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Ellis Island: The Golden Doors5.1.3

Genre: Informational NonfictionGuided Reading Levels Q, S, V

Benchmarks 40, 50, 60Lexiles 510, 700, 720

Book Summary

From 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants came to the United States through Ellis Island. This book provides facts about the island and its historic visitors.

STRATEGIES AND SKILLS AT A GLANCEComprehension

• Strategy: Summarize• Skill: Main Idea and Details

Vocabulary• artifacts, dedicated, equality, exhibits, site

Additional Vocabulary• descended, farewell, newcomer, occupation, skyline

Vocabulary Strategy• Word Parts: Inflectional Endings

Social Studies• Strand: Social Studies• Topic: Immigration

PHONICS/WORD STUDY FOCUS• Words with /u/, /u/, /ü/: museum, page 3;

statue, page 8; monument, page 16• Short Vowels: bid, page 4; passage, page 7; huddled, page 9

ALTERNATE SKILLS AND STRATEGIESThe following skills can be modeled and applied to this text.

• Author’s Purpose, pp. 2–21 Graphic Organizer 9

• Cause and Effect, pp. 2–21 Graphic Organizer 18

CHALLENGING TEXT FEATURESPie graph, p. 5Map (with inset), p. 8Time line, p. 21

Content Area: Social Studies

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Build Background• Have students share their

knowledge and experiences involving moving to a new home, city, or state. What challenges were involved?

• Then have students think about moving a great distance, on a crowded ship, to a new country they knew very little about. Ask: How would such a move be similar and different from the moves that you have experienced? What challenges would such a move involve?

Preview and Predict• Give students a copy of Ellis Island:

The Golden Doors and have them read the title and respond to the cover photograph.

• Ask students to preview the table of contents to predict what each chapter might be about.

• Point out the index on page 23. Remind students that an index is handy for finding specific information. Call on volunteers to explain how they would use the index to find specific information about Ellis Island.

Teach ComprehensionUse this text for explicit strategy and skill instruction.

STRATEGY Summarize

What? When we summarize a book, we pick out only the most important information and tell it in our own words.

Why? Good readers think about what they are reading and summarize the information in their heads as they read. This helps them check to see if they understand what they’re reading, and it helps them remember details.

When? Readers summarize chapters or sections of the book during their reading, and they also summarize the book after reading

How? To summarize, you need to be able to pick out the most important points as you read. Then you need to put the information into your own words.

SKILL Main Idea and Details

The main idea is a sentence that contains the most important idea about a topic. A supporting detail is a word, phrase, or sentence that tells something about the main idea. As we read this book together, we will look for the main ideas in different chapters and paragraphs. We will also look for details that support those main ideas. Doing so will help us to understand and remember the important facts and details in the book.

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Set a Purpose for ReadingStudents may set their own purpose for reading or use the Read to Find Out prompt on the inside front cover of the Leveled Reader.

Model Cueing SystemsMeaning Point to the word descended on page 2 and model strategies students can use to read unfamiliar words.

Think Aloud I can use context clues to figure out the meaning of this word. The first sentence on the page tells me that more than 12 million people came through Ellis Island many years ago. The second sentence begins with the word Today, so I know that this sentence will talk about the present time. It says that 40 percent, or almost half, of the people who live in the United States today descended from that earlier group. That clue tells me that descended means “came from,” in the same sense that each of us is descended from our parents and grandparents.

Guide ComprehensionHave students read the book independently and discuss it in literature circles, or use the prompts provided to explicitly model and teach the skill and strategy. If you wish to divide the reading over two days, a stopping point is suggested.

Pages 2–3Have students read to find out why Ellis Island is sometimes called the “Golden Doors.”

Text Evidence After reading page 3, I can summarize the main ideas. Many people who came through Ellis Island were looking for a better life, and they thought that the streets in the United States were paved with gold. Because Ellis Island represented the gateway, or door, to that golden land, they called it the “Golden Doors.”

Pages 4–7Have students read to find out about the early history of Ellis Island. Work with students to summarize the early history of Ellis Island. Remind them that a summary should contain only the most important ideas.

Think Aloud On page 6, I read that Ellis Island once belonged to a man named Samuel Ellis. The island became the port of entry into the United States in 1890. The first immigrant to pass through was an Irish teenager named Annie Moore.

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Think Aloud The text on page 10 helps me imagine what it was like for an immigrant. I can see that I would be tired and scared. A man who spoke a language I didn’t understand would make me leave all of my belongings behind. Then I would have to go to the Registry Room and stand in a long line. I would not know if I would be allowed to stay in the United States.

Lead students to find another main idea in the caption on page 11.

If you are dividing the reading into two days, this would be a good place to stop.

Apply Have students read the rest of the book independently and complete the graphic organizer on Blackline Master 1.

Focus on NonfictionPie Graph Draw attention to the pie graph on page 5. Have students use sentences to summarize the facts presented in the pie graph, such as People from Russia and Italy made up almost half of the Ellis Island immigrants. Discuss how the pie graph makes such facts and numbers easy to understand.

Pages 8–11Have students read to find out what the immigrants faced once they reached Ellis Island.

