My Family Tree 2

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Most families immigrated to America.

To immigrate means to leave the country where you were born and lived to move to a new country.

Maybe your parents immigrated here, or maybe it was your great-great-grandparents. Unless you are of Native American descent on both sides of your family, someone in your family's past immigrated to America.

Through asking questions, you will find out which family members or ancestors those were.

Most likely, it was your great-grandparents, or possibly even your great-great-grandparents, who immigrated to America. It is even possible your family members have only been in the United States for a short while because it was your parents who immigrated!

The people who immigrated to America are called immigrants.

Many immigrants came to America in the early 1900s. For them, immigrating to a new country was not an easy thing to do.

The way of life in America differed from what most people were used to. Many immigrants did not speak English and could not understand the language.

Many people wanted to come to America for a better life and the freedom to believe and do what they wanted. In this lesson, discover where and why your ancestors moved to America.

For a better understanding of what life was like for some immigrants coming to America, listen to this reading of The Matchbox Diary.

• What do you think it would feel like to go through Ellis Island?

The next video will give you the feeling of traveling across the ocean with the excitement and nervousness of starting a new life in a new country.

• How did the video make you feel?
• What do you think your ancestors felt when they came to America?
• What do you think you would feel?

Take an Interactive Tour of Ellis Island to explore some more!

When you are ready, keep it going in the Got It? section.