Ellis Island - One Port of Arrival

Look at Statue of Liberty photo. What do you notice? Read 4-line G2-light excerpt from 'The New Colossus.'

• Surface the welcoming intent of the poem
• Prepare children for the more complex reality

M-2-S-HIS-09-C Illustration

Poster 11x17 with the famous 4-line excerpt: 'Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me.' Below: G2-light translation 'America: Send me families who need a safe place. I will welcome them.' Plaque image and Statue of Liberty silhouette in background. Source: National Park Service. Style: dignified, child-readable.

Today we visit ELLIS ISLAND - a small island in New York Harbor where about 12 MILLION people arrived in the United States between 1892 and 1954, mostly from Europe. We will see photos of the main hall, the registry desk, and the harbor approach. We will read one line of a real ship manifest - a primary source. The Statue of Liberty stood nearby with Emma Lazarus's welcoming poem. AND - the reality was complex. Some families were welcomed quickly; some waited a long time; some were turned away because of illness or papers. Both truths matter.

• A manifest is a real record of real people.

  model It tells us her NAME, her AGE, her ORIGIN, her ARRIVAL DATE, and her SHIP. A primary source.

  prompt Read the manifest line: 'Maria Russo, age 27, Naples Italy, arrived October 12 1907 SS Patria.' What does this tell us?

• Where is Ellis Island? When did it operate? Approximately how many arrived?

M-2-S-HIS-09-A Photograph

Photo collage 11x17 with 4 NPS public-domain photos: (1) 1907 harbor approach with steamship and Statue of Liberty visible; (2) main hall registry with rows of families and inspectors; (3) registry desk close-up with manifest book; (4) Statue of Liberty pedestal with Emma Lazarus plaque visible. Each photo has discreet date label and NPS source line. Style: respectful historical reproduction.

• Each pair reads ONE manifest line (teacher-distributed). Identify: name, age, origin, date, ship.

  scaffold Sentence frame on card
• Whole class: list 3 different countries of origin appearing in our manifest lines today.

M-2-S-HIS-09-B Photograph

Photo 8.5x11 of a real Ellis Island ship manifest page (Tenement Museum public-domain or EllisIsland.org sample), with 5 sample lines highlighted for child reading: name, age, origin, date, ship. Anonymized for protection - represents the form, not specific living families. Source line: 'Public domain Ellis Island records via Tenement Museum educational license.' Caption: 'A real manifest from 1907.'

• Name 2 facts about Ellis Island.

• Add Ellis Island, manifest, harbor to Word Wall
• Preview: tomorrow we visit Angel Island

• With caregiver, look up an Ellis Island record on the free database EllisIsland.org. Bring back one name found (any family - not necessarily your own).