Just thought this was kinda cool!
~~~

Roosevelt 4th-graders recreate Ellis Island experience



November 1, 2010

Fourth graders at Roosevelt School in Park Ridge learned about the immigrant experience in 1910 by taking part in a recreation of Ellis Island inside their own school.

Students were given passports and directed to several stations where they were required to pass medical exams, take an IQ test that was given to immigrants entering Ellis Island, and pass an interrogation interview.

The simulation was part of a social studies unit on the history of immigration in America, said teacher Kristin Park.

"We want them to really understand the struggles before, during and after immigrating," she said.

Students were encouraged to learn about their own family histories and the countries their relatives emigrated from.

Some students used the identities of family members on their passports, and all selected a country reflecting their own ethnicity.

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