SUBJECT: Social Studies
GRADE: 5th
TECHNOLOGY: Internet
BY: Beth Mertens

IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA, 1870-1920

Target Grade/Subject: This lesson is designed to supplement the fifth grade social studies curriculum in the Williamsburg James City County Schools.

Purpose: The students have been studying immigration in America from 1870-1920. The purpose of this lesson is to provide the students with an extension of the content of this social studies unit (including culture, heritage and map skills) and allow the students to gather information about their own culture and heritage.

Objectives:
Students will follow directions and use the internet to find specific information as delineated on the worksheets.
Students will consider the pros and cons of using the internee.

Materials: computers and worksheets.

Procedure:
Discuss the internet with the students
Ask them what they have used the internet for and how they could use it for school activities.
Ask students about negative impacts of the internet.
Ask students for suggestions about how to avoid these impacts.
Complete activity: student will use the worksheet to find sites and answer questions. (Please see attached worksheet)

Closure:
Regroup as a whole class and review some interesting information the students found. Have the students write a paragraph about their favorite site, citing reasons and comparing it to the other sites.

Evaluation:
Collect worksheets and paragraphs and observe students responses to discussion questions.

Name

Follow the directions for each questions to find the specified information.

1. Find this site: http://www.i-channel.com/Ellis/ Explore the site to answer these questions.
How many citizens can trace their ancestry back to Ellis Island?
How many people were turned away from America?
List the steps immigrants had to go through to enter America and describe one step in your own words.







2. See if your anscestors arrived at Ellis Island!
Find this site: http:///cweb2.loc.gov/ammem/nd/pedu Click on “Search Wall” and follow the directions. Did your family arrive at Ellis Island? Use your parents names or your grandparents name to find out. Describe what you found here:





3. Find this site: http://lonelyplanet.com/dest/dest.htm Click on the country of your ancestors and answer these questions.
Find the culture section and describe three aspects of culture (like the ones we reviewed for the immigrants).




Name three major cities in your country:




Pick one of your cities and describe the important buildings and historical sites of the city.



Is your city known for anything special? List here:




4. Find this site: http:www.hmco.com/hmco/school/ss/ssmaps/index/html Print out a copy of the map of your country and mark your city.