European Immigration Thematic Unit

Group Members/Group Name: Katelynn Arroyo

Thematic Unit Theme/Title/Grade Level: Immigration/2nd Grade
Group Wiki space address: _______________________________________________________
Daily Lesson Plan Day/Title: Thursday/Science Research
Lesson Length (ie. 30 minutes): 30 minutes Glo Germ Activity (Science Block) and 1 hour for research (Reading Block)
Rationale for Instruction
A rationale is an essential part of
thoughtful planning of classroom
instruction. This is a brief written
statement of the purpose for instruction
and the connection of the purpose to
instruction that has come before and will
follow.

Learning Objectives
What will students know and be able to
do at the end of this lesson? Be sure to set
significant (related to NGSS Themes,
CCSS, and NGSSS), challenging,
measurable and appropriate learning
goals!

NCSS Theme/Next
Generation Sunshine State
Standards/Common Core
Standards (LAFS/MAFS)
List each standard that will be addressed
during the lesson. Cutting and pasting
from the website is allowed. You must
have a minimum of 3 standards that

In order to embrace a culture of diversity in the classroom, elementary students should begin to
understand how various cultures became present in the United States. Students should learn about
immigration and the difficult process that many immigrants endured in coming to America seeking a
better life for themselves and their families. Among the steps that immigrants had to go through at Ellis
Island was the medical inspection feared by many. If an immigrant did not pass the medical inspection,
they could be sent back home and would not be allowed into the United States. Students should begin
to understand the importance of good personal hygiene to prevent illness and disease to themselves, as
well as spreading it to others.
After completing a Glo Germ activity as a class, students will be able to recall various reasons why it is
important to practice good personal hygiene to prevent the spread of illness, infection and disease to
themselves or amongst others.
*The student will demonstrate this understanding in a class discussion about why it is important to
wash their hands and practice good personal hygiene.
After completing the lesson plans from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week about
immigration and the difficult process immigrants had to go through at Ellis Island, and learning about
immigrants long, difficult journey through viewing and participating in an Interactive Tour and Virtual
Tour of Ellis Island online as well as a read-aloud, the student will be able to recall various facts about
the difficulties many immigrants endured in coming to America, specifically about the medical
inspection each immigrant had to pass in order to be allowed entry into the United States.
*The student will demonstrate this understanding by creating a presentation to share with the class
about a common illness or disease among immigrants who were inspected at Ellis Island. Students
can choose to research tuberculosis, cholera, trachoma, diphtheria, favus, epilepsy or mental
insanity.
NCSS Theme: Science, Technology, & Society Social studies programs should include experiences
that provide for the study of relationships among science, technology, and society, so that the learner
can:
1.) identify and describe examples in which science and technology have changed the lives of
people, such as in homemaking, childcare, work, transportation, and communication;
2.) describe instances in which changes in values, beliefs and attitudes have resulted from new
scientific and technological knowledge, such as conservation of resources and awareness of
Katelynn Arroyo SSE 6115

represent multiple content areas identified

in this portion of the lesson plan.
These can be downloaded from the
Florida Dept of Education
www.cpalms.org/homepage/index.aspx.

European Immigration Thematic Unit

chemicals harmful to live and the environment.
Individual Development & Identity Social studies programs should include experiences that provide
for the study of individual development and identity, so that the learner can:
1.) identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individuals daily life
and personal choices.
SS.2.A.1.2 Utilize the media center, technology, or other informational sources to locate to locate
information that provides answers to questions about a historical topic.

Student Activities &

Procedures
Design for Instruction
What best practice strategies will be
implemented?
How will you communicate student
expectation?
What products will be developed and
created by students?
Consider Contextual Factors (learning
differences/learning environment) that
may be in place in your classroom.

