 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Introduction | Quest | Process | Resources| Evaluation | Conclusion
America is "a melting pot." Like a soup whose ingredients all blend together to make a deliciously warm meal, individuals from all around the world came to America and created a country rich in ideas, traditions and customs. The people came and continue to come for a variety of reasons, but always to achieve the same thing - a better life for themselves and their families. As a result, they continually change our nation.Except for the Native Americans, everyone has immigrated or has ancestors who have immigrated from another country. There have been several waves of immigration over the course of United States history. The first wave began with the colonists of the 1600's and reached a peak just before the Revolutionary War in 1775. The second wave of immigrants occured between 1820 and 1870. Almost 7 1/2 million newcomers entered the U.S. The third wave, between 1881 and 1920, was the largest wave of immigration. Almost 23 1/2 million people poured into the U.S., many of them entering through Ellis Island. The most recent wave of immigration has taken place since 1965 with the passing of the Immigration Act of 1965 which abolished quotas based on national origins and produced major changes in patterns of immigration. The face of our nation continues to change with each new wave of immigrants. Who you are today is directly related to the family that raised you and the country from which they came.
In this Web Quest, you will work cooperatively to learn about past and present immigration, make predictions about future immigration trends, and present findings to your peers.
|
|
|
Tasks:
- Create a time line of American immigration from the beginning of history.
- Use immigration statistics to create graphs, and write a paragraph comparing and contrasting those graphs.
- Take the Virtual Ellis Island Tour to experience what it was like to immigrate to the U.S. from 1890 to 1920.
- Read all about Ellis Island and complete the Ellis Island cloze worksheet.
- Take a Citizenship Test
- Assume the identity of a family who immigrated to the U.S. after 1965. Learn about that family's background and the individual members' feelings as new immigrants.
- Determine what it takes to become an American citizen.
- Creatively present your information to the class.
- Predict future immigration trends.
Students will be assigned to groups of 4. Refer to the table of contents for a complete list of items that can be included in group folders.A. Create a time line of peoples who immigrated to America from the beginning of American history. Time Line of American Immigration
B. Construct a graph of pre-1965 immigration. Once into the link below, search "immigration", then click on first link. Pre- and Post-1965 Immigration
C. Construct a graph of post-1965 immigration. Pre- and Post-1965 Immigration
E. Take the Ellis Island Interactive Tour. Virtual Ellis Island Tour
- D. Compare your pre-1965 and post-1965 graphs. Paragraph format
Use Virtual Tour Worksheets. Click here for Marina, Plato, Gilda, or Immaculada.F. Read the article "What Hardly Anyone Knows About Ellis Island" and complete the Ellis Island cloze worksheet.
G. Take the citizenship test.
H. Assume the identity of a family from one of the countries below.
Afghanistan El Salvador Japan Peru Vietnam Bangladesh Ethiopia Korea Philippines Yemen Belarus Fiji Kuwait Puerto Rico China Georgia Latvia Romania Cuba Greece Lebanon Thailand Domenican India Mexico Ukraine I. Answer questions about your family's immigration to the United States.
J. Present your information to the class in one of the following ways:
- Skit
- Scrapbook
- Storyboard
- Song
- Story
- Other - Get teacher's approval.
K. Predict what future immigration trends will be. Before making your predictions, review current census information and consider current news stories. Support your opinions.
Books:
Magazines:
- New Kids in Town: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens by Janet Bode
- Quilted Landscape: Conversations with Young Immigrants by Yale Strom
- American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation (Vol. 1 & 2) by David Levinson and Melvin Ember
- The Immigrant Experience by David M. Reimers
- Cobblestone, Dec. 1982
- Cobblestone, Jan. 1983
- Tell Us Your Story printouts from America Online
- "What Hardly Anyone Knows About Ellis Island." Old Farmer's Almanac. 1992: p. 76-79.
WebSites:
- Time Line of American Immigration - This site shows American immigration from the beginning of history.
- Pre- and Post-1965 Immigration - This site is very helpful for constructing graphs and getting national statistics. (Search "immigration", then go to "Immigration: Immigration to 1965 America was built by immigrants. From Plymouth Rock in the seventeenth ...")
- Virtual Ellis Island Tour - Take a tour of Ellis Island!
- Requirements for U.S. Citizenship - Find out what you need to become an American citizen.
The following rubric was established for assessment of the entire WebQuest.The Cooperative Learning Group Worksheet
America is "a melting pot." It is a country rich in ideas, traditions and customs. The people that make up our country came for a variety of reasons, but always to achieve a better life for themselves and their families. Our diverse cultures make us the nation that we are today. Keep in mind the activities that you completed on this Web Quest and remember the risks, hardships, and sacrifices people have experienced in order to make America their home.Content by Ann Gekas, Jane Morrissey, Barbara Olszta, JoAnn Rizza, and Ann Donnells