Constitutional Rights Foundation
Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America
Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...
Curated OER
Immigration and Ellis Island
Fourth graders explore family histories. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders identify the countries from which their ancestors came and locate them on a map. Students discuss the role that Ellis Island played in immigration in the...
All for KIDZ
Building Relationships: The Orphan of Ellis Island
Family and friendship are two very important themes of the historical fiction novel The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. From video clips and writing prompts to reader's theater and family interviews, this resource provides...
Northeast Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency
Who Were the Tired, the Poor, the Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free?
Elvira Woodruff's The Orphan of Ellis Island: A Time Travel Adventure is the core text in a interdisciplinary unit study of immigration at the turn of the century.
Curated OER
Ellis Island: Gateway To America
Fifth graders study the immigration station on Ellis Island. Through several activities, they see that immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island came to America from different countries, mostly those in Europe, for a variety of reasons.
Carolina K-12
Turn of the Century Immigration
In an engaging simulation, class members imagine immigrating to the United States in the late nineteenth century and arriving at Ellis Island. They then write creative journal entries about their experience and chart their journeys.
Curated OER
And the Streets Are Paved With Gold
Students explore immigrant experience at Ellis Island, New York, at the turn of the century, and answer questions that challenge them to use thinking skills from various levels of Bloom's taxonomy.
Curated OER
Immigration and Ancestors
We are all immigrants to this country and the study of immigration can help students connect to history in a personal way. Students will listen to audio clips from the Ellis Island web site, discuss the treatment of immigrants in the...
Academy of American Poets
The Immigrant Experience
The Buttonhook by Mary Jo Salter is the focus of a unit that explores the immigration experience to Ellis Island. First, scholars bring in an artifact that represents their heritage. A group-exercise allows them to share and discuss...
Curated OER
Ellis Island/Angel Island
Fourth graders research Ellis Island and Angel Island. In this library media lesson plan, 4th graders use resources from the library to locate facts about Ellis Island and Angel Island. Students construct a Venn diagram to compare and...
Curated OER
Who is Fit to Enter? The Immigrant Experience at Ellis Island
Learners examine the purpose of Ellis Island. For this immigration lesson, students explore the operation of Ellis Island as they participate in a simulation that requires them to organize and handle immigrants coming into the United...
Curated OER
Ellis Island/Immigration Scrapbook
Eighth graders explore the Ellis Island immigration processing station. In this immigration lesson, 8th graders research Ellis Island using the selected websites and create scrapbooks that contain pictures, clippings, and scraps that...
Curated OER
...If Your Name Was Changed At Ellis Island
Fourth graders investigate the concept of and reasons for immigration. They report on an immigrant group that moved to Illinois since 1700.
Curated OER
Island of Hopes and Island of Tears?
Third graders research Ellis Island. In this immigration lesson, 3rd graders watch a power point presentation titled Island of Hope or Island of Tears?and discuss the personal belongings the immigrants decided to bring to the United...
Curated OER
Gateway to America
Fifth graders study about immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. They create an identity of a fictitious immigrant and describe what they find when they arrive in New York.
Curated OER
Creative Writing/Historical Journals
Students write series of journal entries, from the perspective of an immigrant traveling to America via Ellis Island.
Curated OER
Immigration in America, 1870-1920
Fifth graders research patterns of immigration in America during the years of 1870-1920 using the Ellis Island website. They answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research on their own ancestors, and answer questions about the...
Curated OER
The Immigrant Experience in America
Students explore immigration in the United States. In this immigration lesson, students read about Ellis Island and tenement houses as they conduct research regarding the topic in order to write an essay.
Curated OER
Ellis Island Tapestry
Students participate in a simulation activity. They explore Ellis Island and experiences that immigrants in the late 1800's had on their way to the United States. The role play includes questioning by inspectors, a manifest list, and...
Curated OER
THE ORPHAN OF ELLIS ISLAND: A TIME TRAVEL ADVENTURE
Fourth graders read the book together and imagine what it was like to come through Ellis Island as an immigrant to the United States. They write a story describing the process at Ellis Island from a first person perspective. They share...
Curated OER
Ellis Island: The "Golden Door" to America
High schoolers write a narrative from the perspective of an immigration inspector or European immigrant. In this Immigration lesson, students read an online history of Ellis Island and evaluate its significance by writing answers to...
Curated OER
History and Geography: Making a New Nation
Fifth graders examine the contributions of the different groups that built the American Nation. They identify the successive waves of new immigration, explain their attraction to America, and study the importance of Ellis Island.
Curated OER
Writing as a group activity
Did you know that 50% of all Americans can trace a relative who traveled through Ellis Island? Relive these journeys with your class and then provide sentence strategy templates for them to use to compose their own informative...
Curated OER
Immigration
Eighth graders examine the American immigration experience. In this immigration lesson, 8th graders watch a video about Ellis Island and discuss the processing that took place there. Students write letters in the voice of American...