SC.2.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world, investigate them in teams through free exploration
and systematic observations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those explorations.
Introduction/Engagement: Gather students together in a group on the front carpet. Ask students what
germs are? Read-aloud to students the book Germs Are Not For Sharing. Explain to students that
germs can be spread by sneezing, coughing, rubbing your eyes, or touching something that has germs on
it. Tell students that it is very hard to see germs and even when you think something is clean, it may not
be. Explain to students the importance of washing your hands to prevent from spreading germs to
others as well as to protect yourself from illness/disease. Ask students to recall what they know about
the medical inspections that Ellis Island immigrants had to go through. Ask students why did so many
immigrants become sick on the steamships? Ask students why it was difficult for immigrants to prevent
spreading germs on the steamships? Tell the class that you are going to do an activity to see where
germs are in the classroom and to see if they can wash all of the germs off of their hands.
Instructional Input and Procedures:
Part One: Glo Germ Activity
1.) Have students hold out their hands.
2.) Place a small amount of Glo Germ Gel, about the size of a nickel, onto the palm of one hand for
each student.
3.) Instruct students to spread the Glo Germ Gel over both hands completely as if they were putting
on hand lotion and to make sure that they cover around their fingernails, under their cuticles, and
in between their fingers.
4.) Model this process for the class.
5.) Students may wipe off the excess with a paper towel.
6.) Turn off the lights and go around the room with the Ultra-Violet Light to see the glowing
germs on each students hands.
7.) Have the student hold the Ultra-Violet light and let the students look at the glowing germs on
your hands.
Katelynn Arroyo SSE 6115

European Immigration Thematic Unit

8.) Ask the class who thought their hands were clean before rubbing this gel on them and looking
under the light?
9.) Have students watch the Childrens Handwashing Video on the Glo Germ website. (There is also
a video in Spanish for students who may need accommodations).
10.) Have students line up in a single file line to wash their hands.
11.) Tell students not to touch anything when they go to sit back down on the carpet.
12.) After all students are seated, go around with the Ultra-Violet Light again and check to see if the
students still have germs on their hands.
13.) Ask the students why some of them may still have germs on their hands and why others may
not?
14.) Now ask students where they may find germs around the classroom.
15.) Using the students suggestions (desks, door knobs, sink, bathroom faucet, etc.) lightly dust Glo
Germ Powder over those areas.
16.) Clean those surfaces until all of the visible Glo Germ Powder disappears.
17.) Using the Ultra-Violet Light, pass the light over the surfaces that were dusted/cleaned with the
Glo Germ Powder and any remaining traces of powder will glow on the areas that were not washed
thoroughly.
18.) Explain to students that it is very important to practice good personal hygiene and hand washing
skills because germs can live on any surface as they just saw in this activity and if we touch those
surfaces we can pick up those germs which can make us sick and we can then spread our germs to
other people.
19.) Reiterate to the class that immigrants, who traveled to Ellis Island, especially steerage
passengers, were crammed together in dirty, small spaces and could easily pass germs to one another
which is how illness/disease spread so quickly.
20.) Have students take a seat back at their desks.
Part Two: Research
1.) Tell students that today they are going to be researching one of the common illnesses/diseases
that many Ellis Island immigrants were diagnosed with.
2.) On the board, list the following illnesses/diseases: tuberculosis, cholera, trachoma, diphtheria,
favus, epilepsy or mental insanity.
3.) Tell students how to pronounce names of the illnesses/diseases and give them a brief description
about what each one is. (Tuberculosis bacterial disease, mostly affecting the lungs; Cholera
bacterial disease of the small intestine; Trachoma bacterial infection of the eyes; Diphtheria
bacterial disease causing inflammation of the mucous membranes, throat and possible heart and
nerve damage; Favus chronic skin condition; Epilepsy seizure disorder; and Mental Insanity
health condition that affects, mood, thinking and behavior)
Katelynn Arroyo SSE 6115

4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)

