SUSAN MCMILLIN, INFORMATION LITERACY LESSON PLAN OCTOBER 19, 2009 |1

LIS 773-01 School Libraries Information Literacy Lesson Plan Professor Don Hamerly Susan McMillin October 19, 2009

Unit
Information Literacy Lesson Title Length of Entire Ellis Island Unit Length of this Information Literacy lesson

Ellis Island and Immigration

Learning about Primary and Secondary Sources

Approximately one week culminating with a Ellis Island simulation that will take about two hours

This is a lesson that teaches about primary and secondary sources in the context of the Ellis Island unit. It will take 45-60 minutes. The lesson could be broken down into two lessons if necessary. 4th Grade Social Studies/History To learn about the history of Ellis Island and immigration and to explore their role in Americas and students personal history At the end of the unit, students should be able to: Indentify reasons immigrants left their home to come to the United States Describe the meaning of immigration Describe some of the obstacles and difficulties they encountered travelling to the United States and when they got here

Recommended Grade level Subject Area Objectives of Unit

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Objective of Information Literacy Lesson

To learn about primary and secondary sources; to give students the opportunity to use primary sources to experience Ellis Island on a very personal level. Primary sources can help students gain a deeper understanding of past events. At the end of the unit, students should be able to: Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources Identify types of primary and secondary sources Give the definition for a primary source, a secondary source and historical record.

Information literacy Model used

The Big 6 1 Define the information problem: What does my teacher want me to do? My teacher wants me to learn about primary and secondary sources.

Standards

Illinois State Learning Standards Social Studies 16.A.2c Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images and other literary and non literary sources. AASL Standards for 21st Century Learner 1 Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge 1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, and appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context.

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Differentiated Strategies

Modifications are used to meet the varied needs of all learners are marked as indicated:

VL AL KL

Visual learners: This modifies the lesson for visual learners

Auditory learners: This modifies the lesson for auditory learners Kinesthetic learners: This allows the students to move within their group

VAL Varying academic levels:

This allows students of different abilities to help each other and uses small group and whole group discussions to get all students involved Materials needed for lesson

Examples of primary sources: either put together 5 -7 examples or print up/download examples from the Immigration Primary
Source Set from the Library of Congress website at:

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysource sets/immigration/ Headphones (optional) Ellis Island Worksheet Primary Source Clues Worksheet Pencils Access to the websites used in the lesson

The Lesson Plan

Role of Content Area Teacher

Before the information literacy lesson, the content area teacher will introduce the topic of Ellis Island and will have done some introductory activities with the students. Here are some possible activities.

KL VL At the beginning of the immigration unit put

primary source examples that the LMS will have provided some place in the classroom that allows them to be casually examined by students before going to the library for lesson.

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AL VL VAL

Read to them books such as: I was Dreaming of Coming to America By Veronica Lawler or Where did your family come from? By Melvin and Gilda Berger. Ask group about the readings with questions such as: How did the immigrants come to the US? Why did they come to the US? What hardships did they overcome? What did they leave behind? What do you think life will be like in the US? Questions promote class discussion.

AL VL VAL Give students a copy of the lyrics of Neil

Diamonds Coming to America and play it for them.

AL Discuss the lyrics. VL Show them a picture of the statue of liberty and ask
them to write down what it means to them.

AL Have the class discuss their different responses. VL Show them a map of the world and explain that
people immigrate to the US for many reasons. Talk about how immigrants arrived at Ellis Island and saw the statue of liberty. Explain that the immigrants were inspected when they arrived and not all immigrants were allowed to enter the U.S. if they failed the inspection; they had to pass a medical and literacy test and were asked many questions when they arrived in the United States.

KL VL Explain that sometimes immigrants were marked

with chalk with a code by inspectors. Let students take turns writing a code mark on each others clothes or write list of code markings on board (examples of the code markings are available at http://teacher.scholastic.com/ACTIVITIES/IMMIGRATION/ tour/medical_chart.htm ).

Role of the LMS

KL VL When the students arrive at the library, have out the

collection of primary sources that were placed in the classroom at the beginning of the unit.

AL Ask general questions to begin the discussion about

the items. Ask if they have any questions or thoughts about the items.

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Ask them if they know what these items are called. If no one answers correctly, explains to them that they are primary sources. Explain that a primary source is a document or physical object created during the time under study or first person accounts of an event. Primary sources can be artifacts, documents, oral histories, sounds or audio and visuals. Explain that some types of primary sources include: o Original documents, such as diaries, speeches, news film footage, official records, letters or autobiographies o Creative pieces such as poetry, novels and music o Artifacts such as furniture, clothing or buildings

AL VAL Divide the class into five groups based on the

five categories of primary sources: artifacts, documents, oral histories, sound or audio and visuals. Give each group the Primary Source Clues handout (attached at the end of the lesson) and use them to take five minutes to write down all the primary sources that they can think of that fall into that category. Have each group share their lists with the class. Write down their list on an overhead or chalk board. Any responses that are not correct are listed under the label secondary sources. After all the lists have been shared, look at the things that have been listed under secondary sources. Discuss how these are different from the primary source list and seen what the students observe.

