Webquest Template

COMING TO AMERICA

by
Amy Walther, Hardin Elementary
Burkburnett, Texas
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Introduction

America is a country that is built on hope. The hope of a better life. The hope that you can be whatever you choose to be. The hope that we will always remain free. The hope that you can choose your station in life. Throughout history, people have come to America to pursue these hopes. They are called immigrants.

The Task

In this activity, you will compare immigrants now and from earlier times.

You will need to learn:

what an immigrant is
where they come from,
how they come to America,
why they come to America.
make a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting immigrants then and now

Resources

1.“Ellis Island:New Hope in a New Land” by William Jay Jacobs
2. Teacher selected web sites
3. Opinion-Proofs for Ellis Island book (word document)

4. Modern Day Immigrants (word document)

5.Construction paper, coloring devices, transparencies, Vis-s Vis for Opinion-Proofs and Venn Diagrams.

The Process

Day 1: Explore these topics as a pre reading activity on the internet:

If you have a little more time....

Take a virtual tour of Ellis Island through the eyes of an immigrant.
You know the Statue of Liberty stands for freedom, but have you ever wondered about the Symbols of Liberty?

At the end of this assignment, you should be able to tell me in a class discussion:

    1.      What is an immigrant ?
    2.      What are some reasons immigrants came to America?
    3.      What is Ellis Island?
    4.      Some interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty.
    5.      The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are right together. Why is it important that the first thing that the immigrants saw
            when they came to America was the Statue of Liberty?

Day 2 and 3: Partner read "Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land" with your reading buddy.

Day 4: Teacher assigns you to groups to do opinion-proofs. Print out opinion-proof document. Group one will
              take #1, group two will take #2, and so on. You are to make a simple t-chart. On the left side, write the
              assigned opinion from the chart. On the right side of the t-chart, write as many FACTS from the "Ellis
              Island" book that supports your assigned opinion. You are to present your results to the class by the end
              of the period. You may either use construction paper or an overhead transparency.

Print this document to find your assigned opinion:
Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land Opinions for Opinion-Proofs

Day 5: Your objective today is to read about some modern day immigrants on the internet and complete a
worksheet.

*Step 1: Print out this worksheet.

*Step 2: Visit these web sites and use them to answer the questions on the worksheet.

Vedron from Yugoslavia

Van from Vietnam

Saed from Sudan

Adriana from Mexico

*Step 3: Turn in your worksheet to your teacher by the end of the period.

Day 6: Your job is to compare immigrants from the Ellis Island era to modern day immigrants. You can make

a Venn Diagram or Double Bubble on a large piece of construction paper to present to class. You can

use the "Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land" and the 5 web sites that you visited yesterday as

resources.

Think about the reasons they come to America and what their lives were like once they get to America.

Evaluation

Day 1: You will be evaluated on your participation in the class discussion.

Day 2-3: You will be evaluated on your participation in actively reading the "Ellis Island" book.

Day 4: You will be evaluated on your ability to support the opinion with the correct facts from the
"Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land" book. Do your facts correctly support the main
idea?
Day 5: You will be evaluated on correctly answering all of the questions from the worksheet.

Day 6: You will be evaluated on your presentation of your Venn Diagram or Double Bubble to the class.

Conclusion

Go home and ask your parents where your ancestors came from! Share it with a friend.