Ellis Island Virtual Tour

Katie Risolo

Professor Salvato

Course: EDU 504

Date: October 4, 2015

Grade: 5th Grade

Topic: Immigration

Content Area: Social Studies

Lesson Objectives
After reading about the immigration from mostly European countries to the United States during
the late 1800s and early 1900s, the students will participate in a class discussion about what it
was like to enter through Ellis Island. In groups of no more than 3, the students will then digitally
explore Ellis Island, research information, and interpret photographs and data.
CCLS/+NYS Standards and Indicators
Language Arts (CCLS): Reading: Informational Text (RI.5.7):
Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an
answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
Indicator:
This will be evident when the students explore the Ellis Island Virtual Tour website and
find the answers to the corresponding worksheet.
Social Studies (NYS): History (5.1.3):
The migration of the groups of people in the United States, Canada, and Latin America has led to
cultural diffusion because people carry their ideas and ways of life with them when they move
from place to place.
Indicator:
This will be evident when the students study the immigration of groups of people through
Ellis Island into the United States.
Social Studies (NYS): History (5.1.5):
Key turning points and events in the histories of Canada, Latin America, and the United States
can be organized into different historical time periods. For example, key turning points might
include: 18th-century exploration and encounter; 19th-century westward migration and expansion,
20th-century population movement from rural to suburban areas.
Indicator:
This will be evident when the students study the key turning point of immigration in the
history of the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Ellis Island Virtual Tour

Motivation
The teacher will open a discussion by posing the question What is immigration? followed by
What is Ellis Island? Following the discussion, the students will watch the brief Ellis Island
BrainPop Jr. video explaining what exactly is the location and how it was an essential location in
American History.
Materials

One laptop per group

Pens
SmartBoard
One handout per student
Internet
Learning Strategies

Teacher Demonstration: Before the activity, the teacher will demonstrate how to use the website
and explore the questions on the worksheet.
Cooperative Learning groups: This will be evident when the students work together to discover
and analyze any findings.
Group Discussion: This will be evident when the whole class participates in a discussion
regarding each groups discoveries.
Adaptations

The student with a significant grapho-motor disability will use a voice-to-text application
for writing assignments.
The student with visual impairments will be provided with enhance images and/or
informative commentary pertaining to the activity with the Ellis Island Virtual Tour to
meet their specific needs.
The student who is an English language learner will be provided with content specific
vocabulary words, definitions and visual aids prior to the lesson.
Differentiation of Instruction

Tier 1: Students will complete the Ellis Island Virtual Tour activity with groups no more than 3
people. Each student will be given brief information and background pertaining to each location
of the tour as a guidelines to follow while exploring.
Tier 2 and 3: Students will complete the Ellis Island Virtual Tour activity with groups no more
than 3 people. Each student will take turns exploring each stop of the tour.

Ellis Island Virtual Tour

Developmental Procedures

Students will participate in a whole class discussion after watching the Ellis Island
BrainPop Jr. video clip.
(What is Immigration? What does it mean to immigrate? What is Ellis Island? How is
Ellis Island pertinent to the immigration history within the United States?)
Students will work in groups to complete each question on the corresponding worksheet
according to the Ellis Island Virtual Tour.
(How will each group member take part in the activity? What kind of strategies worked
best to complete each step? Is one room and/or step more important than another? How
is each step of the way important to an immigrants story?)
Students engage in a discussion with their collaborative group members to talk about
Ellis Island and what they saw on the tour.
(Which part of the Ellis Island procedure do you think would be the most difficult and
why? What is the most interesting fact you learned about? How do you think immigrants
might have felt coming through Ellis Island and leaving their home?)
Students will participate in a whole class discussion to share each groups findings and
questions.
(What is one interesting fact each group discovered? Which part of the Ellis Island
procedure do you think would be the most difficult and why? How might immigrants have
felt coming through Ellis Island? How might it have felt to leave their homes for an
unknown country?)
Assessment

Students will discover information and findings at each stop of the tour with their group.
Students will complete their own worksheet where they will answer questions pertaining to
specific places, rooms and immigration processes.
Students will participate in a group discussion of their findings from the Ellis Island Virtual Tour
and their significance.
Independent Practice
Following the Ellis Island Virtual Tour activity, the students will explore the Ellis Island
Passenger Search tabs (http://libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger) and complete the
corresponding worksheet. They will first search using their familys last names. The students will
be encouraged to write down 3 names/ancestors relating to their last name. Then, the students
will explore the Famous Passengers tab and write down 3 names and the dates of their arrival.
Follow-up: Direct Teacher Intervention and Academic Enrichment
Direct Teacher Intervention:

Ellis Island Virtual Tour

The teacher will work independently with the student who needs any technological and
academic support with the Ellis Island Virtual Tour.
The teacher will use printed versions of the tour stops to supplement the Virtual Tour with
the student to help the student reinforce any images, locations, and procedures described
in the activity.
The teacher and student will, together, complete the corresponding Ellis Island Virtual
Tour worksheet.

Academic Enrichment:

The student will draw 2 detailed pictures of what they think when they hear Immigration
and Ellis Island along with 3-5 sentences explaining their drawings.
The student will bring their drawings to class the following day and present them to the
class.

Ellis Island Virtual Tour

5
Teacher References

BrainPop. (2014). BrainPop Jr: Ellis Island [Video File]. Retrieved from:
https://jr.brainpop.com/socialstudies/americanhistory/ellisisland/
Scholastic. (2015). Interactive Tour of Ellis Island.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. (2015). Ellis Island Passenger Search.
http://libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger