Kate Baker

EGP 335

Lesson Plan Template

K. Johnson

1.0 Lesson Plan Details: Lesson Title, Day Number, Authors, Grade
Level
Lesson Title: In Their Shoes: Ellis Island
Grade Level: 4
Expected Duration: 90 minutes total, two 45 minute sessions
Concepts: History of the Northeast Region
Vocabulary: immigration, poverty, heritage, ferryboat
Skills: Critical Thinking, Creative Writing
1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Learning Outcomes:
o Following a class reading and comprehension analysis of The
Memory Coat, students will demonstrate an understanding of
immigration through the creation of a personal memory coat.
o After learning about the history of Ellis Island through an online
interactive tour, students will apply their historical knowledge
through a creative writing construction of a post card.
1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography & NCSS
Themes I - X with subthemes
PA Standard: 8.3.4.C. Explain how continuity and change in U.S.
history have influenced personal development and identity.
NCSS Sub-Themes:
o NCSS.1.2.e - Provide learners with opportunities to investigate,
interpret, and analyze multiple historical and contemporary
viewpoints within and across cultures related to important
events, recurring dilemmas, and persistent issues, while
employing empathy, skepticism, and critical judgment.
o NCSS.1.4.c - Assist learners to describe the ways family,
religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status,
and other group and cultural influences contribute to the
development of a sense of self.
o NCSS.1.5.b - Help learners analyze group and institutional
influences on people, events, and elements of culture in both
historical and contemporary settings.
1.3 Anticipatory Set
o The teacher will begin the lesson by referring to the introductory unit
lesson that was taught the day prior.
o Yesterday we learned about many exciting places and people
that make up the Northeast Region. Today, I want us to focus on
the state of New York and the rich history that it contains. What
do you know about New York?

Teacher will display a photo of an immigrant family passing through

Ellis Island on the Smart Board. (Image is pictured below this section)
Teacher will ask the students to take about thirty seconds to analyze
the photo silently. When the time is up, teacher will ask students to
think-pair-share their thoughts with a partner.
o Boys and girls, I want you to take a look at the photo I have
displayed on the board for you. Take a few moments to think
about what you see here. Ask yourself: Who are these people?
How do you think they are feeling? After you have silently
formed some feelings towards it, turn to a partner and share
your thoughts.
After the students have taken some time to think and share their
reactions, the teacher will ask a few students to share what they said
with the class.
The teacher will then explain that the people in the photo are
immigrants that travelled by boat from a foreign country to escape
poverty and start a new life in America. The teacher will explain that
they will be learning about the history of Ellis Island in New York, the
largest immigration-processing center in the Northeast region.
o Thank you for sharing your thoughts, students. The people
pictured here are actually immigrants. Can any of you define for
me the word immigrant? (Allow students to raise their hands
and answer) Thats right, an immigrant is
_____________________________. These immigrants here have just
arrived off a boat to Ellis Island in New York City, the largest
immigration-processing center in the Northeast Region!

1.4 Procedures
Part 1
1. After the teacher concludes the anticipatory set, he/she will gather
students on the classroom rug. Then, he/she will show the students the

