberty? Here is a sample form for your postcard:
Ellis Island Postcards.pdf
ACTIVITY TWO
ACTIVITY TWO
Visit Stops 3 "The Ellis Island Baggage Room" through 10 "The Kissing Post". Be sure to read the story and to check out all of the photo, audio, and video sources. At each stop, please think about these four questions:
- Why did immigrants have to stop at this point in their journey through Ellis Island?
- What did an immigrant need to do or prove in order to move on to the next step?
- How would this step of the experience have made you feel?
- What might you say to an official who wanted to stop you from going on?
Arriving on Ellis Island – How Would You Get Through.pdf
ACTIVITY THREE
ACTIVITY THREE
After you have explored the experience of an immigrant on Ellis Island around the year 1900, tell a family member or friend about it. You can talk about anything you want to, including how you think people felt and whether you think they were treated fairly.
ACTIVITY FOUR
ACTIVITY FOUR
Think about your own experience arriving at customs in the USA or another country. If you have not had that experience, talk with a family member or friend who has. Compare this with the experiences of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island around the year 1900. What is similar? What is different?
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