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Ellis Island Mini Unit Study

 

From the mid-nineteenth century until the 1920s, more than 20 million people seeking to call America home emigrated to the United States.  In 1892, Ellis Island was opened by the federal government to deal with the flood of newcomers and became the primary immigration station for those coming from Europe – with half of the new immigrants coming from the countries of Austria, Hungary,  Italy, and Russia. Ellis Island was the first stop in America, where immigrants were given medical exams and asked a series of questions to determine if they would be allowed entry into the United States.

Beginning in 1924, Congress acted to restrict immigration with the passage of the first of several pieces of legislation and while Ellis Island would remain open until 1954, it was no longer was the main federal processing center. Today, Ellis Island is a national monument and receives many visitors whose ancestors passed through its doors on the way to becoming an American.

In this mini unit study, you can: read about the history of Ellis Island and eyewitness accounts of those who were there, examine the myth of name changes at Ellis Island, explore a timeline of U.S. immigration, take a virtual tour of the island, look at historic pictures and listen to the stories of immigrants, answer questions on the immigrant screening test, see if you can find ancestors who landed at Ellis Island, create a Gateway to Dreams immigrant story and cook a few dishes from the Ellis Island cookbook.

Reading

History of Ellis Island:

Ellis Island overview

Eyewitness Accounts from Ellis Island:

Eyewitness accounts

The Myth of Ellis Island Name Changes

Myth article

Timeline of American Immigration:

Timeline

Multimedia

Take a virtual tour of Ellis Island:

Virtual tour

View archival photos from Ellis Island:

Ellis Island photos

Listen to immigrant stories:

Immigrant stories

Assignments and Projects

Take the test to be admitted to America and find out who you are:

Immigrant screening test

Search the Ellis Island database to see if you can find your ancestors:

Find your ancestors

Create an immigrant story and more with this assignment plan:

Gateway to Dreams project

Make a dish from the Ellis Island cookbook:

Recipes

Recommended Resource

The Orphan of Ellis Island

Dominic, a lonely orphan boy, is accidentally left behind on a fifth-grade school trip to Ellis Island. Wandering at night through the museum, he listens to the narratives of immigrants in the exhibit and is shocked when one of the voices addresses him, telling him about life in Italy. Exhausted, Dominic falls asleep, and finds himself transported to the same village the narrator was telling him about, a place in southern Italy, where the immigrant and his two brothers teach Dominic what it's truly like to be hungry and poor. They accept Dominic as a member of their little family, and eventually he ends up immigrating to America with them.

(Booklist Review)

Author: Elvira Woodruff
Amazon Price: $4.99

Read more about the book on Amazon