[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hird graders at Walnut Springs Elementary School got a first hand look at the history of immigration to Ellis Island through “Immigration Day,” where students experienced what it would have been like to immigrate to America in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Carri Ponton, Walnut Springs Elementary third grade teacher, said the learning unit is important because it teaches students various skills while “immersing” them in the experience of immigration to Ellis Island.
“They’re learning about reading strategies, comprehension, cause and effect, leadership and synergy,” Ponton said.
The unique learning unit was started at Walnut Springs Elementary over six years ago and has now migrated to Rooster Springs Elementary and Dripping Springs Elementary schools.
Ponton said kids are split up into “families” of immigrants from different countries. They must first earn the money to travel to America, and then purchase their ticket to get on board the mock “boat” and present documentation before boarding.
“We talk about why immigrants come to America and what the Statue of Liberty represents,” Ponton said, “The kids really gain an appreciation of what it takes to be an American.”
Ponton said students also learn empathy as they step into the shoes of immigrants and discuss how they felt throughout the arduous process.
Ponton said students spend a lot of time in the classroom learning about the history of Ellis Island, as well as the different countries immigrants came from.
“It’s great because after we’ve talked about it and studied it, they get to live it,” Ponton said.
Ponton said the “families” must pick a new last name from popular surnames from their assigned country, present documentation like a passport to board the boat to America, and journal about their various experiences at each station at the mock Ellis Island.
“Constable Hood was there checking their passports before they got on the ‘boat’, then once they were in “America” they had to go through registration, a health check, take a citizenship test, get a job and even travel to different parts of the country.”
Carri Ponton, Walnut Springs Elementary third grade teacher,
Ponton said the teachers and volunteers tried to keep the experience as historically accurate as possible by having the kids dress as immigrants in the early 1900s. They also recreated a detention center where kids go if they lose their paperwork or their “family” during the event.
“We try to keep it as historically accurate as we can,” Ponton said.
Ponton said that another part involved students learning about their own background and their family history, which helps inspire them to be proud of their heritage and encourages them to learn about other people’s backgrounds.
Ponton said the event is partly funded by the Walnut Springs PTA and with parents’ donations.
Twenty to 30 parent volunteers help with the program as well.
Ponton also said that the students further learn about the various countries Ellis Island immigraints hailed from, with the teachers representing different countries teaching the students about the food, the language, and the culture of the specific country.
Ponton said this unique learning experience teaches the kids about the diverse nature of America and stays with them as they grow up.
“It’s something they remember through high school,” Ponton said, “This is something that lives with them.”