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Reread for FluencyPHRASING

Model Distribute Blackline Master 2. Model reading the sentences with expression. Then read the whole passage, modeling fluent reading.

Guide Read aloud the passage and have students choral read.

Apply Have students practice repeated readings with a partner.

Write in Response to LiteratureHave students respond to the text in a way that is meaningful to them, such as:

• Imagine that you are an immigrant who has just passed through Ellis Island. Write a journal entry about the experience

• Write a new poem that might be inscribed on the Statue of Liberty

• Create a poster promoting the value of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum

Respond to ReadingCOMPREHENSION CHECK, page 24, Answers

• Summarize Students use their completed Main Idea and Details Charts (Blackline Master 1) to help them summarize the text.

• Think and Compare (Sample answers are given.) 1. The American Immigrant Wall of Honor is a tribute because it allows us to see and remember the names of people who had an important impact on this country; Text to text 2. I would feel scared and nervous if my parents sent me to a foreign country. I would try to learn the new language quickly and find a job; Text to self 3. I think that the Empire State Building should be made into a national monument because it is a well-known building and has a rich history. Text to world

• Apply Text Evidence Ask students to locate and use evidence from the text to tell details about Angel Island. (On page 15, I read that Angel Island was in San Francisco Harbor, and was the point of entry for immigrants arriving from Russia, Australia, China, Japan, and other countries. Chinese immigrants were separated from families and often treated unfairly. Angel Island closed in 1940.)

Build Strategic ReadersHelp students reflect on their use of skills and strategies.

• How did stopping from time to time in your reading to think about the main ideas help you to remember the most important facts?

• How did summarizing the immigrants’ experiences at Ellis Island help you to understand the challenges that they faced and the feelings they probably had?

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Main Idea and Details

Use the chart to record main idea and details from Ellis Island: The Golden Doors. Then use the information to summarize the text.

Name

Detail Immigrants came from all over the world.

Detail Almost half came from Italy and Russia.

Detail They looked to the United States as a land of opportunity.

Main Idea Beginning in 1892, millions of immigrants came to the United States through Ellis Island.

Main Idea and Details Chart

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As I read, I will pay attention to my phrasing.

Name

615243343516172819099

108117126137

Think about this fact. Between 1892 and 1954over 12 million people came to the United States thesame way. They passed through Ellis Island. It maybe that someone in your own family was oneof them. The same goes for your friends. It’s truefor your teachers and neighbors, too. Nearly halfof all Americans can say so. Ellis Island was thegateway for their relatives. It was the door to a new world. It was the place where new lives began. Why did so many people come here? Why didthey leave their homes behind? Doing so couldn’t havebeen easy. Many were escaping hunger and poverty. Otherswanted to worship in their own way. Some wantedpolitical freedom. The United States was their land ofhope. In their minds the streets were paved with gold. That’swhy Ellis Island is called the “Golden Doors.” 145

Comprehension Check

1. Why did so many people come to the United States? Main Idea and Details

2. Why was Ellis Island called the “Golden Doors”? Main Idea and Details

Words Read –Numbers of

Errors= Words Correct Score

First Read – =

Second Read – =

Fluency: Approaching Level

9

As I read, I will pay attention to my phrasing.

Name

6132131415564738493

101111120

Think about this: Between 1892 and 1954 over12 million people entered the United States throughEllis Island. Today about 40 percent of the U.S. populationare descended from that group. It’s very likely that someone in your family or one of your classmates’ families passedthrough Ellis Island on their way to a new life in a new world. Why did so many people leave their homes? Why did they leave behind everything they knew? Why didthey risk their lives and their families’ lives to come to the United States? Many were escaping hunger, poverty, or religious and political persecution. The United States wastheir land of hope. Many thought the streets were paved with gold. That’s why Ellis Island is called the“Golden Doors.” 122

Comprehension Check

1. Why did so many people immigrate to the United States? Main Idea and Details

2. Why was Ellis Island called the “Golden Doors”? Main Idea and Details

Words Read –Numbers of

Errors= Words Correct Score

First Read – =

Second Read – =

Fluency: On Level

10

As I read, I will pay attention to my phrasing.

Name

1118263443536371819195

103110117126

Ellis Island is a small island in New York Harbor. Itmeasures just 27 acres. Yet between 1892 and 1954 over12 million people entered the United States through thisisland. Today about 40 percent of the U.S. population aredescended from that group. It’s very likely that someonein your family or one of your classmates’ families passedthrough Ellis Island. For millions, it was the entry pointfor a new life in the New World. Why did so many people want to come to theUnited States? Why were they willing to say goodbye to friends and family members? There are many reasons for the choices theseimmigrants made. Many were escaping hunger andpoverty. Others faced religious or political persecution.To many immigrants, the streets of America were pavedwith gold. That’s why Ellis Island is called the “Golden Doors.” 137

Comprehension Check

1. Why did so many people immigrate to the United States? Main Idea and Details

2. Why was Ellis Island called the “Golden Doors”? Main Idea and Details

Words Read –Numbers of

Errors= Words Correct Score

First Read – =

Second Read – =

Fluency: Beyond Level