Crossing the Atlantic (Lesson Plan)

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Madeline Hunter	Stephen Binko	Christy Keeler	Generic (Other)
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Crossing the Atlantic

*Note: This lesson is a modification of a lesson presented by Dr. Jennifer Ponder.

Teacher: Christy Keeler, Ph.D.

Subject Area: Social Studies

Grade Level: K-6

Unit Title: European-American Immigration: 1800s

Lesson Title: Crossing the Atlantic

Objectives:

Students will identify push and pull factors relating to European emigration to the United States during the 1800s.
Students will identify factors affecting European-American immigrants as they crossed the Atlantic as steerage shipboard passengers.
Students will associate the Statue of Liberty with U.S. immigration.

Materials/Resources Needed:

Squirt bottle filled with water
Toy rats and bugs
Rice cakes
Flashlight
...If You Sailed on the Mayflower by Ann McGovern or Rebel Ship Story
Masking tape (tape in the shape of the hull of a ship, just large enough for the children in the class to sit)
Computer with presentation slides, associated media (including Immigration and Statue of Liberty videos and "America the Beautiful") and a computer projector

Anticipatory Set:

Ask students:

Why would you want to move from one place to another?
Why do you think people moved to the United States in the 1800s?

Objective/Purpose:

Explain to students that we will experience what it was like to travel as a steerage passenger when crossing the Atlantic on the way to settle in the United States. Tell students it may be a little "rocky," but we will make it to the "New World."

Input:

Show students the immigration video. Have them identify push and pull factors affecting European emigration to the U.S. in the 1800s.

Explain that shipboard passage was the means of transportation to the United States, but many had little money to procure space on a ship. Define "steerage."

Model:

Flip to the slide of the sailing ship.
In a rush, tell students they are to quickly collect all their belongings and get onto the ship -- it will sail in minutes and they will need to wait months for the next opportuniy to go to the United States. Encourage students to place everything in their backpacks, get their coats, and get into the "hull of he ship." If any students are moving too slowly on purpose, explain that the gangway is being lifted. If they do not hurry, tell them the gangway is up and the ship has sailed. The students not yet onboard will have to wait several months for the next ship. These students will sit to the side and view the simulation from outside of the "ship."
Turn off most of the classroom lights and inform students they have to stay in the hull of the ship. Explain that it is dark in the hull of the ship, and damp. They must stay in this area because the sailors are working on the ship's deck. Because they cannot afford a larger ship, they must travel as steerage passengers.
Begin reading ...If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern, pp. 22-30.
While reading, stop intermittently and humorously remove students and "luggage" from the ship. At one point, throw a child's backpack "overboard" and state that it was "lost in the waves" during a storm. If a child begins to cough, tell him/her to leave the ship. Explain that if the child were to stay, s/he may create an epidemic onboard and everyone would die.
While reading, use props to reinforce the concepts in the text. For example, spritz water on students when reading about storms. Throw toy mice and bugs on the children when reading about "critters" in the hull. Hand out rice cakes when reading about onboard food.
When reaching the end of the selected reading, tell students they have reached the end of the voyage and they have arrived safely in the United States of America. The first image they saw of the U.S. was the Statue of Liberty.
Flip to the slide of the Statue of Liberty and begin the music for "America the Beautiful." Read the inscription on the Statue of Liberty as it scrolls across the screen. Explain that these words mean that the United States welcomed these new immigrants; they were finally safe and comfortable.

Check for Understanding:

Allow students to return to their seats and turn on the class lights. Ask:

What did it feel like to sail as a steerage passenger across the Atalntic Ocean?
How did it feel when you saw the Statue of Liberty?
What would you be thinking right after you saw the Statue of Liberty?

Guided Practice:

Have students view a video on the Statue of Liberty. Then, have them draw a three-paneled picture describing possible feelings before a voyage across the Atlantic, during the voyage, and immediately following arrival in the United States. Once finished, have each student share his/her work with a partner, describing what they drew and why they drew these characteristics.

Closure:

Create a table on the board with three columns. At the top of each column, write, "Before," "During," and "After" respectively. Have students brainstorm feelings at each stage of the voyage. Write their responses in each column.

Independent Practice:

Encourage students to share their pictures with their parents while explaining what we learned in class today. [Email parents encouraging them to ask their children about what they learned about crossing the Atlantic in school today.]