|
|
||
 | ||
       | ||
INVITATION How can we engage students in an understanding of why emigration happens? How do we motivate students to research their own cultural history and develop an understanding as to why their ancestors emigrated from their homeland? How can we teach students to apply the impact that emigration and immigration have on their lives? |
 |
|
|
TASKS Students create a multimedia presentation that illustrates their ancestral movement away from their homeland and the settlement of a new community. The students research their cultural history using Sherlock and begin to apply problem-solving skills to help answer why emigration happens and how different cultures begin to assimilate. The teacher helps motivate students and provides direction to information-gathering and multimedia development. |
||
|
TOOLS Computers; the Internet; Sherlock. AppleWorks; HyperStudio or mPOWER; Inspiration; QuickTime Pro; SmartSound. iMovie (optional). |
||
|
INTERACTIONS The teacher creates a genealogical anticipatory set to motivate students to begin looking at their own cultural history. Students work together as a class to view videos, listen to speakers, and research on the Internet. Following the interaction with the teacher and other classmates, students create an Inspiration document of what they would like their presentation to encompass. Students then work together and offer simple critiques and suggestions of the presentation outlines. After students have created an outline, they move to the media center and computer labs and begin researching information necessary for their presentation. Students work with the teacher putting their presentation together and then meet as a class to show their final product. |
||
|
STANDARDS To identify the curriculum standards for your state that correlate to this student project, select the state in the popup menu below and then click the Go button. View Detailed Standards in |
||
|
SITUATIONS Students work in the classroom, in the computer lab, and in the community. The project, including class discussion time and research, will last three weeks. Prior student knowledge of the software used to create the presentation will significantly cut down on project time. Allow extra time for student research and editing. |
||
|
ASSESSMENT The teacher creates a rubric that clearly outlines for students the expectations for the project. The teacher assesses student work according to the quality of research and creativity and creates a checklist for students to follow concerning the outline, the research, and the project. |
||
 |
||
|
This project requires students to research their own ancestry and develop an understanding of how and why their ancestors emigrated from their homeland. The teacher makes a list of students' cultural heritages and students then join in groups of three or four. Each group should contain students with different cultural backgrounds. If this is not possible, have some students research a particular heritage other than their own so that a variety of cultures are represented. The students take their research and create a HyperStudio or mPOWER presentation that displays what would happen if each one of their researched cultures left their homeland and created a new community together on a remote island during today's time. Students create a virtual community, predict potential cultural roadblocks and communication problems, problem-solve, and work toward the goal of a peaceful community. |
||
|
Phase 1: What is ancestry? Introduce students to the concept of ancestry and genealogy, using Inspiration to show students your heritage. Brainstorm with the class how they feel their lives have been bettered by their heritage and cultural history. Student responses should be created in Inspiration and shared with the class. Students should begin to realize that many of their peers share the same thoughts and ideas, even if their cultural histories are different. |
|
|
|
Phase 2: Researching online As a homework assignment, students find out what their heritage and cultural background are. Students then work in the computer lab, using Sherlock to investigate and research their own ancestry and history. Student success is vital during this stage, so prepare direction for the students to use in the areas of heritage, ancestry, genealogy, and cultural backgrounds. Students should look for articles, images, and video clips and save the files. |
|
|
|
Phase 3: Sharing history After students have had plenty of time to gather information, the class meets to discuss what each student has found. Students should be prepared to give short, informative speeches about what they have discovered about themselves and their ancestors. In this way, students can compare their history with others in the class. Use an AppleWorks database to keep track of the data students find for assimilation purposes when students are divided into groups. |
|
|
|
Phase 4: Creating a new community Divide students into groups of three or four, with each group containing students of different cultural backgrounds, if possible. Using the information from their research, groups create a HyperStudio or mPOWER presentation of a fictional community during the present time period, placing their ancestors as the founders of the community. How would the founders deal with a community of different cultures and ideas? What kinds of problems might exist? How will they solve the problems? What kind of society will it be? Democracy? Socialist? Independent? Create a rubric and checklist ahead of time, listing what each group must have in its presentation. |
|
|
|
Phase 5: Going public Groups present their projects to the whole class. The presentations can also be made available to a wider audience. Work with the students and school Web master to prepare the projects for posting on the Web server. Students can create a database and ask Internet users around the world to respond to the project and add input that reflects their culture. How would they change the community? What would be the most difficult problem to solve from their cultural perspective? Using a large map and database, students can record the information from around the world and keep track of how many different responses from how many different regions of they world they get. |
|
|
|
PREPARATION
Create an atmosphere to reflect different cultures. Prepare students to use the software required for completion of the project. Locate and bookmark Internet sites to move students in a focused research direction. Teach students how to save images and text from the Internet. Discuss the importance of original writing, creation, and copyright laws. Show an example of a project created by a teacher or other students. Discuss HyperStudio basics if stacks will be placed on the Internet. Meet with the school Web master to reserve space on the Web site for the final presentations. |
|
|
|
OPTIONS AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Take the students on a field trip to explore the cultural diversity within your own community. Have students create an island in the classroom and role-play what they think would happen if a new community with multiple cultures were created in the year 2050. Visit community homes for the elderly and set up pen pals so students can learn about many aspects of emigration firsthand. Show students videos that illustrate the problems and hardships the emigrants had to face during their travel. Host an "I'm Moving" party after school to allow students to share their projects with the community. Set up pen pals online with students from other countries and have the students write a story together about what would happen if each left their homeland for the other student's country. Film a local cultural event and create a desktop movie using iMovie. Use MovieWorks instead of HyperStudio or mPOWER for the project. If available, use an iBook to gather information while attending a cultural event. |
|
|
BOOKS Aekyung's Dream by Min Paek All the Lights in the Night by Arthur A. Levine American Immigration (Chicago History of American Civilization Series) by Maldwyn Allen Jones The Belonging Place by Jean Little Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl (Dear America Series) by Kathryn Lasky Livingston Ellis Island: Gateway to the American Dream by Pamela Reeves How My Family Lives in America (Aladdin Picture Books) by Susan Kuklin (Photographer) If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine Irish Emigration to the United States: What It Has Been and What It Is (American Immigration Collection, No 1) by Stephen Byrne The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco Kids Explore America's African American Heritage by Muir Publications Kids Explore America's Hispanic Heritage by Muir Publications Kids Explore America's Japanese American Heritage by Muir Publications Kids Explore America's Jewish Heritage by Muir Publications Kirsten Learns a Lesson: A School Story (American Girls Collection Series: Kirsten) by Janet Shaw |
||
|
INTERNET RESOURCES The Norwegian Emigration and Geneology Center
Immigration, Ellis Island, and the Wall of Honor
Millbury Virtual Museum: French Canadian Immigration
Celebration of Diversity: Immigration and Citizenship
Ellis Island and Immigration Sites
Immigration Links
Teacher Resource HomePage
What Brought You Here?
|
||