I recently took my fourth graders to Ellis Island. I was thrilled to go, as I had not been there before. Once there, we had a fabulous tour guide that made the trip worthwhile. Some of the other teachers went on a different day and had a different guide. I bring this up because one never knows how good a tour may be. At Ellis Island, there was computer technology being used. You could order your relative's name to be put on "The Wall." You could also look up your ancestors on a data base. My students also had the opportunity to play a Jeopardy game that was on a SMARTBoard or other projection-type device.
In order for the experience to be the best, research should be done ahead of time. People can go on www.ellisisland.org and search the passenger manifests. The students that had the opportunity to look up an ancestor, were much more invested in this trip. Scholastic has a great website on immigration at http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm. The activities and photos can be used as a pre-trip activity and a post-trip activity. I wouldn't want to take away any of the excitement and sense of wonder by sharing too much of Ellis Island with them ahead of time. On the other hand, if they go there with no background information, it is just a big building next to the Statue of Liberty.
Some of the technology from the Sony Wonder Technology Lab could be integrated into the Ellis Island experience. There could be a virtual experience/simulation in which you could choose an immigrant that you would like to "be" and follow them throughout the program as they go through all steps of the actual immigration process. They could have choices about their belongings, money, occupation, health etc. Another idea would be also simulation-based. You could "be" one of the inspectors at Ellis Island. You would then be presented with a virtual immigrant. You must decide which tests to perform. Another type of technology could be a video-timeline of the immigration era.
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3 comments:
I like the scholastic site because it connects geography and politics to biographies. Nice link. I like the idea of having students become a virtual immigrants, online and on site.
Wonderful idea Suzanne. Whenever you can make a history lesson come alive, you connect so much better to the students. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't been to Ellis Island yet, but when I do go, I'm sure I'm going to be thinking about what the experience must have been for the immigrants. A virtual immigrant would be the closest we can get!
I love the idea of choosing the immigrant you would like to be. Ellis Island is a wonderful trip to take! The virtual immigrant reminds me of The Tenement Museum where you can visit an apartment of a family who emigrated to the lower east side from Kastoria around 1916. Students are asked before they enter the apartment to pretend that they are immigrants seeking housing and guidance from this family. My point is, being able to role play really helps students connect with the experience.
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