Explain to the students that secondary sources are accounts of the past written about the events sometimes a long time after they have happened. Secondary sources tell about someone elses experience. Secondary sources can also be collections of primary source records. Secondary sources may have pictures or quotes of primary sources in them. Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources. Explain that these sources are one or more steps removed from an event. Examples of secondary sources would include: o Textbooks o Encyclopedias o Magazine articles

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KL VL She could pass around an encyclopedia opened to an

entry about Ellis Island. Explain that people from the past left many clues about their lives. These clues include both secondary and primary sources. All the clues together are called a historical record.

Put the students in pairs (VAL pairing stronger students with less strong students). Have them use the worksheet Student Instructions: Ellis Island and Immigration while they visit two websites about Ellis Island. The students can work in pairs or, if there are not enough computers for all to use, the LMS can guide the students through this activity with a projector. The websites addresses are: Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today: An Interactive Tour of Ellis Island. http://teacher.scholastic.com/ACTIVITIES/IMMIGRATION/ tour/stop1.htm . Ellis Island. http://www.history.com/content/ellis island/aboutellis-island.

VL AL VAL Their task is to explore these websites and find

examples of primary and secondary sources using the sheet provided (It is at end of this document).

LMS Assessment

By assessing the students answers on their worksheet, did this activity clearly illustrate the difference between a primary and secondary source for the students? Does it seem evident by student discussion that hearing and seeing primary sources from Ellis Island helped them gain a better understanding of what immigrants at that time experienced and what it was like to go through Ellis Island?

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Primary Source Clues Handout Names of the students in our group:

Our Primary Source Category Is: ______________

As you think of primary sources, ask yourself these questions:
Is this an actual record that comes from the past? Is this an actual record that someone experienced? Wrote? Saw? Heard? Drew? Invented? Told? Is this an actual record of which someone had first-hand knowledge (it happened to them)? Is this an eye-witness account (the person telling the story saw what they are talking about)?

Examples of primary sources in our category are:

Our Category Is: ______________________

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Student Instructions Ellis Island and Immigration:

Learning about Primary and Secondary Sources

Work with your partner to complete the worksheet!

The object of this activity is to practice recognizing the difference between a primary and secondary source while learning about Ellis Island. ACTIVITY ONE: 1. Go to Scholastics Ellis Island page at http://teacher.scholastic.com/ACTIVITIES/IMMIGRATION/tour/stop1.htm 2. Click the link Start the Journey now. 3. A page will open that says Stop 1: The Arrival. 4. Click the Audio button and listen to the recording. Answer the following questions with your partner: What is the man in the recording talking about?

Did the man telling the story have firsthand knowledge of the event?

Was the information recorded during the event, immediately after the event or after a lapse of time?

Is this an example of a primary source or a secondary source?

Why might a primary source be more reliable?

Turn Over the sheet and do the other side

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ACTIVITY TWO: 1. Click link that says continue tour. This will take you to Stop 2: Baggage Room. 2. Click the link that says Photos and look flip through. Answer the following questions with your partner about the pictures: When was this source created?

Who do you think is taking the picture? What feelings and thoughts do you have when you see these pictures?

These are pictures taken at Ellis Island when these immigrants arrived. Are the pictures examples of primary or secondary sources? What did you base your answers on?

ACTIVITY THREE:
1. Open http://www.history.com/content/ellis-island/about-ellis-island. This a web page reporting about Ellis Island created by the History Channel. Answer the following question with your partner: They are recounting information about Ellis Island. Would this be a primary or a secondary source?

BONUS QUESTION:
The Ellis Island tour is part of the Scholastic Web site. Remember, Secondary sources may have pictures or quotes of primary sources in them. Is the Ellis Island tour web page a secondary or a primary source?

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Bibliography for this Information Literacy Lesson

History. com. Ellis Island. The History Channel. http://www.history.com/content/ellis-island/about-ellis-island (accessed October 11, 2009). Library of Congress. Immigration Challenges for New Americans: Primary Source Set. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/im migration/ (accessed October 13, 2009). North Virginia Partnership. The How and Why of Primary Sources. Library of Congress. http://nva.tpslessons.org/teaching_materials/learning_experience/overv iew.php?experiences_key=4190 (accessed October 14, 2009). Scholastic, Inc. Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today: Interactive Tour of Ellis Island. Scholastic, Inc. http://teacher.scholastic.com/ACTIVITIES/IMMIGRATION/tour/stop1.htm (accessed October 11, 2009).

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