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Grade Level: Middle School (8th grade)

a. the growth of big business b. environmental impact c. the expansion of cities
 * Standard**: --> US 2.2 Explain the important consequences of Industrial Revolution:


 * Guiding Question**:

1. How did new immigrants express their experiences of coming and living in America? 2. What was life like for working and living in cities during the industrial revolution? 3. What patterns of immigration are visible in the Boston’s North End? 4. What are some of the changes brought about by Industrial Revolution in the Boston’s North End?


 * Title:** A transforming Neighborhood: the Boston’s North End and the Italian experience at the turn of the twentieth century.


 * Introduction**

The United States has been called a melting pot made up of immigrants from all over the world. You, yourself, probably have descendants who immigrated here from somewhere else. You know some information through your family members about your ethnic heritage and ancestors but you would like to find out more. Where were your ancestors from? When did they come over to this country? Why? What was it like to be an immigrant at the time? What customs or traditions did they celebrate and were pass down to you? What do you know about your cultural heritage?

In this lesson, you will explore immigrants who came to the United States in the late 1800's and early 1900's and settled in the North End neighborhood of Boston. Our goal is to try to determine the living and working conditions of these immigrants. Was the move to America easy? What was it like to be an immigrant during this time?

The information that you gather will be used to create a visual display for a school exhibition on cultural heritage. In addition, you will gather some information at home about the heritage of your distant family members who immigrated to America and you will search for any documentation of their coming to America and becoming citizens. Some research will be conducted through online database on immigration. You will also search for any pictures and stories that were passed down to you. Lastly, images, stories and documentation will be arranged in a unique way to make a visual display to exhibit at school for Cultural Heritage Day.

Task:
One of the most characteristic neighborhoods of Boston is the North End, which today is called "Little Italy”. It is one of the most popular destination for thousands of tourists who flock its streets every day in search of history, architectural landmarks, excellent dining, fine Italian products and a feeling of friendliness and warmth that permeates this family neighborhood. It has preserved a unique character that makes the local residents very proud. However, if we travel back in time to the mid 19th century we will learn that the North End has undergone many transformations.
 * A Brief History of the North End**

The North End hosted the most impressive residences of North America prior to the American Revolution as some of the wealthier colonialist built their mansions there. It also showcases a number of important historical landmarks of the colonial era such as Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church. Throughout the 19th century, however, with the Industrial Revolution, this neighborhood experienced a significant transformation of its buildings when a new wave of immigrants started settling. Entire families soon occupied individual rooms in North End mansions. These newest members of the community had to overcome starvation, disease and discrimination. By 1845 the North End had become Boston’s first tenement slum. By 1900's The North End rivaled Calcutta, India in density of population. In 1895, the total population of the North End was 23,800. The census of 1900's shows that this number had grown to 28,000.

The Irish had begun their exodus from the North End to the surrounding towns like Charlestown, Mission Hill and South Boston. Large numbers of Polish and Russian Jews arrived in Boston in 1870. Jewish immigrants were attracted to the North End for reasons similar to those of the Irish. The Jewish community was short lived as by the 1920 had nearly disappeared leaving the entire neighborhood to the Italians. From 1900 to 1920 the North End Italian population increased from 14,000 to 37,000 which was over 95 percent of the population.

**Your Tasks**
In groups, you will explore maps, photos and newspaper articles highlighting the experiences of different immigrant groups. Using maps of the North End, you will compare and contrast the various neighborhoods. As a group you will determine any information on who, how, when and why immigrants settled in the neighborhood and making its history. In addition, using photographic images, newspaper articles and personal narratives/stories of immigrants, you will focus on learning about the living and working conditions of these immigrant groups as they assimilated into the American fabric. What was is like to be a new immigrant? What were the obstacles that these immigrants faced in their new environment? How did immigrants overcome these obstacles?

Finally, you will research your heritage and ancestors to create your own personal history and learn more about your families past experiences as immigrants. What were the customs and family traditions that were passed down to you and that have shaped your upbringing in your family and in your neighborhood?

Lesson Process:
Day 1. **Inquiry through the studies of maps**. You will be given two types of maps, North End Maps from various time periods and Ethic groups maps.

Your teacher will place you in groups of 3 to 4 students. You will work cooperatively in your group to gather information from Boston North End ethnic groups maps from the years, 1880, 1885 and 1910. Your goal is to try to identify any immigration patterns in the North End at the turn of the 20th century. Using the data that your group has collected from the maps along with excerpts about immigration data, you will rank each ethnic group from largest to smallest and will draw some conclusion as to the transformation that the neighborhood underwent during the Industrial Revolution. Findings will be shared in class. Some guiding questions:
 * a) Ethnic group maps activity:**
 * What are these maps showing?
 * Which immigrant group was the largest presence in the North End in 1880? And how did that changed by 1910?
 * How many ethnic groups settled in the North End during that time frame?
 * In 1910 the North End residents were mostly Italian from various regions. Can you identify which regions they were from and rank each groups from largest to smallest?
 * Why would Italian immigrants group with people from the same region or town and would not mix together?

Additional questions:
 * How many ethnic groups are present in your neighborhood?
 * How would you go about if you had to create a similar map of Medford? How would you find the information you need?

