Lesson Plan: Getting Here from There

Rationale: To engage students in a simple exercise in role-playing, to encourage them to study the methods of travel available to immigrants in the early 20th centuries and to consider the practical kinds of planning involved in moving a family across country or across the world in different eras.

Materials: Pencil, paper, online resources or historical references in your public library, world maps, historical state maps.

Timeframe: One to four hours

Method: Imagine that you are moving with your family to Indiana - how would you get here, and what would you bring with you?

Activities

a)For the purpose of this exercise, you can only bring one bag which you will have to carry throughout most of the journey. What would you include? Clothes? CDs? Books? Photo Albums? What would you have to leave behind? Make a list of everything you'd like to bring - and decide what would fit in one medium-sized suitcase.

b)The year is 1900. Your family is moving to Indianapolis from another state or country, and you have to plan the entire trip. You are traveling on a limited budget. There are no jets, very few cars and no bus routes. How would get here from -Columbus, Ohio? -New York City? -Hamburg, Germany? . Find maps to help you plan the best route to take, and determine the best means of transportation available to you. How long would the trip last until your arrive in Indiana?

c)Write a letter to a friend or relative back home from the point-of-view of an immigrant traveling to Indiana in 1910. In your letter, include your research : describe your journey to Ellis Island, your travels to the state, how your arrived and when, and how you are adapting to life in your new country.