Immigration Study

The 9-10s explore the experiences of the many people who have come to the United States, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Through extensive interviews, students study various themes of immigration, such as why people move, what it is like adjusting to a new culture, how immigrants try to maintain their home cultures, and comparing the experiences of voluntary and forced migrants. The 9-10s explore New York City as a place with a rich history of immigration, as well as a city where new immigrants arrive each day. Through field trips to such places as Ellis Island, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the Museum of Chinese in America, and the African Burial Ground, they investigate the language, music, food, and other customs that reveal the cultures of people who have come or been brought to New York. Culminating projects include the 9-10s' “Lower East Side Museum”, which highlights immigrant life on the Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century, and independent research projects about immigration topics of students’ choosing.