Newsletter
VITAL INFORMATION
Subject(s): English Language Arts, Social Studies
Topic or Unit of Study: Our Own Ansestry
Grade/Level: 2
Objective: After reading many poems written by Chinese immigrants at Angel Island, the students will write their own poems from the point of view of an immigrant at Angel Island. These poems will be put together into a class collection.
Summary: In this activity students will use their previous knowledge of immigration and the information they gather from reading poems written by Chinese immigrants at Angel Island to write their own poems from an immigrants point of view. These poems will be individually typed into the computer and each student will choose a graphic to go with their poem. The poems and graphics will be organized together into a newsletter of class immigration poems.
IMPLEMENTATION
Learning Context: I use a lot of poem writing in my class so the students will be continuing their poem writing skills. The students will also be using the information they have gathered throughout the unit on immigration process, feelings, and the idea of E Pluribus Unum. Students will also use the information they gather in this lesson when they are discovering their own ancestry and how their family came to live in the U.S.
Procedure: 1. Read some of the poems from the book Island; Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940. 2. As a class, discuss some of the feelings and themes, which run through the poems. Make a list on the board of these themes and feelings. 3. Continue class discussion. Ask students “What was it like to be staying on Angel Island?” “What kind of hardships did these people go through to get there?” “What do you think they thought they would find in the U.S. once they were processed and let off the island?” 4. Have students pretend they have recently arrived on Angel Island. On their own, brainstorm a list of things they would include in a poem they would engrave on the walls of the Angel Island detention building. 5. Give students time to write, share with partners, and edit their poems. This may be done at separate times throughout the day or over the next few days. 6. Either individually on classroom computers or as a group during computer lab time have students type their final poems into a word program and add a graphic of their choice which goes with their poem. The students will need to be directed as to where to save their file. The graphics will be preselected by the teacher/aid or will be directly downloaded from Clipart.com. 7. The teacher or an aid will place all of the poems into a book format using a word program. The final product will be a class collection of poems and graphics which will be sent home with each child. (Option- each child could assist during the next few days when the teacher/aid opens up their poem, performs a copy/paste to get it into the final newsletter and positions the graphic.)
Sample Student Products: Attachments:  1.  Newsletter.doc
Collaboration: Students will work collaboratively & individually.
Time Allotment: 2 class periods. 50 Min. per class.
Author's Comments & Reflections: If using a classroom computer students can be pulled aside throughout the day in order to type their poems into the computer. This is where it would be helpful to have a parent helper or aid in the room. The typing can also be done during computer lab time if available.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Instructional Materials: Book: Island; Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940 by Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung
Resources: The number of computers required is 1. Technology resources: Word Materials and resources: Parent Volunteer
STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT
Standards: CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards • Subject : English Language Arts • Grade : Grade Two • Area : Writing • Standard 1.0: Writing Strategies Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions). • Concept : Evaluation and Revision  Benchmark or Example 1.4: Revise original drafts to improve sequence and provide more descriptive detail. • Area : Written and Oral English Language Conventions The standards for written and oral English language conventions have been placed between those for writing and for listening and speaking because these conventions are essential to both sets of skills. • Standard 1.0: Written and Oral English Language Conventions Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level. • Concept : Sentence Structure  Benchmark or Example 1.1: Distinguish between complete and incomplete sentences.  Benchmark or Example 1.2: Recognize and use the correct word order in written sentences. • Subject : History & Social Science • Grade : Grade Two • Area : People Who Make a Difference Students in grade two explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in their everyday lives and learn the stories of extraordinary people from history whose achievements have touched them, directly or indirectly. The study of contemporary people who supply goods and services aids in understanding the complex interdependence in our free-market system. • Standard 2.1: Students differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday.  Benchmark or Example 1: Trace the history of a family through the use of primary and secondary sources, including artifacts, photographs, interviews, and documents.
Assessment Plan: To evaluate students understanding of immigrant feelings at Angel Island, the students’ poems must include at least one of the themes that run through the poems of the Chinese immigrants that were read and discussed in class. After editing, the poems should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors.
Rubrics: Poem Writting