Learning Context
	The purpose, objective, or focus of the learning experience:

After working together over the course of seven months to study numerous facets of the topic of immigration, student learning culminated in a living museum in which students from across the grade levels portrayed immigrant family groups through speeches, dress, and props. The learning experience described here finds its place within the context of a much larger project. Its purpose was really to "kick-off" the larger inter-age project. Before this activity was conducted, the first and fifth graders involved had met a couple of times to get to know each other and to participate in some cooperative, team building activities. In their individual classrooms, the first and fifth graders had been reading about the topic of immigration, had participated in some geography activities to better understand the "setting" of immigration, and had spent some time discussing some very basic historical information about immigration. This learning experience, however, represented the first time students came together across the grade levels to learn about the topic.

While this learning experience outline details one specific activity, the activity itself was part of a much larger series of integrated, inter-age, inquiry-based learning experiences in which students in first, fifth, eighth and eleventh grades learned about immigration in an in-depth way.

In this learning experience, students in first and fifth grades learned about immigration and their own family’s history in an integrated, literature-centered, and inquiry-based way. The experience itself had several parts. First, students listened to two books about immigration. In both of these books, families passed down specific objects from one generation to the next in an attempt to retain a sense of tradition and family cohesiveness throughout the immigrant experience. The focus of this part of the learning experience was on listening to and learning from literature and participating in a book talk.

Second, students followed up their book talk by doing some research to find an object in their own family that had been "passed down."

A Special Family Assignment.

At this point, the purpose was to have students practice listening, speaking, and note taking skills as they conducted oral interviews with family members to gain information.

Finally, students presented their objects and related stories to the inter-age group in writing and/or in an oral presentation, depending on their grade level. The purpose here varied by grade level. For fifth graders, the purpose was to practice writing skills such as using conventions, organizing thoughts, and expressing feeling. For first graders, the purpose was to practice communicating information to a large group using a loud, clear speaking voice and staying focused on the topic.

As mentioned above, this learning experience was part of a much larger project, which included eighth and eleventh graders, as well. It should be noted that at the same time first and fifth graders were participating in this experience, students in eleventh grade were participating in a parallel, yet somewhat different learning experience at their level. This experience, too, had several different parts.

First, the eleventh graders were asked to conduct an investigation into their own family’ history. With the focus being on listening, speaking, and critical thinking skills, students learned to formulate questions and ask follow-up questions. Through interviewing relatives, the investigation stimulated intergenerational communication.

When their investigations were complete, the eleventh graders were then asked to take their information and condense and reshape it to create a ten to fifteen minute presentation for the class. Students were instructed to prepare the material for their presentations in a manner that would be interesting, informative, and provide a sense of the uniqueness of their families. Visual aides to enhance the presentations varied from diagrams and collages to photograph albums and videos. Many students brought in items that had been in the family for several generations and included in their oral presentations the significance of these items.

Finally, students were held accountable for listening to and taking notes on each other’s presentation. When all the presentations were completed, students were asked to synthesize what they had heard to create a fictional character called a "Composite Immigrant." Students were asked to determine what, if any, commonalities existed within the various family histories and then to use what they had learned to write a short (one to one and a half page) description of their "Composite Immigrant" including where s/he may have landed, what significant events s/he may have encountered, where s/he may have settled, and what work s/he may have performed. Students were encouraged to use as many details as they could and they had to document whose family history the details came from.

While the activity completed by the eleventh graders touched in many ways on the same themes and utilized many of the same skills and processes as the activity described here, this learning experience outline will focus exclusively on the first and fifth grade "Pass It Down" Activity. Still, it is important to remember the context (described above) in which this learning experience took place. While the activity can certainly be completed in an independent manner, it was designed as part of a much larger series of activities to help students learn about immigrations through an inter-age, interdisciplinary study.

This learning experience involved three different parts: listening to and discussing two stories, conducting oral research, and presenting information through speaking and writing. Therefore, several of the New York State English Language Arts Standards and many of their performance indicators were addressed. Because the experience involved students from two different grade levels, it provided a unique opportunity to truly view in practice how the English Language Arts Standards build on each other over time.

