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ELLIS
ISLAND SIMULATION
Click
here to return to the main Ellis Island page
Before describing
specifics, we would like first to thank you for the time spent helping
your son or daughter research your genealogical history. Hopefully,
many students will be able to research their ancestry for generations,
bring in artifacts and photographs from their ancestors, and identify
which family members had emigrated. This knowledge will help them to
personalize this period of history and make their learning more
enjoyable.
There are
essentially two ways for you to offer assistance: as a host to an
immigrant family and/or as a participant in the simulation. First, as a
host you would need to share your family history with five to seven
students who have formed a “family” and allow them to adopt this
heritage as their own during the simulation. Given that virtually all
immigrants had a strong sense of identity based on their ethnicity,
nationality, and culture, we hope to provide the same for the “family”
of students. While many Americans’ heritage is hyphenated, a mix of two
or more ethnicities, it would be preferable to speak to only one or two
sides of your past. We have enclosed a list of suggestions to
facilitate your role as host to an immigrant family.
Secondly, for the
Ellis Island Simulation we will need help with setting up and then
staffing the event. Set up will begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday,
December 11 and continue until completed. It is hard to estimate a
finish time with an unknown number of volunteers. On Friday,
December 12 the simulation will
begin as the students start their school day. Included is a list of
positions needed to be staffed during the event. Please do not feel any
preparation is needed to volunteer. The positions are easily explained
and will be rotated so that each assistant can get an understanding of
what an “immigrant” experiences.
We ask that you
identify any responsibilities with which you are willing to assist and
sign the enclosed volunteer form. We truly appreciate any help you can
offer and thank you, once again, for continued interest and involvement
in your child’s education.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SHARING YOUR
IMMIGRANT PAST AS A HOST FAMILY:
This is only a suggestion of what
can be done. Given the uniqueness of every family, please feel free to
present whatever information best describes your immigrant roots.
1. The Journey:
Identify on a map the country of origin, reasons why emigration
occurred, conditions during the transoceanic trip.
2. The Arrival: Discuss
what experiences or memories a family member has of Ellis or Angel
Island, the expectations one had in coming to America, the feeling and
reflections one had while being processed as an immigrant.
3. Artifact: Show any
item owned by the immigrant that would help to explain his or her life.
Items could include clothing, a trunk, photographs, passports, or any
object that is connected to the culture, native country, employment, or
past history of the immigrant.
4. Cuisine: Prepare,
provide, taste examples of ethnic food(s) with respect to ingredients,
style of preparation or presentation, the rituals associated with
holiday or religious foods.
5. Religion: Discuss
the beliefs and customs of your immigrant ancestors and, if possible,
the discrimination they faced, reasons for emigration with respect to
beliefs, and what role religion played in their community as Americans.
6. Humorous Story:
Relate a humorous event, custom, or belief that was based in the
ethnicity, culture, or nationality of the immigrant.
7. Assimilation: Share
the feelings and ideas associated with the blending of cultures as
specific immigrant groups were “Americanized” through contact with other
ethnic groups.
8. Language: Share a few phrases or words that reflect the
cultural heritage of your family and tell how those words have been
adopted by English speaking Americans.
ELLIS ISLAND SIMULATION:
Volunteers are needed to assist in set up and to staff posts on the day
of the simulation. The number of people needed is approximate and could
change given your response.
A. Set up: Five
volunteers to help set up on Thursday, December 20, beginning at 3 p.m.
B. The Simulation:
This is a complete list of the minimum number of adults needed to staff
successfully this simulation. Most positions are not day long and
involve but a few hours. Job descriptions will be provided upon your
arrival to Unami on Friday, December 12. Please keep in mind that we will
be rotating positions so that all will participate in what the
“immigrants” are experiencing.
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1. |
Food Boxers-- |
eight people |
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2. |
Registry Room
Interviewers-- |
ten people |
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3. |
Medical
Inspectors-- |
four people |
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4. |
Ethnic
Information Officers-- |
four people |
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5. |
Quarantine
Officers-- |
two people |
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6. |
Ship’s
Manifest-- |
ten people |
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7. |
Registry Room
Officers-- |
five people |
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8. |
Mental Acuity
Officers-- |
four people |
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9. |
Literacy
Officers-- |
three people |
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10. |
Legal Inquiry
Officers-- |
two people |
TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE ELLIS
ISLAND SIMULATION: If you would like to assist with the
simulation, please download this parent/guardian form and indicate your
preference by marking the appropriate line. If interested, please
leave your telephone number and/or call so that we may contact you.
Download
the parent/guardian sign-up sheet
(you will need Adobe
Acrobat)
Click
here to return to the main Ellis Island page
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