Name______Date______Class______

Immigration Project

Immigration- Over 12 million immigrants passed through the doors of Ellis Island and entered the United States of America – the Land of Opportunity. Those that entered America during America’s second wave of immigration from 1880-1920 dreamed of a better life for themselves and their families. This project will detail the experience of those people and their experience.

Part 1 – Write a paragraph answering the following questions. The answers should be based on the immigrant group you chose to research. (You can type your answers)

  1. What country is your family from? ______
  1. Why are they leaving their native country? (list reasons and be specific)

3. Why was America the destination of the immigrants?

4. What was the experience of the journey to America aboard the steam ships?

5. What did they bring with them on the voyage?

6. What was their experience like at Ellis Island? (describe the processing)

7. Where did the immigrants from the assigned country tend to settle?_

8. What were the living conditions for most immigrants?

10. What type of job did immigrants from the assigned country tend to get once in America?

11. Were there any problems assimilating(becoming part of) American Society?

12. Was America as wonderful as they imagined?

Part 2 – Option 1 – (Work with small group) Create a photo album detailing your immigrant’s experience. The photo album should have one page devoted to each of the questions above. Included on each page should be a letter from the immigrant to friends or family back in the assigned country focusing on the themes established by the questions. The letter should be written in first person. Each page should also be complete with images related to the topic of immigration.

Part 2- Option 2 – Create a power point presentation. Each slide created should cover one of the questions complete with an image representing the theme of immigration. The slides should answer the questions with not only bulleted information but also images related to that particular theme.

Part 2 Option 3 – Read the Poem – “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus. You have been hired by Congress to create a new poem or song to place on the Statue of Liberty right next to Lazarus’s famous poem. You have to include some images/clipart around the poem each representing a theme of immigration. The poem should incorporate the major themes of immigration

Part 2 Option 4 – (Work with Small group) – Students will perform a skit detailing the processing at Ellis Island. The skit should include dialogue between the immigrant and officials at Ellis Island. The skit should also include the various stages of processing the immigrants experienced at Ellis Island. All of the students must be in full costume replicating the nature of clothing from the time. The dialogue must fully incorporate the phases of processing the immigrants had to endure at Ellis Island. A copy of the dialogue must be submitted

Part 2 Option 5 – Art Work- The United States Post Office has asked you to create a pair (2) of postage stamps that illustrate the major themes of immigration. Each stamp should represent a different theme of immigration (artistically depict two of the research questions). On the back of the stamp should be a paragraph explaining the stamp.