Schools
Chelsea fourth graders experience Ellis Island
Students go through process to enter the United States just as immigrants did
Fourth grade students at Chelsea Intermediate School recently participated in an Ellis Island experience. To prepare, the students completed a “New Beginnings” unit of study and read the novels “The Orphan of Ellis Island” and “If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island.” The Ellis Island re-enactment was the culmination of their studies.
During the activity, the entire gymnasium was set up as Ellis Island. Students were encouraged to dress as immigrants and some carried suitcases or bags as they role-played immigrants who came through Ellis Island from other countries. Several staff members and parent volunteers acted as government officials as students traveled to various stations to go through inspections and see the doctor. As they completed the process, they got their passports stamped for entry into our country or were detained to be sent on for further examinations or intelligence tests.
The activity was intended to help students experience what the immigrants at Ellis Island actually went through in coming to America.
