View from My Window: Research What was it like to enter America as an immigrant in the early 1900’s? In this assignment, you are going to “become” an immigrant and create a journal entry which captures your experience. Choose a country of origin (remember, NEW immigrants who arrived near the end of the 1800’s often came from southern European countries like Italy and Greece, Asian countries like China, or were of Jewish faith moving away from persecution in Russia). Also make up a name, an age, and a family situation. Then, find four primary source documents (three first person written accounts like journals and one picture) and answer the questions below: (3 bullet points per question) about your experiences as an immigrant in the late 1800’s. NO ANOMALIES!! Make sure the things you mention actually existed in the late 1800’s! 1. Country of Origin: Name: Age: Family Consists Of: Profession: Why did you leave your home country?
2. How did you get to America? Provide details about how you crossed the ocean to get here (steerage). What was the crossing like? What problems came up?
3. You entered through Ellis Island. Describe your experience.
4. Describe the neighborhood you moved into in America. Who helped you get settled and gave you aid if you needed it (benevolent society, settlement houses, Jane Addams, Hull House, Florence Kelley, Jacob Riis)?
5. Do you live in a tenement? Is it in a skyscraper? What is it like? What are some of the problems in your community (pollution, garbage, disease, sanitation problems, and poor water quality)?
6. What kind of work did you find? Do you work in a sweatshop, factory, or did you find a job doing something else (be specific)?
7. What kinds of transportation do you use?
8. What kinds of discrimination or prejudice did you experience? Why do you think you were singled out for abuse?
View from My Window: PROJECT FIRST: Write a letter home from the perspective of the immigrant you created. Must be typed!! Entry must be 3 paragraphs. 1stπ- hi to family, questions, talk about where came from. 2nd- π-trip over, experience through Ellis Island, 3π- life in city, living in
tenement, job, discrimination. (Total length: 1 page or more, single spaced). Entry must include seven specific terms which are explained and highlighted. SECOND: Draw a picture which shows the view of your community from your tenement window. Include five vocabulary terms in your picture of city life. Label your items/vocabulary in your picture. COLOR the picture neatly, using crayons or colored pencils. The picture should take one side of one page (top to bottom and side to side). Use a PORTRAIT orientation. THIRD: Assemble the project. I will go over this with you in class, so you do not make mistakes! Lay your journal entry over the top of the picture. Cut a window flap in your journal entry which exposes the part of the picture which you think is the most meaningful or memorable for the immigrant (leave the window attached as a flap so it can be opened and closed; I will show you how.) Make sure that whatever shows through the window is also labeled with a term from this period of history (for example, sweatshops). COMPLETED PROJECT Due: Friday, January 16. Scoring Guide: View From My Window 1. Letter Home: 3 or more thoughtful, well-constructed paragraphs (see above), 1 full page, size 12 font, Times Roman, single spaced, To and From signed on letter...……………....….. /9 2. Letter Home: 7 highlighted terms, used and explained, different vocabulary words from the 5 in the picture, use HOLT Ch. 20 (p636-649) and bold words in this packet………………______/7 3. Picture: correct size, colorful, neat, and creative and used crayons/ colored pencils, portrait, not landscape, good quality and does give accurate look at a city around the turn of the century ………..………….…………………………………………………………………………….…..., /4 4. Picture: 5 labeled terms from bold words in this packet and HOLT Ch. 20 must be able to tell the definition from the picture, easy to find all words, no repeats from letter home….... /5 5. Document Analysis: 4 Sources (Completely filled out), good quality work…..….…..
/8
6. Research Questions completed with 3 well explained bullet points per question….
/7
Total:
/40