Putting the Pieces Together- A Journey Through Ellis Island

Young historians step into the shoes of immigrants coming to Ellis Island. A simulation creates an experience in which participants visit several rooms, go through an interview process, and receive a stamp in their passport—either making...

Everyone comes from somewhere. An interdisciplinary lesson on Elvira Woodruff's The Orphan of Ellis Island includes discussion starter and writing prompts for the novel, as well as a graphic organizer to help learners begin their own...

Split your class up into groups of five to practice a reader's theater script that relates to immigration and Ellis Island. The script includes information about the island, and some descriptions of vocabulary terms. Also provided are...

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...

In this writing prompt worksheet, students read the questions and story starter about Ellis Island. There are provided lines for the story which the students will write.

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...

Fourth graders research Ellis Island and Angel Island. In this library media lesson, 4th graders use resources from the library to locate facts about Ellis Island and Angel Island. Students construct a Venn diagram to compare and...

A virtual field trip takes scholars to Ellis Island. A host tours the grounds and interviews three National Park Rangers using questions made by local school children. 

Ten stops take scholars on an interactive tour of Ellis Island. Each engaging "stop" comes with a detailed description, two facts, and photos with captions. 

Students examine what it was like to enter the U.S. as an immigrant. They conduct Internet research, develop a concept map, list the ways children occupied their time while at Ellis Island, and create a diorama.