INVESTIGATING IMMIGRATION

Thanks to TESPTO, the fourth grade visited the Tsongas Industrial History Center (Lowell Mills) to investigate immigration. (click on the links to learn more about the Lowell Mills or the specific immigration field trip we attended.)

The industrial revolution depended on people power to run the machines. Initially it was the farm girls and boys who were seeking money, but soon immigrants from other parts of the world came looking for job opportunities too.

We got to see first-hand what work in the mills was like!

This mill is still producing textiles today. And boy is it loud!

As part of our field trip we role-played. The first step was experiencing what it is like for immigrants who have traveled a long distance to get to the US only to have to wait some more.

Another part of the immigrant experience is having passports approved, or not by immigration officials.

Our class learned so much as we role-played being immigrants from Ireland, Greece, Cambodia, etc. We also got the opportunity to handle cultural artifacts some immigrants brought with them. This showed us how many similarities various cultures actually share.

Each group of students unpacked the luggage of an immigrant. We saw that the items they brought had  a great deal of meaning to them and many immigrants brought similar things. For example, they often brought religious items, musical instruments, clothing unique to their homeland, family photos, etc.

The class got a chance to hold a mock Town Meeting (based on the real on in the 1800s). The issue discussed was whether or not to fund a school for the Irish children.And of course,