Resources/Materials

European Immigration Thematic Unit

Ask students to pick an illness/disease that they would like to research and write the name of it
on their paper.
Tell students that they can either use the computers in the classroom to do their research or they
can go to the media center. Students will take notes in their notebooks.
Have students write down what they are looking for while they research (description of the
disease, what causes the disease, symptoms of the disease, if the disease is curable and how it is
treated, and was there a cure during the time immigrants passed through Ellis Island).
Explain to students that for homework, they will take their research home, and with their parents
they will create a presentation with a visual aid that they will present to the class tomorrow so
that everyone can learn about the illness/disease.
As students are researching their topic, walk around the classroom and assist students with
finding information they will add to their presentation. (There will be assistance provided for
children in the media center as well).

Closure: After students have finished researching, explain to students that today, because of many
science and technological advances, people who become sick with these illnesses/diseases can see
doctors who are able to treat them and heal them. Ask the class if any of them has ever been sick and
had to go to the doctor to get medicine to get better? Tell students that doctors are very precautious and
practice good hygiene so that people can get better and not sicker. Explain to students that the medical
inspectors at Ellis Island often inspected immigrants with dirty hands and medical instruments and that
could spread disease faster, so people today are much more protected when they visit the doctor.
Verdick, E. (2006). Germs are not for sharing. MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Childrens Handwashing Video. Glo Germ. Retrieved from http://www.glogerm.com/using.html.
Glo Germ Gel
Glo Germ Powder
Ultra-Violet Light
Computers in classroom/student access to the media center
List of the following common illnesses/diseases of Ellis Island Immigrants: tuberculosis, cholera,
trachoma, diphtheria, favus, epilepsy and mental insanity

Katelynn Arroyo SSE 6115

Assessment
How will student learning be assessed?
Authentic/Alternative assessments?
Does your assessment align with your
objectives, standards and procedures?
Informal assessment (multiple modes):
participation rubrics, journal entries,
collaborative planning/presentation
notes

Exceptionalities
What accommodations or modifications
do you make for ESOL, Gifted/Talented
students, Learning/Reading disabilities,
etc.
These accommodations and/or
modifications should be listed within the
procedures section of the lesson plan as
well as in this section of the document.

Additional Comments and

Notes

European Immigration Thematic Unit

Unit Pre-Assessment: Students will complete the K (What I Know) and W (What I Wonder) from a
KWL chart about the topics of immigration, Ellis Island, and why people leave their home country and
immigrate to the United States.
Unit Post-Assessment: Students will demonstrate learning by completing the L (What I Learned) from
their KWL charts they did prior to the start of this unit.
Daily Lesson Plan Assessment: Formative throughout the lesson/class discussion.
Student presentation about a common illness/disease among immigrants at Ellis Island.
ESOL: Students with Learning Differences: SLIDE (Show, Look, Investigate, Demonstrate, Experience)
and TREAD (Tell, Read, Explain, Ask/Answer, Discuss) http://education.ucf.edu/stll/edg4410New.cfm
(appropriate for students based on need), graphic organizers, cooperative learning, flexible grouping,
printed materials for group tasks.
Gifted/Talented: Multi-level and multi-dimensional aspects of the lesson, interactive nature of the
lesson, opportunity to explore many points of view and opportunity to analyze and evaluate material,
opportunity for independent projects (student suggested/identified), flexible grouping.
Homework After completing in class research about one of the following common illnesses/diseases
of Ellis Island Immigrants: tuberculosis, cholera, trachoma, diphtheria, favus, epilepsy or mental
insanity, students will put together a presentation with a visual aid of the illness/disease they have
chosen, an explanation of what the illness/disease is, what causes the illness/disease, symptoms of the
illness/disease, if the illness/disease is curable, how the illness/disease is treated, and if there was a cure
for the illness/disease during the time period Ellis Island was open to immigrants. Students can work
with their parents to complete this assignment and will present to the class tomorrow.

Katelynn Arroyo SSE 6115