…If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
Objective: Students will analyze and deepen their understanding of the
migration of immigrants to America during the historical period from the 1880’s1920’s.
Book Summary: Describes the migration
of 12 million immigrants to Ellis Island,
from the 1880s to 1914. Discusses topics
including—why people came to America,
what did people bring with them, what
happened if you were detained, and how
people learned English.
Author: Ellen Levine
…If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis
Island
Scholastic Inc.-New York, 1993
Lauren McClintock
Links to LOC Resources:
Ellis Island
Arriving
Waiting in line
Being examined by the doctor
Video Clip of Immigrants
Arriving
How would your life have been if you had
migrated to America in the 1800’s?
Activity:
Each of you will be assigned a
famous person who arrived at
Ellis Island. You will use the
class account at
www.ellisisland.org to
research the immigrant. You
will each write a simulated
journal from the immigrants
point of view—include your
age, the ship you arrived on, a
map indicating where you are
from, did you come alone, why
you came to America, and your
claim to fame.
What is so great about America?
Activity:
Imagine that you came to America
alone—when you arrived at Ellis
Island you knew no one and
could not speak English. After
being in America for several
months you are grateful for the
opportunities and freedom that
you have. Write a persuasive
letter to your family members
encouraging them to migrate to
America as well. Consider things
in America that your family may
not have back home—job
opportunities, religious
freedom, democracy, free
education, etc.
What hardships did the immigrants face? Did the
immigrants make important contributions to this country?
Each of you will select a partner
to work with. One of you will
take on the role of a news
reporter and one of you will
take on the role of an
immigrant. Using the book …If
Your Name Was Changed at
Ellis Island and other
research you may find, you will
create a news interview that
will air on 20/20. The news
reporter should ask questions
focusing on contributions the
immigrant has made to the
country and the hardships
they faced when they arrived.
Interview questions to consider:
Did you have a job waiting on you? How
did you learn English? Did you have any
money or a place to live? What
opportunities did America provide that
your homeland did not?
Standards
NCSS:
The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
NSS-USH.5-12-5: Standard 2: Understands massive immigration after
1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity
developed amid growing cultural diversity
South Carolina:
Standard 5-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding
of major domestic and foreign developments that contributed
to the United States’ becoming a world power.
5-3.4 Summarize the significance of large-scale immigration and the
contributions of immigrants to America in the early 1900s, including the
countries from which they came, the opportunities and resistance they
faced when they arrived, and the cultural and economic contributions they
made to this nation. (P, G, E, H)
References
Passenger Record photo retrieved from:
http://www.ellisisland.org/search/passRecord.asp?MID=14212657040909663712&p
ID=604534030002&
Family at Ellis Island photo retrieved from:
http://tigger.uic.edu/~pbhales/fasi/italian%20family%20looking%20for%20lost%20
baggage%20ellis%20island%201905%20geh%20small.jpg
Present day Ellis Island photo retrieved from:
http://www.boscovstravel.com/blog/images/2010/ellis-island-great-hall.jpg
Activity One Resources:
www.ellisisland.org
…If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine