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The Guest Family
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Next: Week 2

ResourcesDay 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5
*Spine Book: Beowulf’s Marvelous Book of Modern American History
*A spine book is a “backbone” of information and will be used for most of the year.
Beowulf’s Marvelous Book of Modern American History
p. 16-23
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1: 1900-1919 The Turn of the Century
 
The Industrial Revolution Changed the World
p. 24-31
 
Rabbit Trail! Tycoons and Monopolies
 
Immigrants
 
Religious Persecution: Sarah
p. 31-35
 
Political Unrest: Jakub
 
Economic Opportunity: Joseph
p. 36-42
 
Life in the Big City Tenements
 
The Romano Family
p. 42-48
 
Muckrakers
 
The Progressive Era
Non-Fiction
What Was Ellis Island?
What Was Ellis Island?
Chapters 1-2Chapters 3-4Chapters 5-6Chapters 7-8 (End of book!)
Fiction/Literature/Graphic Novels
Understood BetsyUnderstood BetsyChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4
Book notes for Understood Betsy:
Book club guide (has questions about the book)
 
If you want to spend more time with this book, here are some additional resources you can purchase:
Understood Betsy: A Reading Guide
Prairie and Pine: Understood Betsy Unit Study
Geography and Maps
Google Earth: View Ellis Island. Zoom out and look at how far away it is from Europe.
A Buffet of Extra Resources and Activities
ActivitiesPlay Monopoly.
 
Writing idea: Write a story about an immigrant family who left their home country to come to America in the early 1900s. Why did they leave? Were they hoping for a better job, escaping danger or war, or joining family who had already moved? What was their journey like—did they sail across the ocean on a crowded ship? What did they bring with them?
 
Describe what they saw when they arrived in America. Did they pass through Ellis Island? What did they feel—excited, scared, hopeful?
 
Then, imagine what life was like for them once they settled in a big city or small town. Did they live in a crowded tenement building? What kind of work did they do? Did the children go to school?
 
Use your imagination to bring their story to life. Give your characters names, emotions, and challenges to face—and show how they worked hard to build a new life in America.
 
Art/Crafts
Create a tenement building in Minecraft.
 
$ Pop-Up dollhouse template (on Etsy): Design your own tenement building scenes using the pop-up templates. You can also use a cardboard box to make a diorama.
 
Recipes:
After reading chapter 3 in Understood Betsy, make some butter from scratch: Video: How to Make Homemade Butter in a Mason Jar
 
Science:
Making butter science printables – You can use this packet of printables to go with the video above.
PrintablesMuckrakers packet: This packet has reading material, a multiple choice quiz, crossword puzzle, cause and effect chart and questions, and extension activities.
 
Muckrakers of the Progressive Era (for older students)
 
Scholastic Teachables: Mini-book: Ellis Island
Scholastic Teachables: Immigration to the U.S. Lift-the-Flap Timeline
 
twinkl Arriving at Ellis Island Roll and Write Introductory Activity – Supplies: dice
twinkl What would you bring to Ellis Island?
twinkl Ellis Island flip book
twinkl Annie Moore’s Suitcase Activity
twinkl Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Fact File and Vocabulary Questions
VideosAmerican History 1900 – 1909 – How We Lived 8:06m
 
New York c.1899: Restored to Life in Amazing Footage 1:42m
Immigrants at Ellis Island | History 4:27m
 
Who were the Richest Tycoons in America? 6:26m
Life Story of a Native American in the 1900s //Eyewitness to History// Documentary 26:22m
This short book (read out loud and illustrated with photographs from the time) was published in 1903 and tells of an Indian’s experiences growing up in the late 1800s through about 1900. It’s interesting because it gives you a picture of native life at the turn of the century.
Inside Historic Tenements of NYC | New York Live TV 3:24m
 
Tenement Life: The Harsh Reality of Immigrant Housing in 19th Century New York 3:08m
What Is Muckraking? Early Investigative Journalism Explained 4:26m
Note: Throughout the year, you’ll watch various videos that include real footage from the past—like the New York, c.1889 video linked above. When watching them, you can imagine you’ve been given a time machine and can visit different time periods to observe daily life!
 
Discussion idea: After watching these videos during the year, take a few minutes to discuss the following:
What do you notice about how people dress, work, and travel?
What kinds of technology or transportation do you see? How is it different from today?
What surprised you the most in the video?
What things in the video seem familiar or similar to today?
WebsitesInteractive game: City of Immigrants
 
The Confino Family Story – This article explores the life of Victoria Confino, a 14-year-old immigrant from Kastoria, in modern-day Greece. Through her story, students learn about Victoria’s life in Kastoria, her immigration through Ellis Island, and her life on the Lower East Side. The article includes two primary sources, a postcard from Kastoria in 1910, and a ship passenger list from 1911, student-facing questions and writing activities.
 
The Rogarshevsky Family Story – This article shares the story of the Rogarshevsky family—the parents, Fannie and Abraham, raised six children in 97 Orchard Street, balancing work, family, and their religious faith. Students consider the difficulties of factory work for teenage Bessie Rogarshevsky, and learn about labor unions, working conditions, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory through Bessie’s perspective. Primary sources include a census record from 1900, a factory photograph from 1910, and a photograph of women on strike in 1911. The teacher guide includes student-facing questions and writing activities.
 

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