Immigration to America: Angel Island

Lesson Plan #6

Tyler Firestine

45 Minutes

Goal Statement: Provide a deep understanding about the cultures, experiences, ancestry,
opportunities and processes that accompany immigration

PA Standards

-8.3.4.D Distinguish between conflict and cooperation among groups and organization that
impacted the history and development of the United States.

-NCSS Standards

 Individual groups and institutions

 power, authority & governance

Objectives

-The objective of today’s lesson is to decribe the feelings of inclusion/exclusion that surrounded
the immigrants of Angel Island

Concept- Explain how the government impacts immigrants and experiencing their feelings first hand

Vocab:

-Excluded- to deny someone access to something or from a place, group, or privilege

-Deporting/deportation- to expel or remove and alien (foreign person) from a country
-Immigrants- a person who migrates or travels to another country, usually for permanent residency
-discrimination/discriminatory- to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the
basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or things belongs rather than according to actual
merit.
-Legislation- the act of making or enacting laws
-Congress
-The Chinese Exclusion Act
Skills- Students will acquire skills is literacy, connections with their feelings (empathy), and see how the
government can have an impact on its citizens or people of certain ethnicity.

Technology Materials/ Resources

 -Computer (Power Point show)

-Questionnaire

-Exit Ticket

Anticipatory Set 5 min

-“Good morning students I want to start the day off by asking a simple question. Have any of you
ever been excluded from something? Excluded means you are not being able to go somewhere or you
could not do something that everyone else is doing. Can anyone share a time where they felt they have
been excluded from something or somewhere?”

After hearing two-three responses, tie the responses into today’s topic of Angel Island and the exclusion
of Chinese immigrants due to the fact of the Chinese Exclusion act. If no responses can easily tie into the
lesson use this example “I remember a time when my three older brothers said I couldn’t come with them
to the mall because they didn’t want to “take care” of me. Yes I was three years younger than my closest
brother but that doesn’t mean I get treated like a baby and excluded from the trip to the mall”
“Yesterday we discussed Ellis Island and the process immigrants went through to come into America.
Today we will talk about the West coast of America and the Asian immigrants primarily Chinese who
were excluded from access into America.”

Instructional Activities 30 min

-Present the power point

1.) Angel Island is the “Ellis Island of the West Coast” from the first two photos we can see how
isolated this island is. Can anyone guess where this island is? Use the bridge in the background for
reference if you can see it. The next image is what immigrants would see walking off the boat towards the
immigration center.

2.) Now let’s connect last class to todays and compare the similarities and differences of Ellis
Island and Angel Island.

o The similarities are that they are both island ports which mean they are islands
with ports that can be accessed by boats. Once getting off the boat immigrants
will go through the same process just like at Ellis Island. The islands may differ
on what coast they are on but they are both gateways into America for
immigrants.

3.) Some of the things are similar but let’s focus on the differences that make Angel Island
unique. The treatment of immigrants on the island was inhumane and cruel. Families where
separated and thrown into small barracks or houses. We will talk more of that later. Chinese
immigrants needed ties to an American citizen to be allowed access into America. The process
once stepping off the boat is the same except how long the process would be. Finally, immigrants
did go through both centers but the ethnic descendant of each immigrant differs.

4.) Immigrants entering America through Angel Island where from the western part of Asian:
China, Russia, Philippines, and China.

5.) The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted Chinese worker immigrants into America.
During that time America’s economy was not where it should be. American citizens lost jobs and
could not get occupations because the Chinese immigrants had all of the low paying jobs. Chinese
immigrants came over in promise of “golden mountain.” During 1840 California struck gold.
Word spread across the world and China specifically heard about a mountain made entirely of
gold. The Chinese immigrants called California gam saan or “gold mountain.” The Geary Act of
1892 did nothing to change the Chinese Exclusion act. The importance of the Geary Act was to
add a ten year extension to the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act as then made permanent after ten
years. The Geary Act also implemented that Chinese Immigrants needed to carry identification
certification or face deportation. The Magnuson Act of 1943 lifted the restrictions place upon the
Chinese immigrants.

6.) *Slide 8 and 9* describe the two interrogation pictures. 8 is a family interrogation. 9 is a
physical health examination.

7.) Slide 10- Paper sons & daughters is a term about Chinese immigrants who illegally entered
America under false identification. The sons and daughters on paper are not actually sons and
daughters. They got the documentation to have connection to an already American Chinese
Immigrant. After the Chinese Exclusion Act was implemented immigrants needed to provide
documentation that they have blood relatives within America. American Chinese citizens heard
about this and started to tell the immigration centers that they have multiple sons and daughters
back in China waiting to come to America. Once the immigrants in America heard word they
started to sell false documentation to Chinese immigrants.

Blood relatives share word back to China about the questions that immigrants have to answer
before granting access into America. So relatives back home (in China) prepared and study to
pass the test in fear of deportation. They prepped knowledge about that set family they are
“buying” themselves into.

When a Chinese immigrant came over clamming to have a relative within the United States and
wishing for citizenship the US government wanted to test that. So the government would find that
relative no matter where they are in America. This is why many immigrants stayed on the island
for weeks, months, even years because of this.

8.) Slide 11- T “What do you think is happening within this photo?”

9.) Slide 12- When sitting on the island not knowing when you are being able to read takes a toll
on that individual. It drains them mentally and physically. Chinese immigrants who were locked
in detention centers expressed their feelings and thoughts through poems attached or written into
the wooden wall. Immigrants have been going through Angel island since 1890 yet
documentation of the poems have only been collecting through 1910 and 1940. Many of these
poems have no sense of origin, no author. Many of these authors spokes about the treatment on
the island, thoughts of being excluded out of America, and life on the island. Immigrant have
described the Detention centers as “prison like.” Hundreds of people crammed into a small room.