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

cover of the book The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff. The teacher
will explain to students that the woman and boy on the front cover
were immigrants who passed through Ellis Island during the early
1900s, and ask the students what they think the story is about.
Once a few students raise their hands to answer the question, the
teacher will read the story to the students. The teacher will face the
book towards the students as he/she reads, making sure they see the
pictures. (Differentiation as appropriate)
After the reading of The Memory Coat, the teacher will ask the
students a few comprehension questions and have them connect
Grishas experience with their own lives. Example questions may
include:
a. What are some words or phrases that you can think of that may
describe how Grisha was feeling when he was leaving his home
country behind?
b. Would you be willing to give up something as special as Grishas
coat in order to start a new life?
c. Do you have anything special in your life now that reminds you
of home or your family? Turn to a partner to share.
After a brief group discussion, the teacher will conclude the group talk
by stating that all of us have something special and unique that would
be hard to give up in a situation like Grishas. Next, the teacher will
introduce the My Memory Coat activity. He/she will show students the
My Memory Coat worksheet (see attached worksheet) and model a
completed and personalized memory coat to the students. Explain to
students why you chose the items on your memory coat.
a. After our group discussion, I can see that we all have an object
that is special and unique to us. I would like us to think about
Grisha and his coat and construct a coat of our own! (teacher
will show students his/her own constructed memory coat) When
we go back to our desks in a few minutes, I will provide you with
crayons, markers, scissors, magazines, and glue sticks. I want
you to think about what you talked about with your partners on
the rug and apply it to making your own memory coat. Use
these materials to create a collage of things that are special to
you and would be hard for you to leave behind.
The teacher will send students back to their seats and hand out the
memory coat activity worksheet. He/she will provide materials to
students during the activity. (Learning Objective: Following a class
reading and comprehensive analysis of The Memory Coat,
students will demonstrate an understanding of immigration
through the creation a personal memory coat.)
After a significant amount of work time, the teacher will ask students
to finish up with their coats. Then, the teacher will ask a few students
to volunteer to share their memory coats and why they chose the
items on it, just as the teacher had modeled with his/her coat on the
rug earlier. After a few students share, the teacher will collect the
students coats, use them as a summative assessment, and hang them
on the classroom walls for display.

Part 2
1. The teacher will begin the second part of the Ellis Island history lesson
by distributing a worksheet entitled An interactive Tour of Ellis Island
Exploration Activity (see worksheet). He/she will explain to students
that they will be working with a partner to take an online tour of Ellis
Island and discover what the actual immigration process was like. The
teacher will explain directions of the activity.
a. Students, please work with a partner to take an online
interactive tour of Ellis Island. Type in the website link provided
on the worksheet to your web browser on your laptop/iPad, and
explore! Watch videos, look at photos, read personal stories, and
follow through a map of the Ellis Island processing center. Fill in
the chart at the bottom of the worksheet as you go through your
tour, which asks you to write down five interesting or new facts
that you learned. Once you finish, please bring your completed
worksheet to me.
2. As students work together to complete the activity, the teacher will
walk around the classroom and carefully monitor the students. The
teacher will make sure that students stay on task while using the
computer or iPad. (Differentiation as appropriate)
3. Once all students turn in their worksheets (collected as a formative
assessment), the teacher will distribute the postcard template
worksheet (see attached worksheet). The teacher will explain to
students that they will pretend they are writing to their families (who
live in a foreign country) from Ellis Island. The teacher will then show
the students an example of a completed postcard. The teacher will
remind students to be creative and remember what they just learned
about Ellis Island through the interactive tour to help them construct
their writing.
a. Boys and girls, lets pretend that we are immigrants who have
just arrived to Ellis Island. We will be creating postcards that we
would send to our families back home, and write about our
experiences in New York so far. I want you to draw and color a
picture of Ellis Island on the front of your postcard, and write on
the back. (The teacher shows his/her example to the class)
Remember, be creative and put yourself in the shoes of an
immigrant who has just arrived into a country they have never
dreamed they would live in!
4. The teacher will allow students time to work on their postcards. The
teacher will monitor students and assist students who are struggling.
(Learning Outcome: After learning about the history of Ellis
Island through an online interactive tour, students will apply
their historical knowledge through a creative writing
construction of a post card.)
5. When students are finished their postcards, the teacher will put
students into small groups and have them read their writings to each
other and show off their drawings. The teacher will collect the
postcards at the end of the share time, use as a summative
assessment, and hang them on the wall for display.

