Unit Framework Title:

Introduction Ellis Island Project

Overview: Mr. Forkins U.S. History students are studying immigration, and he ran across the
statistic that 40% of Americans today can trace their ancestry back to Ellis Island. He asked me how we could incorporate that into a possible project. I had started working with Prezi and felt comfortable enough to work with his kids to try this Web 2.0 tool instead of doing the normal PowerPoint presentation. So we decided that students would first check to see if they had relatives that arrived via Ellis Island. If they did, great! If not, then we would still get them to see where they were from, as well as tie in significant events that happened on or near each family members birth dates. Depending on the events and dates, this project would actually touch on many more GPS standards for U.S. History. Also, this activity would incorporate the Common Core Reading and Writing Standards for 11-12 grade History. Teacher: Keith Forkin Media Specialist: Robin Thompson

StandardsStage 1 Georgia Performance Standards for United States History

SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial growth. a. Describe Ellis Island, the change in immigrants origins to southern and eastern Europe and the impact of this change on urban America.

Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Crosswalk - Grades 11 & 12

CC11-12RH/SS7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. CC11-12RH/SS9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects Crosswalk - Grades 11 & 12
CC11-12WH/SS/S/TS2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. CC11-12WH/SS/S/TS6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. CC11-12WH/SS/S/TS8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Goals: Standard 2: Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge. Skills Indicator(s):
2.1.1 Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical thinking skills (analysis, synthesis,

evaluation, organization) to information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge.

2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. 2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.

Benchmark(s):
- Critically examine and analyze relevant information from a variety of sources to discover relationships and patterns among ideas.

- Use web-based and other technology tools to show connections and patterns in the ideas and
information collected. - Revise work based on ongoing self-assessment and feedback from teachers and peers.

Dispositions Indicator(s):
2.2.2 Use both divergent and convergent thinking to formulate alternative conclusions and test them against the evidence. 2.2.4 Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products to express learning.

Responsibilities Indicator(s):
2.3.2 Consider diverse and global perspectives in drawing conclusions.

Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):

2.4.3 Recognize new knowledge and understanding.

Understandings and Goals Understandings: Essential Questions: How has history impacted my familys life? Students will understand that. . .
History can have a personal relationship and interaction with each of us and our families. Using new Web 2.0 tools can produce more creative and powerful presentations. How are my family and my classmates families similar because of history? What are the essential components to an effective Web 2.0 presentation?

Students will know. . . The impact that history can have on

individuals and families. How to research to find the information needed for their Prezi. Work with Prezi to create a creative presentation.

Students will be able to. . . Research family history through personal

interview and web research. Organize information into a family tree that will go back four generations with names, birth/death dates, and a significant event that occurred during birth year. Create a Prezi presentation that incorporates all of the research elements and images. Present a clear and well-planned presentation of his or her Prezi.

EvidenceStage 2 Unit Performance Tasks / GRASPS Unit Performance Task Title: Ellis Island Project
Understandings: Explain - Describe what you already know about your family history. Interpret Evaluate your family history to see how the events that surrounded them impacted them, and in turn, you. Apply Design, create, and present your Prezi Family Tree. Perspective Analyze how your relationships with your past generations have influenced you and your whole family. Empathy Consider your classmates Prezis, when they present, to see how their familys events and history have shaped their lives. Be open to how this may change your perception of your classmates. Self-Knowledge Recognize the similarities that many people have in their lives through relationships by reflecting in a journal entry about the Ellis Island Project and Prezi Family Tree experience.

