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A Nation of Immigrants: Coming to America and Making a Home (1824-1924) |
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Exhibit Panels: “Immigration Waves and Communal Growth;” “Quest for Success;” case with Emma Lazarus material; Timeline Ohio Social Studies Standards: People in Societies Standard |
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Download this lesson plan in PDF format. | |
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| Introduction
In 1824, the American Jewish community was minuscule, not only compared to the American population as a whole, but as a percentage of world Jewry. By 1924, however, American Jews represented over three percent of the total American population and almost a third of the world Jewish population. The story of these immigrants is the quintessential American story: coming to the New World in search of opportunity, to escape persecution, and to make a permanent home. The year 2004 marks the 350th anniversary of when the first 23 Jewish men, women, and children stepped off the boat in 1654 in New Amsterdam (New York) to settle in this country permanently. The 23 were not the first Jewish people to come to America – however, they are recognized in history as the first group of Jewish people who came to America to stay because all others before them had come only to do trading. Historians also believe that because women and children were traveling with the men the people came to make a permanent home in America. The Jewish population throughout America grew from about 2,750 Jews living in 4 of 5 towns in 1820 to about 150,000 Jews living in 160 identifiable Jewish communities in 1860. More then 100,000 of the 150,000 immigrants came mostly from Germany between 1850- 1860. If the first Jewish settlers could see the progress made in Jewish communities and the patriotic contributions Jews have made to America today, what would they say? As you explore the themes in this unit you will discover possible answers to that question as well as comprehend how some of the American Jewish immigration art and imagery merge with American patriotism. |
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| Special Instructions: The teacher should open a Yahoo email account with an appropriate username, for instance "NationofImmigrantsComingtoAmerica." How to open the email account: Go to Yahoo.com. Click on create a free Yahoo account. Then follow the directions for opening a free Yahoo email account. Remember to put in a password when asked for it. Then make sure that each student gets both the username [i.e. NationofImmigrantsComingtoAmerica@yahoo.com ] and the password when you decide what it will be so that they can access the site. Make sure you explain the ground rules to students: [1] No one except students in the class can use the site. [2] Students in the class can only post assignments, interesting articles, pictures, art, and / or cartoons that pertain to the themes on which the class is researching, evaluating, and reporting. |
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| LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will: 1. Explore, compare, and contrast American Jewish immigration imagery, art, and reality to gain a better understanding of American Jewish people and American Jewish popular culture. 3. Compile, organize, demonstrate, and display their learning by writing a group paper and by using technology, music, art, drama, or dance to show what they have learned. |
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PRE-EXHIBIT ACTIVITIES Pre-Exhibit Procedures 1. Start the Pre-Exhibit Activity about two [2] weeks before the students are taken to the actual exhibit so all groups will have time to complete web-based learning. Some may have to use the school, local college, or public libraries to do the assignment. 2. Establish learning groups: three to five in a group. 3. Send a soft copy of this syllabus to NationofImmigrantsComingtoAmerica@yahoo.com. If you are dealing with elementary school students, go ahead and give them a hard copy of this syllabus as well. 4. Explain to students that the class will be going to an exhibition after a unit of study where they will research how American Jewish immigration art merged with American patriotism and compare that imagery with immigration reality. Also, tell students that they will demonstrate their learning through the use of technology, dance, drama, art, or music – as well as write a two to three page group paper at the end of the unit as a post-exhibition activity. 5. Ask each group to write down as much as they can come up with about the word immigration in 5 minutes – including the definition of the word and at least one example of the word in use. Then have a group representative from each group share what they wrote. Make sure group members place names on the papers. Then collect the papers and place them in group portfolios for later use. 6. Have students draw a vertical and horizontal line through the middle of a sheet of notebook paper to make a four-section page. Label the sections imagery/art, patriotism, reality, and art merging with reality. Tell them to jot down examples of these things under sections on their paper as they watch the following presentation. 7. Show a 20 minute PowerPoint or electronic overhead of the following imagery and art that captures: Jewish men, women, and children coming to America Tip: A 20 minute PowerPoint is included with this lesson plan. Also, make sure you give learners time to talk about what they see in the slides 8. For guided, web-based research, give students the following questions to answer. b. Find a picture of the Yiddish poster celebrating immigrants coming to New York. What does the art in the poster tell you about the reality for immigrants coming to American? c. Who was Irving Berlin? d. How is the work of Emma Lazarus and Irving Berlin associated? e. Irving Berlin has made a famous contribution to America. What is that contribution? f. What president recognized the significance of Irving Berlin’s contribution to America? g. What reason does the literature give for Irving Berlin changing his name? h. Go to the “BIOGRAPHY ON A & E” Time Warner web site to read some very interesting facts about Irving Berlin’s contributions to America. Then write a reflection paragraph on what you read. i. Three different presidents of the United States of America recognized Irving Berlin work in front of the world? Who were the presidents and what did each one of them recognize Irving Berlin for? j. Briefly describe at least 3 pieces of Israel Blaine’s work and how his work in general merges with that of Emma Lazarus and American patriotism. Team members can find answers to the web guided research questions at the following web sites: |
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| EXHIBIT ACTIVITIES
Themes The Scavenger Hunt Exhibit Procedures 1. Every learner in each group gets a Scavenger Hunt Question packet (see below). Group members have to work together to get all questions in the packet answered correctly. 2. All answers to the questions are found in the actual exhibit. Note: students should look not just at the panels (listed above) but also at a separate case with Emma Lazarus material and the videos located at panel endcaps. 3. Papers are due by the end of the field trip. 4. Every group earns a prize for completing all questions. However, the first group to come back with all the correct answers gets top prize. Then the next group who does so gets the 2nd prize, and so on. 5. Each teacher will have to come up with what the prizes are going to be. |
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POST-EXHIBIT ACTIVITIES Themes Group Reflection Paper Demonstration of learning through the use of technology, music, art, drama, or dance Post-Exhibit Procedures 1. Students should return to the group that they were in during the Pre-Exhibit stage. Be creative when working with high school learners! Why not move the chairs in the room ahead of time? Better yet: Is there something stopping you from having class in the auditorium, cafeteria, gym, or elsewhere that allows for freer movement? 2. Get ready to be surprised by the vast talents your students have when they are allowed to flow. Tell students that in exactly two weeks each group will demonstrate to the class what they learned while exploring American Jewish Immigration imagery, art, and reality. Make sure that students understand that they may demonstrate their learning through the use of technology, art, music, dance, or drama. They need to understand that the demonstration is a group project and that each group’s demonstration must be no longer then ten minutes. Students also will write and turn in a three to four page group reflection paper. 3. Teachers should monitor progress to ensure that all students in groups are doing a fair share of the work. Make students aware of the fact that you will be both monitoring and looking for evidence of teamwork instead of one person towing the group’s total load. |
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