1.5 Differentiation
ELL Students
o While reading The Memory Book, ELL students can follow along
with a version of the book that is in their native language, or
with an audio recording of the book in their native language
o The teacher can accommodate to a language barrier by using
more visuals in discussion (ex. drawing pictures on chart paper)
o The teacher can position themselves so that their mouths and
faces are in the clear direction of ELL students
o To make sure ELL students understand all directions for all
activities they will be asked to do, instead of asking Do you
understand? have the student repeat the directions back to you
so there is no confusion
o During the Interactive Tour activity, pair an ELL student with a
peer that is advanced in English and can act as their buddy
o As an assessment tool, provide ELL students with a self-checklist
throughout the lesson to ensure they are following along
Gifted Students
o The teacher can provide opportunities for more self-directed
learning by allowing these students to work independently or
with less teacher instruction during the Interactive Tour activity
o Set up a reading corner in the room (equipped with additional
books on immigration and Ellis Island) for students who are
finished with an activity early to offer additional enrichment
o As an pre-assessment tool, the teacher may choose to give a
gifted student a pre-test of the material prior to the lesson to
pinpoint how much the student already knows about the subject
1.6 Closure
After all activities have been concluded, the teacher will ask the
students the following questions:
o Based on what we learned today, how would you describe or
define an immigrant?
o How do you think Ellis Island and the rise of immigration
changed the Northeast Region?
Teacher will acknowledge all student answers, and tell the students
that they will learn more about the history in the Northeast in
tomorrows lesson.
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Formative: Interactive Ellis Island Tour Exploration Activity Worksheet
o The worksheet (attached) requires students to list five new or
interesting facts they acquired from the tour
o The facts provided by students will provide learning feedback for
the teacher to determine whether or not the students have
grasped the historical importance of Ellis Island
o The teacher can use this feedback as a guide to whether or not
modifications to teaching strategies and activities is necessary
for student attainment

Summative: My Memory Coat and Postcard Creation

o My Memory Coat Rubric
Objective
432Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Apply historical Student used Student used Student used
reading
a wide
some
one of the
comprehension variety of
materials to
materials to
to the creation materials to
create a
create a
of a personal
create a
memory coat memory coat
memory coat
memory coat that
that
that
demonstrate demonstrates
demonstrate s a general
somewhat of
s a thorough understandin an
understandin g of the book understandin
g of the book The Memory
g of the book
The Memory
Coat.
The Memory
Coat.
Coat.
o Postcard Creation Rubric
Objective
43Advanced
Proficient
Create a
Student
Student
postcard that
displays their displays their
depicts Ellis
expert
acceptable
Island and
knowledge of knowledge of
incorporates
Ellis Island
Ellis Island
creative
through a
through a
writing
postcard
postcard
with a
with a clear
detailed
illustration
illustration
and
and superior competent
creative
creative
writing skills. writing skills.

2Developing
Student
displays their
partial
knowledge of
Ellis Island
through a
postcard with
a mediocre
illustration
and
progressive
creative
writing skills.

1 Needs
Work
Student used
little to no
materials to
create a
memory coat
that
demonstrate
s no
understand
of the book
The Memory
Coat.

1 Needs
Work
Student
displays no
knowledge of
Ellis Island
through a
postcard with
a novice
illustration
and nonmeasurable
creative
writing skills.

1.8 Materials/Equipment
A. Student Materials/Reading Resources
o Materials/Equipment
Three worksheets (My Memory Coat, Interactive Tour
Facts, Postcard are attached to this document in order)
Crayons/Colored Pencils/Markers
Magazines/Newspapers
Scissors
Glue sticks
Laptops/iPads
o Reading Resources
Ellis Island Interactive Tour With Facts, Pictures, Video.
(2015, January 1). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/in
dex.htm
Woodruff, E., & Dooling, M. (1999). The memory coat. New
York: Scholastic.
B. Teacher Materials/Resources for Lesson Design
o Materials
Immigration Photo (used from the National Park Service
website)
Education Websites (cited below)
o Resources for Lesson Design
Immigration: Challenges for New Americans. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarys
ourcesets/immigration/pdf/teacher_guide.pdf
Russian Beginnings. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentat
ionsandactivities/presentations/immigration/polish2.html
United States. National Park Service. (2015, March 3).
Immigration. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/historyculture/places_immig
ration.htm
Woodruff. (n.d.). Elvira Woodruff, Children's Book Author.
Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://ewoodruff.com/books/the-memory-coat/
C. Teacher Content Notes (see attached)
1.9 Technology
Technology used during this lesson includes:
o Smart Board (display of Ellis Island photo during anticipatory
set)
o Laptop or iPad (used during Interactive Tour Activity)

