A program for Grade 8

 

Maximum 35 students. Free of charge. Call 718-354-4530, #223 or email us. Available in both one-visit or two-visit versions.

 

What is a “successful” immigration experi­ence? Eighth graders answer this question in our program To Be Somebody in America, offered at the National Parks of New York Harbor Education Center on Staten Island. First, students read edited oral histories from actual Ellis Island immigrants. Then students transform these powerful primary sources into dramatic performances, blending social studies with language arts.

 

Before their visit, all students read the oral history of a 15-year-old immigrant girl who arrived alone at Ellis Island in 1921. Teachers can also use our Teacher Guide to prepare students with vocabulary terms and other primary sources. When students visit the Center, they learn the basic skills of dramatic performance. Groups of students reenact scenes from this brave immigrant’s story. 

 

In the second half of the program (or the second visit), each team receives its own oral history. Teams convert oral histories into scripts, practice their skits and perform them in front of their peers.

 

 

This program meets the following New York State Standards:   Language Arts 1: Information, Understanding • interpret and analyze . . . oral interviews • compare/synthesize from different sources • produce oral & written reports; use graphic organizers   Social Studies 1: History of the United States • complete . . . case studies about individuals and groups who represent different ethnic, national and religious groups . . . at different times in different locations • consider sources of historic documents and narratives