10.) Slide 13-15 Pictures of the detention cells and barracks where Chinese immigrants were held.

11.) 16-18 are poems that come right from the barracks. 17 and 18 are real poems that depict two
different views that some Chinese immigrants had. Don’t assume what we think the Chinese
immigrants felt like. Lets read some of their poems and see what we think they are trying to say.

12.) Slide 19: Start the ACT-ivity and explain the instructions right off the worksheet. (5min)

-Have the students take out a single piece of paper and collect their answers on that sheet
of paper. Once all questions answered collect the papers and grade them. Once we figure out who
 got what correct T can start giving out that prizes and wait for their reactions to start. Then T will
split the group and have a finally group discussion to close the class. Have the excluded kids sit
on one side and the included kids sit on the other side.

Closure 5 min

- Closing Discussion after ACT-ivity

-T asks questions to promote higher thinking. “How does this activity relate to the Chinese
exclusion act?”

-Questions to ask inclusive side: “What is your thought about you getting extra time and your
peers not given an extra recess time?” How can we connect this activity to

-Questions to ask excluded side: “Do you think this activity was fair or unfair? Explain why”

-T “Todays lesson was to help us become familiar with Angel Island and describe how Chinese
Immigrants felt trying to get through Angel Island. This is still an important topic today. Everyone around
us is traveling, everyone is always going somewhere. Various governments around the world pass
legislative laws that make entry into their country difficult. Specifically we looked how the US
government discriminated the Chinese immigrants and told that group of people that they were not
welcomed in America. How would that make you all feel?” *wait time*

-After discussion have students complete the exit slip and hand it in before moving on

Differentiation

-I can differentiate this lesson by making the activity more one on one based instead of the entire
class. I can pair students so that they can record each other’s answer and after provide me the results. So
instead of individually interviewing each student in front of the class everyone is getting interviewed at
once and no one will feel the pressure. Yet at the same time they will still get the concept of the activity
due to the fact that their answers on the questionnaire is the necessary key for the activity to work. It
doesn’t matter how the questions are asked. For students with linguistic and academic differences I can
provide students with the questionnaire the day before. So they are not pressured on the spot. Providing
the questionnaire will allow them to take time to think of the answer and process the instructions of the
activity. The questions air that is given to the students whose academic level is lower than the current
grade level will have specific instruction. “Your parents are not supposed to help you with these
questions. Try to answer them to the best of your ability.” For student whose English is not as strong
as others I can provide the questionnaire in their familiar home language. Providing the questioner the day
before will help them get comfortable with the questions and be able to participate. I am also using a
PowerPoint slide that has all of the instructions and notes that I am trying to relay to the class. This
activity promotes inventiveness because these students have to put their feet in others shoes and try to
relate to specific times of exclusion in American history.

Accommodations

-I will be providing a PowerPoint show that displays the key points of the lesson so students are
aware of what I am talking about. Also, if a student has special education I will give them the lesson prior
to that day so the individual and their family know what to expect during the lesson and activity. If that
student doesn’t feel comfortable partaking in the activity he/she can be a second interrogator and question
students. If students have hearing problems I can have me “lecture” copied so he/she can follow with
content notes.

Modifications

-For students who have vision problem the exit slip can be given orally. While a majority of the
students start their exit slip I can go over and provide the exit slip questions orally. Record answers for
reference of understanding

-Instead of having the exit slip were students explain what each main point we talked about was. I
can provide the exit slip in multiple choice fashions instead of short answer to make it easier to
comprehend for low level students.

Formal Assessment -Towards the end of the Chinese Exclusion activity students have time to express
how they felt while partaking in the activity. They must compare their feelings and this activity to the
Chinese immigrants who were excluded from America. During the time I will listen for specific relations
such as “I wouldn’t have liked it if... or I don’t think it’s fair that”

- Questions to promote deeper thinking go as followed: “How did it feel being excluded from extra
recess? (Bad is not an answer we are looking for, push for explanation or comparison) “How did you
students who got the extra recess felt? Did you feel bad for your peers as you knew they would not be
able to get out and have more time in the sun?”

Informal Assessment - I am providing an exit slip that asks the students to explain what the main points
of the Chinese exclusion act and the paper son/ paper daughters. Students will be able to express their
comfortability with this concept. Last questions will ask students to share time about when they felt
excluded from something. The answers of each question will follow with the objective and show me that
the students understand this topic.
 ACT-ivity: Chinese Immigrants had to answer questions that ranged in difficulty. If an immigrant got a
single question wrong he/she was not allowed entrance to America and deported back to their home
country. The questions bellow are meant to be difficult so do not get upset if you do not know the answer.
YOU WILL NOT BE GRADED ON THE CORRECTNESS; THE ANSWERS ARE NEEDED
FOR THE SAKE OF THE ACITIVTY. Students who answer more than six questions correct will be
gifted Extra Recess Time.

1. Name your neighbors?

2. What is the address of the school in your town?

3. What pieces of furniture are in your living room?

4. What are the marriage and birth dates of your family members?

5. Where are your grandparents buried?

6. How many steps lead up to your house?

7. Of what material is your home built?

8. Is your house number painted or carved on the front of your house?

9. What direction does the front of your house face?

10. Is there a clock in your father’s bedroom?

11. What is the floor under your bed made of?

12. How many rooms are on the ground floor of your house?

Name:
d
Exit Slip
Explain what The Chinese Exclusion act is?

Describe what is a paper son/ paper daughter?

What questions do you still have from today’s lesson?