Teacher Content Notes

1. Immigration to America - History
a. Every citizen of the United States today is a descendant of an
immigrant.
b. President John Adams in the 1700s enacted the Alien and
Sedition Act, which allowed him to deport any alien considered
to be dangerous to the peace and safety of the US.
c. By 1800, the act had been diminished.
d. The Know-Nothing group believed that native-born Americans
were superior to the newly arrived immigrant groups, such as
Germans and Irish, in the late 1800s
e. During the industrial revolution era, immigration boomed due to
awaiting job opportunities in America
f. An estimated 4 million Italian immigrants entered the United
States through the cramped and crowded Ellis Island processing
center.
g. Most immigrants faced many hardships and harsh conditions in
underpaid labor jobs offered in factories or agricultural plants.
h. Almost 1 million immigrants that entered the US during the
Industrial Revolution were Polish.
i. New immigration restrictions after World War I prevented many
cultural groups from entering the US.
j. Immigration has inspired the new melting pot theory

2. General History of Ellis Island

a. In 1891, the responsibility of immigration was assumed under
the federal government from the states.
b. The government built Ellis Island to be the new immigration
inspection station on the shore of an island on the outskirts of
New York.
c. During construction of Ellis Island, the government doubled the
island in size so it could hold a big processing building.
d. Due to economic depression, when Ellis Island first opened, it
had light traffic and few staff members.
e. In the late 1800s, the original processing building burned down
due to a fire, and reopened in 1900 with fireproof walls.
f. Although the building was large, it was not large enough to
house the hundreds of thousands of immigrants that passed
through its hospitality wing due to disease and sickness.
g. To accommodate the large crowds, the building was enlarged
several times.
h. In the 1920s, the number of immigrants that passed through
Ellis Island was significantly reduced due to stricter immigration
laws
i. Thousands of immigrants were deported after these laws were in
place, or even stranded on the island.
j. Finally, the Immigration Act of 1924 ordered immigrants to be
inspected in their homeland prior to arriving in the United
States, therefore deeming Ellis Island unnecessary and out of
order
3. Russian Immigrants in America
a. The first Russians to ever enter America explored Alaska in the
18th century.
b. In the late 1880s, poverty struck Russian farmers and peasants,
and they sought a brighter future overseas in the United States.
c. Over the next few decades, the Polish and Ukrainians arrived at
Ellis Island by the hundreds of thousands.
d. The Russians who did settle in America lived in small
communities with other Russians, and worked in sweatshops,
mines, mills, and farms.
e. Many of the Russian immigrants came to America with the intent
to return homebut later found that Russia was in the midst of
the greatest turmoil in history.
f. Most Russian immigrants did not find a warm welcome from the
American government.
4. Elvira Woodruffs The Memory Coat
a. In The Memory Coat, a young boy moves with his family to
America from Russia. He refuses to leave behind his tattered old
coat that his mother made for him, but his family fears that he
will not pass through Ellis Island wearing it. In the end, it is it the
coat that keeps the family together and through Ellis Island to
America.
b. Although fiction, the story tells a tale that is similar to that of the
life of an immigrant passing through Ellis Island.

c. The theme of the story is the importance of family and how

strong the power of love can be.
References were cited on lesson plan

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