Tuesday/ Wednesday 10/29 - 10/30

Mr. Zartler began with a short lesson on the proper presentation of dialogue in narrative writing.

The class began by completing a self-evaluation of the 3rd Wave Immigration Narrative.

Then students followed the following process for conferencing on their drafts:

1. In random groups first share you name and a gift you would like to receive in the near future.
2. 
   
3. Next, each student read their piece aloud.
4. 
   
5. After reading the piece aloud group members said back which aspects of the rubric they heard in the story.
6. 
   
7. If the author wished to ask for additional feedback he / she could.

Next Mr. Zartler began with some lecture notes on Chinese Immigration.

Their was little economic mobility (new vocabulary word) in China.

Many Chinese men (and some women) came to the United States. Frequently they worked in hard heavy labor jobs.

There was a lot of prejudice against these immigrants. There are stories that in John Day Oregon, it was not uncommon for white folk to get drunk at night and shoot randomly towards the Chinese section of town.

Angel Island was the main entry point for immigration from Asia to the United States from 1910-1940. It was sometimes called "the Ellis Island of the West," but was much more like a prison. The vast majority of immigrants were detained for long periods on Angel Island.

Mr. Zartler then shared this poem which was carved into a wooden wall of a barack on the island.

Thursday/ Friday 24/25 October

Class began with a review of and discussion of the positive and negative experiences turn of the century immigrants were likely to have in the United States.

Next Mr. Zartler shared some passages from contemporary novel sharing the story of a Korean family's immigration to the United States that is written in the first person.

Note (the dialogue in this novel is not done according to standard format, and student stories should be).

After this, students worked on writing a scene for their immigrant character once they had arrived in the United States.

Then students read to a partner their stories so far and got feed back according to the criteria for the story.

Typed, complete, rough drafts are due on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. We will use the following rubric to asses the work on Tuesday.

Tuesday/ Wednesday 23/24 October

Class began with a writing prompt about what it might have been like to watch an immigrant in front of you detained at Ellis Island.

Next the class studied pages 192-194 of History Alive! in order to create a list of the positive and negative things immigrants faced in the United States.

This list can be used for writing about what it was like for the immigrants in their new homes.

A complete rough draft is due in class on Tuesday, 29 October.

Monday, 21 October

Class began with a review of the requirements for the current assignment:

Write a story that:
Shows knowledge and understanding of "push" and "pull" factors affecting 3rd wave (18802-1920s) immigration.

Story = characters + conflict => resolution
Written in the 1st person

Includes scenes in at least three (3) of the following segments: original home; travel; Ellis Island; detention/ deportation; new home.

The story can be told in the form of a journal; letters; a narrative, or a combination of these methods.

The class broke into groups of like origin immigrants to check for understanding and received feedback on the current drafts.

Students were assigned drafting additional sections of the story as homework.

Thursday/ Friday 17-18 October

Classes that had already begun writing from the point of view of a third wave immigrant began by sharing what they had.

Then the class analyzed what kinds of activities physical and mental there could or should be in the story. We reviewed the slide presentation to take note of more setting details.

Next students revised. Most students had to conduct some research (pages 188-189 of History Alive!) were useful so as to include push and pull factors in the story of third wave immigrants.

The current assignment is as follows:
Write a short story from the point of view of a third wave immigrant to the United States. This story should include scenes in at least three of the following settings: original home; travel; Ellis Island; Ellis Island detention; the United States as new home.

We will work on this story in class on Monday.

Monday/ Tuesday 14/15 October

Class began with a few minutes to finish up note taking / map making on Chapter Sixteen (pages 187-192) on Third Wave Immigration to the United States. After discussing some of the more noticeable trends and fascinating ideas Mr. Zartler gave a slide lecture on what it was like to be an immigrant during this period.

Then Mr. Zartler gave instructions for the next major assignment. Students are to write a one to one and half page story from the point of view of a third wave immigrant. The story could include aspects of being in their original country; the journey to America; the experience at Ellis Island; or the arrival in the community where they first settle. A good way to begin is to choose an age, a gender, and a country of origin, then to look through the chapter and / or notes to determine motivations for emigrating/ immigrating, as well as what the experience would have been like.

Wednesday/ Thursday 9/10 October

Here is a link to the class syllabus.

Class began with a review of methods for studying vocabulary. (Flash Cards are the most effective strategy.)

Students then had time to review our current vocabulary list: immigration; emigration; migration; opportunity; displacement; geography; oppression; mortality; fertility.

Next Mr. Zartler lectured on an excellent method for studying from a text book:

Text Book Studying

Skim and Scan
     Titles, headings, sub headings, vocabulary
     Images, repeated ideas and concepts
     Topic sentences of paragraphs

Check Outcomes
     Read summary or Review Questions at end

Review
     Reread titles, headings, sub-heads and topic sentences
     Try to determine the argument / claim the author is making

Read and Take Notes
    Take about one note per heading
    note facts that interest or surprise you
    note facts or arguments that support the authors claim
    take other notes as directed by the instructor


Mr. Zartler then assigned the beginning of Chapter 15 of History Alive! (pages 182-197) to be studied in this way.

During the next class he will give a slide lecture on 3rd wave immigration to the United States and students will begin to work on a 1st person Point of view writing assignment to show what the experience of an immigrant to the US between 1880-1920 would have been like.