Introduction:
America has often been referred to as a “melting pot”.
Many people have left their homeland and immigrated
to America in search of a better life. Between 1820 and
1924, over thirty-five million people came to America.
For many of them the trip to America was a difficult
and often very dangerous trip. When the immigrants
arrived most of them had to go through Ellis Island,
the immigration headquarters. At Ellis Island,
immigrants were inspected and had to pass many tests
before they were allowed to enter America. By
completing the activities in this Web Quest you will
learn about many of the difficulties and hardships
immigrants had to overcome before being allowed to
enter America.
Tasks:
Your task for this Web Quest is to gain an
understanding of what it was like for people who
immigrated to America during the years 1890 to 1920.
You will learn what it was like for them on their trip to
America, their experiences at Ellis Island, and what it
was finally like to arrive in America.
Students will:
 Create a timeline of American
immigration.
 Read and listen to first-hand accounts
of what it was like to immigrate to
America.
 Read an online story about a young
boy, Seymour Rechtzeit, who left his
homeland of Poland and journeyed to
America in 1920.
 Create a fictional immigrant and write a
friendly letter to a person living in the
country that they emigrated from. The
friendly letter will explain what it was
like to immigrate to America during the
years 1890-1920.
Process:
Every student will be responsible for completing the
following activities. The first three activities will be
done in cooperative small groups. The final activity will
be researched in small groups, but completed and
assessed individually.
1. Timeline
 In small groups/or individually students will
investigate American immigration and create a
timeline using the timeline template.
 The timeline will need to include at least seven
important dates relevant to American
immigration. Five of the dates need to be
times when large waves of different groups of
people immigrated.
 After you have completed your timeline you
need to briefly explain why this date was
important to conclude. This writing can be
done by hand or you may use a website to
create it. Try www.timetoast.com
 Use the websites below to help you create
your timeline and research.
o Immigration Introduction
o Immigration: The living mosaic of
people, culture, & hope
2. A Boy’s Journey
 Read the story Relive a Boy’s Journey: A Story
of Immigration at the Scholastic website. It is
an immigration story about a young boy,
Seymour Rechtzeit, who left his homeland of
Poland and journeyed to America in 1920.
 As you read each chapter, answer the
questions on the “Relive a Boy’s Journey: A
Story of Immigration” recording sheet.
3. Tours of Ellis Island
 Listed below are several interactive tours of
Ellis Island. Choose two websites to visit to
learn about American immigration.
 As you are visiting the sites record on your
Immigration Letter Brainstorm sheet details
that might help you when you are drafting
your letter. Remember you will need to include
details about the journey, Ellis Island, and life
in America.
o Scholastic’s Interactive Tour of Ellis
Island
o Ellis Island – The History Channel
o Ellis Island Immigration Museum
4. An Immigrant’s Friendly Letter
 Individually students will use the information
that they have gathered during the previous
activities to write a friendly letter as if they
are an immigrant.
 Each student will choose a country that they
want to emigrate from. After choosing your
country of origin, write a friendly letter back
to a person still living in your homeland.
This person can either be a friend or a
relative.
 The letter will be written in first person, as if
you were really the immigrant coming to
America.
 In the letter you will need to include details
about your journey, Ellis Island, and life in
America. You may use the Immigration
Letter Planning sheet to help you plan your
writing.
 The friendly letter should be written using all
the steps of the writing process (drafting,
revising, editing, and final draft). Your letter
needs to include all five parts of a friendly
letter.
 When your final copy is done antique your
letter to give it an authentic look by using a
tea bag or burning (only with parent
supervision) the edges of the paper.
Evaluation:
The Immigration WebQuest will be evaluated based on
the following criteria:
 The first three tasks are done appropriately. The
student contributes time and effort on each task.
 The timeline and questions for Relive a Boy’s
Journey: A Story of Immigration will be graded
based on a four-point rubric.
 The immigration letter will be graded using the
6+1 Traits of Writing Rubric.
Conclusion:
America is a true “melting pot”. We are a country rich
in ideas, traditions, and customs, which have come
from the thousands of immigrant who have made the
journey to America. After completing the Immigration
WebQuest you will have a better understanding of
what it was like for the early immigrants. Never forget
the risks, hardships, and sacrifices our ancestors
endured in order to have a better life in America.