'Coming to America' Unit Brings Immigrant Stories to Life

Throughout the fall, Barnesville third and fourth grade classes teamed up for a cross-grade, cross-curricular exploration of immigration in America. In addition to reading and discussing historical accounts and immigrant stories, students have participated in activities designed to help them better understand the lives of the individuals in those stories.
Reading is at the core of the Coming to America… A Story of Immigration unit. Teachers have been reading aloud The Orphan of Ellis Island, A Time Travel Adventure. Additionally, students read a variety of picture books like The Keeping Quilt and Fiona’s Lace by Patricia Polacco, The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleishman, and The Journey by Francesca Sanna. They’ve also read nonfiction Kids Discover Magazine articles about the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Immigration as well as articles from Scholastic News.
Students spent time considering what it meant for immigrants to leave most everyone and everything familiar to them to travel across the ocean and start a new life in America. The eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds dressed in hats, scarves, and other garb reminiscent of early twentieth century European immigrants and posed for keepsake photos, much like photos many American families treasure as memories of their ancestry. A photo album can be viewed on Facebook.
“There is something very powerful about dressing like and posing as people we’ve read about,” said Third Grade Teacher Mrs. Gekas. “You can see it in the kids’ expressions in the black and white photographs. For a moment, they really transported back in time.”
At the Baltimore Museum of Industry, students participated in two interactive role-play activities: a look inside an Immigrant’s Trunk and a day in the life of workers at The Cannery.
Students interacted with an actress portraying a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine. Mrs. Ida Rehr shared her family background, immigration story, and her family’s account of the Nazi takeover of Eastern Europe. To prepare for the conversation with Mrs. Rehr, students learned about Eastern Europe in the early twentieth century, the rise of anti-Semitism, the difficult journey from Europe to Ellis Island, and the naturalization process.
Fourth grade teacher Ms. Z said, “The kids were so eager to ask Ms. Rehr about her family and her journey to America. She helped personalize the topic and really brought history to life.”
Later in the day, students were each assigned characters to play working in The Cannery, taking turns at jobs like shucking oysters or creating and applying labels to cans. The Museum is located on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and The Cannery simulates the kind of facility where many immigrants worked throughout the Twentieth Century. Each student experienced one skilled and one unskilled position, learning about the differences in opportunity and pay that were defined by their characters’ backgrounds.
A photo album of their day at the Museum of Industry can be viewed on Facebook.

Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences is an independent private school in Montgomery County, Maryland offering innovative preschool through 8th grade programs. Cross-curricular teaching encourages students to explore how subjects relate to one another, helping them to make connections that spark inquiry and deepen understanding. Small classes enable skilled teachers to engage each child in an academically challenging environment. Our 30-acre campus is our extended classroom, and we integrate nature into everyday learning. Barnesville is certified as a Maryland Green School by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, demonstrating achievement in curriculum and instruction, community partnerships, and best management practices.