Part 1. Read-Aloud and Book Talk

As they listened to two picture books about immigration being read aloud and as they participated in a discussion of the two read-alouds, students were expected to:

Standard 2 - Language for Literary Response and Expression

• Listen to a variety of literature of different genres (specifically, picture books).
• Understand the literary elements of setting, character, plot, and point of view and compare those features to other works.
• Use inference and deduction to understand the text.
• Explain the meaning of literary works with some attention to meaning beyond the literal level.

Performance Indicators

• Listen attentively to gather and interpret information books (picture books).
• Ask specific questions to clarify and extend meaning.
• Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information and etween fact and opinion.
• Use text features (such as format and sequence) to help clarify meaning.

• As they conducted oral research within their own families, students were expected to:

Performance Indicators

• As they conducted oral research within their own families, first grade students were expected to:
• Gather and interpret information from interviews.
• Ask specific questions to clarify and extend meaning.
• Learn about and utilize strategies for note taking and organizing information.
• Select information appropriate to the purpose of their investigation.

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

Performance Indicators

• Gather and interpret information from interviews.

Part 3. Oral/Written Presentations

As they shared what they had learned about their object in written form (fifth grade) or in the form of an oral presentation (both grades), students were expected to:

FIRST GRADE

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

Performance Indicators

• Present information clearly.
• Use details and examples to explain or clarify information.
• Include relevant information and exclude extraneous material.

Performance Indicators

• Listen attentively and recognize when it is appropriate for them to speak.
• Recognize the kind of interaction appropriate for different circumstances, such as story hour, group discussions, and conversations.
• Adjust their vocabulary and style to take into account the nature of the relationship and the knowledge and interests of the person receiving the message.

FIFTH GRADE

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

Performance Indicators

• Use the "writing process" (pre-writing, drafting, revising, and proofreading) to produce well-constructed informational texts.
• Observe basic writing conventions, such as correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, as well as sentence and paragraph structures appropriate to written forms.
• Select a focus, organization, and point of view.
• Present information clearly.
• Use details and examples to explain or clarify information.
• Include relevant information and exclude extraneous material.

Performance Indicators

• Adjust their vocabulary and style to take into account the nature of the relationship and the knowledge and interests of the person receiving the message.

This learning experience fits nicely into district curriculum expectations for both grade levels involved. In first grade, for example, the activities found their place in social studies and language arts curricula. In social studies, district goals for first graders include developing an understanding and appreciation of one’s family and developing an early sense of history. In language arts, district goals for first graders include reading and responding to literature, understanding literary elements (character, setting, plot, point of view, author’s style, illustration), reading and listening to texts for information, and learning to present information clearly both orally and in writing. This learning experience helped students to begin to accomplish these goals.

In fifth grade, too, this learning experience met a variety of district curriculum goals and expectations. Again, the activity found its place in district language arts and social studies curricula. In the area of language arts, district expectations met by this experience include instruction in particular reading skills (including author’s message, author’s style, vivid and specific language, point of view, expansion of vocabulary, characterization, and setting), reading works in particular content areas, and writing using basic conventions and organization. In the area of social studies, district expectations met include developing an understanding of specific social studies concepts such as change, empathy, environment, and identity.

While the living museum was certainly an important culminating project, the learning that preceded it was equally important. In the months prior to the museum production, students at the various grade levels worked individually, in same-grade groups and in inter-age groups to investigate various aspects of the immigrant experience through learning activities in the areas of language arts, social studies, the arts, and technology. Major themes of this study included family history, labor, and the immigrant experience (from life in the old country to settlement in America’s cities and towns).

For more information about this in-depth, inter-age study of immigration, please visit the project web site at:

www.gcsd.k12.ny.us/gcsdel/pes/pes.htm

This web site provides detailed descriptions of the specific activities for first, fifth, eighth, and eleventh grade students, as well as a number of inter-age learning experiences. In addition, this web site provides an extensive bibliography for use with the project, as well as a gallery of student work.

In order to succeed in this learning experience, students needed to be able to:

• Listen attentively to two stories as they read aloud.
• Listen carefully, think critically, and take turns while participating in a book talk.
• Make a personal connection to their learning by investigating their own family.
• Use the inquiry process to learn about their own family’s history and tradition.
• Draw or write (depending on grade level) about an object that had been "passed down".
• Use oral skills to present information to a large group (including students at a different grade level) in an interesting and engaging manner.

Top of Page