Description/Directions:
Goal: Your goal is to create a family tree that shows four generations using the online tool, Prezi. Role: You are your familys historian. Audience: Your audience is your classmates who are interested in seeing how your family has helped you to become who you are. Situation: You have been asked to trace your family history back four generations to find significant events that impacted each persons life. Product Performance and Purpose: You will create a Prezi presentation that includes four generations as well as yourself. Your purpose is to see how history has impacted your familys lives and made you who you are. You will also see how you share common experiences with others around you. Criteria for Success: The students will create a Prezi that traces their family ancestry, hopefully from Ellis Island, but at least back to great-grandparents. It will include the birth dates, birth place, and a significant event near the birth date for all of the following family members: great-grandparents, grandparents, mother, father, and then themselves. The students will use a wiki that I created as a pathfinder for online sources, Media Center resources, and information on how to create and work with Prezi. They will need to interview parents and grandparents, if possible, to obtain names, specifically last names, for early generation family members. With this information, students will use online sources and Media Center resources to discover dates and events for each family member. This information will then be used to create a Prezi family tree.

Performance Task Rubric: (see file for Prezi Family Tree Rubric) Other Evidence (e.g. test, quizzes, work samples, observations)
1. Prompts Students will respond to several sets of prior knowledge scenarios, including information about family and ancestry knowledge. Understanding(s): Explain Describe what you already know about your family history. Interpret Evaluate what you already know about your family. Perspective Analyze your findings about your family to see if there are connections and similarities between the generations. Empathy& Self-Knowledge Consider how your family history has made you who you are. 2. Observations SLMS and the teacher will observe the students as they use they use the Pathfinder, complete their graphic organizer, and create their Prezi.

Understanding(s): Explain Describe events that happened to each family generation. Interpret Tell meaningful stories that you gather from family members to make your presentation more personal and meaningful. Apply Create a well-organized Prezi presentation. Perspective Listen to feedback from Prezi peer editor. 3. Student self-questioning Students will complete a questionnaire at the mid-point of the project to assess how they are doing and questions they may have. Do I understand the task? Do I have all of the family information needed to complete the Prezi? Do I understand how to maneuver the Zoom Editor on Prezi to get the maximum effect from this tool?

Understanding(s): Perspective Use the feedback and assistance from teacher and SLMS to work through problem areas of the research and Prezi software.

Sequence of Instruction and LearningStage 3 Teacher/Student Activities:

Resources students will use: Online subscription database(s) Web sites Books Reference Periodicals/newspapers Nonprint Other (list): Pathfinder link: http://ellisislandproject.pbworks.com/w/page/60971304/Ellis%20Island%20Project Instruction/activities Direct Instruction: In the Media Center, the SLMS will discuss with teacher and students what they
have learned about Ellis Island thus far. SLMS will question if any of the students know already if any of their relatives arrived in America through Ellis Island. The SLMS will then tell students that they will be gathering information by interviewing parents and grandparents and using outside sources to find out more about their family ancestry and then creating a Prezi with the found facts.

Modeling and guided practice: The SLMS will show the class the Pathfinder wiki that has been
created and go through each page and the links with the students. The SLMS will also show the students how information was found about her own family through several of the sites. She shows the students how to use the links to both online sources and Media Center resources to gather information about significant events that occurred on or near family birth dates. The SLMS will also introduce students to Prezi, which is a tool that many of them have never used before. Students will be shown the Prezi videos that offer tutorials and the Prezi cheat sheets that the website offers. Students will be reminded that Prezi is available from their home computers as well. Q and A session follows to make sure the students understand the task and Prezi.

Independent practice: Students will use the Media Center laptops to begin research, after
interviewing relatives for information. They will navigate the Pathfinder wiki to learn more about their family, as well as find significant events on or near their birth dates. The teacher and SLMS will be observing students and providing help when needed as they navigate through sites and use Prezi.

Sharing and reflecting: Halfway through the project, students will complete a self-evaluation on their
progress. They will also get a classmate to review their Prezi thus far to see how progress is being made and receive feedback on possible changes or things to consider. Students will write a reflection based on their experience with the project and working with Prezi.

Follow-Up Activities: Students will be encouraged to share their Prezis with family members.
Several of the best Prezis will be embedded on teachers web page and school media centers web page.