Publishing
Virtual Ellis Island Museum Unit
Lesson Two
Immigration Explorations, Part I
- Grade level:Elementary, High School
- Subject Area: Social Studies, Language Arts
Brief Description
Students visit John Schick's Virtual Ellis Island Museum
created by students in his classroom. This site will provide models for students to
complete their own research. When students visit the site they should evaluate the
sorts of research students carried out to create their site, how they structured the
site, and what sort of information and graphics they included. The list of criteria
students develop from their own research will guide them in conducting their research
and constructing their site.
Objectives
Given internet sites students will:
- develop
critical tools to apply to their exploration of web sites.
- use these tools to
develop a list of criteria to guide their own research.
- develop a sense of what
makes a good web page.
Materials and Resources Needed
In developing our lessons and activities, we made some assumptions about the hardware
and software that would be available in the classroom for teachers who visit the
LETSNet website. We assume that teachers using our Internet-based lessons or activities have a computer
(PC or Macintosh) with the necessary hardware components (mouse, keyboard, and monitor) as well as software (operating system, TCP/IP software, networking or dial-up
software, e-mail and a World Wide Web client program, preferably Netscape, but perhaps
Mosaic or Lynx). In the section below, we specify any "special" hardware or software
requirements for a lesson or activity - over and above those described above - as
well as our sense of the Internet access required to do the activity.
- Internet access: A medium to high
speed connection and our list of sites on immigration and Ellis Island below.
Activity Description
- Organize the students into research groups to explore the web.
- Students begin by visiting the Virtual Ellis Island Museum [http://wwwald.bham.wednet.edu/museum/museum.htm].
Students explore the site keeping in mind that they will be asked to develop a list
of what sorts of graphics, and text were helpful or confusing, and how different ways
of organizing information helped or hindered their understanding.
- After
students have had time to explore the Virtual Ellis Island Museum, allow them to spend
time investigating some of the other Internet sites on Ellis Island and immigration.
- Reconvene as a whole group and brainstorm a list of the types of things that they
found in the sites they visited. The discussion should include what sorts of things
were helpful or confusing, and how different ways of organizing information helped or
hindered their understanding. You may choose to record the class' findings in a chart.
Internet Resources
Student Produced Resources
- Virtual Ellis Island
Museum
[http://wwwald.bham.wednet.edu/museum/museum.htm]
A virtual museum
compiled by students at Alderwood
Elementary [http://wwwald.bham.wednet.edu/default.htm] in Bellingham, Washington
detailing their families' experiences immigrating to the United States.
- Donnel Middle School's
Hypermedia Project on Ellis Island
[http://river.findlay.edu/donnel/ellis.html]
A HyperStudio stack depicting Donnel's seventh graders' reenactment of immigration
through Ellis Island. (If you don't have HyperStudio, you can also download
HyperStudio Player at this site to view the stack.)
- American
Immigration Home Page
[http://www.bergen.gov/AAST/Projects/Immigration/index.html]
Results of a
survey done by 10th graders at The
Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology
[http://www.bergen.gov/AAST/] in Hackensack, NJ--a great place to learn
about the origins and reasons for immigration over time.
- American
Immigration Survey Form
[http://www.bergen.gov/AAST/Projects/Immigration/form.html]
Survey on
immigration from the American Immigration Home Page, your chance to become part of
their site.
- Ellis
Island
[http://www.bergen.gov/AAST/Projects/Immigration/ellis_island.html]
Information on Ellis Island at the American Immigration Home Page.
Other Resources on Ellis Island
- Ellis Island
[http://www.i-channel.com/ellis/index.html]
Ellis Island site run by the
International Channel in cooperation with the Ellis Island Museum. This site has many
good photographs and other resources.
- Turner Adventure Series -
Migration to America: Ellis Island
[http://www.turner.com/tesi/html/migration.html]
- Teacher Resource
Book
[http://www.turner.com/tesi/html/experience.html]
Teacher resources
from Turner Learning Adventure on immigration.
- Photos
[http://cmp1.ucr.edu/exhibitions/immigration_id.html]
A site with historical
photos of Ellis Island.
Back to Virtual Ellis Island Museum Unit Lesson
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