Field Trip to Alcatraz
Prison
Ms. Van Skiver’s
4th Grade
Watkins Glen Elementary
New York State Standards

NY- New York State Standards Subject: Social Studies (1996)
Learning Standard 1 : History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes,
developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Level : Elementary
Key Idea : Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United
States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of
perspectives.
Conduct interviews with family members, collect family memorabilia such as letters, diaries, stories, photographs,
and keepsakes; classify information by type of activity: social, political, economic, cultural, or religious; discuss
how traditions and practices were passed from one generation to the next; determine the extent to which the
traditions and practices are shared by other members of the class
s study the history and traditions of their neighborhoods and local communities. Consider the school and school
community by describing who attends school (diversity, demographics); the histories of their schools and school
communities (then and now); what was taught; and rights, rules, and responsibilities (then and now).
s research the neighborhood or local community, considering location and the significance of its location; its
demographics (e.g., ethnicity, languages, religions, levels of education, age groups); the history of why it was
settled, when and by whom; economic patterns and changes in employment; social and cultural life; and
government and politics
s create personal and family timelines to distinguish between near and distant past and identify family origins;
interpret simple timelines by recognizing correct chronological order of major events such as Native American
settlement of North America, Columbus’s voyage in 1492, the American Revolution, writing the Constitution, the
presidency of Abraham Lincoln, World War I, and the beginning of space exploration.
Performance Indicator : Gather and organize information about the traditions transmitted by various groups
living in their neighborhood and community
Themes and Objectives
 The
students will be able to identify the
daily routine of a prisoner in Alcatraz
Prison.
 The students will also be able to identify
famous prison inmates.
Your Assignment
 You
are a reporter for our local paper and
they have asked you to find out what a
typical day was like for a prisoner at
Alcatraz Prison. Also, you have to find out
who some of the famous prisoners were.
 Good luck and have fun with this!
Arrival
You arrive here at The Wharf. This is where the prisoners
first saw their new home.
http://www.sanfranciscovisitor.com/alcatraz_whaf.html
Sleeping Arrangements
\ This is a regular prison cell.
The prisoner stayed in his
cell from 4:45 p.m. that night
until 6:30 a.m. the next
morning.
This is what they called the Crossroads [
The prisoners walked through here to get
to the showers, the dining hall, the barber
shop and solitary confinement.
Breakfast
This is the Dining Hall – the prisoners only had 20
minutes to eat their
breakfast.
Work Assignments
 The
prisoners now had to report to the
recreation yard for their work assignments.
Click on this link below and explore a 360’ view of the recreation
yard that the prisoners went to after breakfast…i
http://www.virtualguidebooks.com/CentralCalif/SanFrancisco/Alcatraz/Alcatr
azRecYard.html
Lunch
Lunch started at
11:40 in the dining
hall and they then
returned back to
work detail in the
recreation yard.
Dinner was also
served in the Dining
Hall at 4:15 p.m.,
following this the
prisoners returned
to their cell for the
night.
Famous Prisoners
 Al
Capone
 Robert
Stroud
Famous Prisoners
 George
 Henry
Kelly
Young
Extended Activity
 The
children will get together as a group
and write a list of things that they can do to
keep themselves from getting into trouble
like those inmates did. Then they will take
those ideas and make their own classroom
rules for the rest of the year. We will
discuss those rules though and make sure
they are good choices for our classroom.
Resources
 http://www.onedayhikes.com/TravelFeatur
es.asp?TravelFeaturesid=15
 http://www.virtuar.com/alcatraz/
 http://www.virtualguidebooks.com/Central
Calif/SanFrancisco/Alcatraz/AlcatrazRecY
ard.html