Procedure
	The actions of students and teachers and the interactions among and between students and teachers:

Part One - Read Aloud and Book Talk:

The first part of this learning experience was teacher-directed. First and fifth graders came together in a common area. The teachers took turns asking students to share what they had already learned about immigration. The teachers then set the stage for two books about immigration to be read aloud. They explained to students that both books dealt with immigrants who had left their homeland to come to America and who brought with them some object to remember their homeland. In both stories, that object was then passed down from generation to generation as a means to remember the family’s homeland and to keep the family’s history and tradition alive. As the teachers prepared to read the books, they asked students to listen carefully and to identify the objects that were passed down and their importance to the families in the stories. They also asked students to look for similarities and differences among the stories and the experiences of the characters.

The teachers then read the stories aloud to students. Each teacher read one story. Students were expected to listen attentively, though they were also asked to take turns contributing to questions based on the story, including questions about characters, setting, time period, conflict, and theme. Students were also asked to think beyond the literal level and to explore their prior knowledge about immigration to answer questions about the possible experiences and emotions of the families involved.

After the second story was read aloud, the teachers led students in a discussion of the books, which focused on comparing and contrasting the two texts. Students were encouraged to focus attention on the "pass it down" objects in each of the families and to describe their cultural, historical, and personal significance to each family. Listening/Book Talk Checklist

Next, the teachers asked students to think about what they had learned from the stories and to reflect on objects in their own families which had been passed down from generation to generation. As an example, each teacher shared an item from their family which had been passed down. They each showed their item and described its history and significance. A Special Family Assignment

Finally, the teachers gave students directions on how to complete an oral research project. They asked students to find one object that had been passed down within their own family and learn about its historical and personal significance. Students were told to interview immediate and extended family members to find an object and to ask clear questions of these family members to find out as much information about the object as possible. Students in first grade were asked to take notes on what they had learned by drawing a picture of the object and having a family member write down some important information about it. Fifth grade students were asked to take notes on their own and then to complete a short written piece describing their object.

Criteria for Rating Student Writing

When the classes separated and went back to their regular classrooms, the individual teachers followed up the conversation with their own classes. The fifth grade teacher provided students with a copy of the rubric for the written portion of the research project and explained the expectations. The first grade teacher reviewed the directions, making a chart of student expectations for home research and the oral presentation. The first grade teacher also distributed a letter to students to take home to their parents so they, too, would understand what was expected and could help their children.

The second part of this learning experience was highly student-directed and involved students completing their oral research project at home. Students interviewed family members to find and learn about an object in their family that has been passed down from generation to generation. Asking clarifying questions, students learned the history of the object and the significance of the object to the family. Fifth grade students took notes on their interviews with family members in written form. First grade students "took notes" by drawing a picture of their object and by dictating to their parents the most important things they had learned about their object.

Next, students prepared to present the information they had learned. Fifth graders wrote a narrative description of their object, using appropriate conventions and following guidelines for quality writing (variety of sentence types, topics fully developed, stays on topic). In their written piece, fifth graders also worked hard to clearly convey the importance of the object to the family and to demonstrate some emotional attachment to the object. In addition to completing the written piece, fifth graders also prepared to summarize their writing in a brief oral presentation, which they would present to the entire group later.

First graders prepared to present what they had learned about their object by practicing speaking about the object using their object as a prop and using their "notes" (the picture they drew and the notes they or their parents had written) to aid them. Students practiced describing their object and its significance to the family using a loud, clear voice and staying focused on the topic.

The last part of the learning experience was also highly student-centered. First and fifth graders came back together in a common area and sat in a large circle. Taking turns, each student stood in front of the group and gave a brief oral presentation showing their object (or a picture of it) and describing its history and significance. Research and Oral Presentation

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