Council Rock High School SOUTH s1

Council Rock High School SOUTH Van Eysden: 9 Hon Am Civ; C 6: Immigration Scrapbook

Name:______Date:______Per:___

You and four other members of the class will create a “family” that is immigrating to America from either Europe or Asia. You will each create an identity for yourself but your family must include a variety of ages, ie: a “grandparent”, a “parent” and children of different ages. You will EACH create a journal/ scrapbook that documents the journey to America with all of its challenges and rewards.

Step 1:

The cover of your journal should have a title and some kind of creative design related to greatest period of immigration to America, from 1860-1920. You will also write your own (real) name there, date and Period 09.

Step 2:

The first two white pages, side by side, will be devoted to your family prologue: setting the stage. Here you will introduce yourself and your family to me: Where do you live? Country? Rural or urban setting? What is your ethnic or cultural background? What kind of occupations are you or your family involved in? How many people are in your immediate family? What are their names, ages and educational backgrounds? Are there any interesting issues related to your family history? Please explain them here. The more detailed your stories are, the more convincing they will be.

Step 3:

You will create a visual collage illustrating each stage of your journey to America. These images can be portraits, maps, paintings, charts, photographs, flags, etc. that represent some activity or memory from each stage of your journey. You must also include a key, identifying the places or people you've chosen to include and if possible, the dates associated with each picture.

Step 4:

You will write one journal entry for each step of your journey to America.

Journal Entry #1: Leaving Home  Describe the country and setting that you are leaving behind.  Why have you decided to come to America? What factors may have “pushed” you out of your country or “pulled” you to America?  What difficult decisions have you had to make? Will everyone leave as a family or will one go ahead and arrange for the family to come later? Journal Entry #2: The Journey  Describe what you have had to go through to reach the port city where you will secure passage to America.  Describe your accommodations on the ship and the experiences of the passengers around you: both upper and lower class.  What has made the journey particularly difficult or challenging?  Describe how you feel when you see either the Golden Gate Bridge or the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

Journal Entry #3: Processing  Describe the questions, exams and procedures that you have gone through as you pass through the immigration center at either Angel Island, CA or Ellis Island, NY.  Does your family need to be separated for processing? What tests are more challenging than others for certain family members? What would happen to you if you were turned away? How did the immigration officials treat you and your family?

Journal Entry #4: Settling In  Describe the next steps that you and your family need to take now that you’ve arrived in America.  What immediate needs do you have? Where will you go for help? Are there institutions in place to help new immigrants adjust to American life?  Are some family members more anxious about transitioning to American life than others? What aspects of your old life in Europe or Asia are the most difficult to give up, if any?  Describe the housing that most immigrants find when they first arrive. What are the benefits or disadvantages of this housing?  Has it been difficult for you and your family to assimilate to American life? Why or why not?

Journal Entry #5: America: The Immigrant Assessment  Have you felt welcome in your new homeland?  What do you consider a success and what do you consider a failure?  Your family most certainly would have been exposed to “the Nativist Response”. How were you personally affected by it?  Discuss your response to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Immigration Restriction League.

Journal Entry #6: America: The Author’s Assessment  As the author, how have your views about immigration changed after assuming the role of an immigrant for this exercise?  How has the experience for immigrants changed from 1900 to today?  One common argument against immigration is that a government should use its resources to help it’s “own” rather than care for others from other countries. What do you think? How much does a democratic government owe its “own”? Do we have an obligation to be concerned about other people in the world who may be suffering, and who are seeking asylum in our country? Hints for Success:

 Be Neat!  Make sure that your journal entries contain plenty of facts (evidence) for your discussion.  Make sure that your information is accurate: make sure that the events you discuss are consistent with the time period.  E-mail me with questions: [email protected]

You will need to also hand in a separate page with works cited information. Make sure it is in correct MLA format and that you are using reliable sources. There are plenty of sources found in: CRHS South Shared folder (S)/VanEysden/9 Honors Am Civ 2014-2015/Immigration

Rubric: The rubric on the back will be used in evaluating your finished product. One Day late = one letter grade penalty Two Days Late (weekend)= Two letter grade penalty

Due Date:______RUBRIC for assessing your grade: (80 points) This is an INDIVIDUAL grade.

5------4------3------2------1 Exceptional Advanced Intermediate Needs Improvement

Written Organization (x 4)- (20 points total) Clear organization of journal entries that evidence a logical sequence of information. No spelling or grammatical errors. Easy to understand and follow. Entries evidence sound internal structure and flow of ideas.

Visual Organization (x 4)- (20 points total) Neat, Colorful, Creative layout, Evidence of time and effort. No errors.

Time Management (x 2)- (10 points total) Effective use of library/computer time. Evidence of commitment to task. Student was not distracted by others OR distracting to others.

Content (x 6)- (30 points total) Contents of scrapbook were relevant to assignment and featured excellent detail for each entry. All elements of scrapbook were present and complete. Content in each entry and in each collage was relevant and accurate. Works cited is present. Journal Entry Content (15 points) Collage Content (10 points) Works Cited Page (correct format and handed in separately) (5 points)

Hand this sheet in with your scrapbook

Name:______

Written Organization (x 4)- (20 points total)______

Visual Organization (x 4)- (20 points total)______

Time Management (x 2)- (10 points total)______

Content (x 6)- (30 points total)______

TOTAL:______/ 80

Good luck and Have fun! As always, come and find me if you have any questions at all.