Maps are from the following source: DeMarco, William M. "Ethnics and Enclaves: Boston Italian North End." UMI 1981
 * Map of North End 1880 Ethnic Groups-[[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://becomingamerica.wikispaces.com/file/view/Map+North+End+1880.doc"]] [|Map North End 1880.doc]
 * Map of North End 1895 Ethnic Groups- [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://becomingamerica.wikispaces.com/file/view/Map+North+End+1895.doc"]] [|Map North End 1895.doc]
 * Map of North End 1910 Ethnic Groups -[[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://becomingamerica.wikispaces.com/file/view/Map+North+End+1910.doc"]] [|Map North End 1910.doc]

In your group, you will locate various landmarks present in the maps. These will include churches, burial grounds, parks, synagogues, schools, businesses, factories and other institutions or landmarks present at the turn of the twentieth century. You will make a list of your findings and will discuss the following points:
 * b) North End maps activity:**
 * What were the historical landmarks?
 * Based on what you see in the map, can you make any inferences on what the community living in the neighborhood was like?
 * Can you guess what types of commerce was present in the area?
 * Based on this map, why do you believe new immigrants chose to settle in the North End?

[|Timeline]

Map # 2 Map # 3

**Day 2) Inquiry using photographic images.** You will be working in groups of 3 or 4 students to analyze photographic images of historical landmarks and of immigrants  from various time periods covering from circa 1850 to 1910. Each group will use the photographic analysis worksheet to  identify what is the larger story behind those images and will draw inferences based on specific guiding questions as to  the living conditions of the new immigrants. Students will share their findings to the class.


 * Links to images: **
 * [|http://emory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/touring/]
 * [|Italian Bred Peddlers, Mulberry Street, NY.]
 * [|Library of Congress]
 * [|Robert Newman's House]
 * [|The Hutchinson House (drawing/artice 1834-1906)]
 * [|Thoreau House]
 * [|Revere House]
 * [|Paul Revere House _2]
 * [|Children playing. Corner of Unity...]
 * [|Courtyard with clothing line (Rear of Old Wells...)]
 * [|Old Wells House, Salem St. 1893 (Potato Peddler)]

**Day 3) Inquiry using primary sources documents from newspaper articles, diary entries and scripts of oral** **histories of immigrants.**  You will be grouped by interest and will choose to either read newspaper articles, diary  entries, or scripts of oral histories of immigrants.  Each group will use a list of guiding questions to understand the larger stories and the perspectives provided by each  document to make inferences about the living conditions of these people.  Students will share their findings with the class.


 * How would immigrants experience the new environment?
 * What obstacles did immigrants encounter in this environment?
 * How did immigrants fight to overcome the obstacles and become part of the American fabric?


 * The Story of a Sweatshop Girl: Sadie Frowne Independent, LIV (Sept 25, 1902), 2279 82.
 * [|The Biography of a Bootblack: Rocco Corresca]Independent, LIV (Dec. 4, 1902), 2863 67 .
 * [[file:ProQuest_571017392[1]growth of boston italian colony.pdf]]
 * [|The North American Review Volume 0162 Issue 475 (June 1896)]
 * [|Library of Congress. Immigration Figures from 1903.]

**Day 4) Students Projects: Creating a visual autobiography of students’ heritage.** To conclude the unit on immigration you will be asked to create a diary or a visual display about your family heritage. You  will be conducting some research about family members who came into the country through Ellis Island or other port of  entry using the database on immigration records. You will gather some information about your family traditions and  customs that were passed down to you from your ancestors. Lastly, you will create a diary or a visual display about your  findings.  You will use templates and worksheets to gather information about your ancestors’ background.  Visual displays or diaries will include:
 * 1) A map of the native country of your ancestors highlighting the city/town they came from.
 * 2) Any documentation or information about your ancestors. ie. name, last name, age, marital status, profession etc..
 * 3) Photographic images that were passed down of your ancestors.
 * 4) A family recipe from the native country of your ancestors.
 * 5) Any account of passed down stories (oral history) that are still shared in your family.
 * 6) An account of what are some of the traditions/customs that are still observed by your family.

Students who do not have any records of their family background will create a fictitious family using the data from the immigration records from the Ellis Island Archive.
 * [|Immigration Records]
 * [|Immigrants Experiences from Ellis Island Archive]

**Conclusion:** Many groups of immigrants came and still come today to this country to find a better life for themselves. Many of them chose to settle first in a specific area of the city and then gradually moved outwards in surrounding areas. Others chose to stay where they first settled and found ways to survive and thrived while assimilating. This unit will help you with identifying the various transformations that a neighborhood like the North End underwent during the Industrial Revolution and will help you with understanding the living and working conditions that many immigrants groups experienced in their new environment. In addition, you will be able to have a better knowledge of your family heritage and how that personal history has shaped your life. To conclude your will be able to answer the following questions:
 * What were the forces that caused the transformation of the North End of Boston?
 * Why did many immigrants groups choose to settle in the North End neighborhood of Boston?
 * How did the neighborhood changed thanks to the newcomers?
 * How did the newcomers experience the new environment and overcome major obstacles? Why?
 * How has your heritage influenced your life? Why?

Finally you will reflect on the use and function of primary sources in the understanding of stories of real people who had to fight many obstacles to become citizens.
 * Why are maps important? What stories do they tell?
 * What information can you gather from an image and what inferences can you make to understand the larger story behind it?
 * What does the perspective of an immigrant tell you about his/her life?
 * Do you see any connection between what you have learned about immigration and your family history or the history of your neighborhood?

**Assessment:** You will be informally assessed during each lesson. Observation will be collected by the teacher while your group is sharing data, collecting information and during discussions. In addition, you will be graded on a quiz with open ended questions.(See above some examples of questions) Lastly, you will be graded on the cultural heritage project you will create and present to the class.

The following rubric is based on what students will be able to accomplish at the end of the unit. Map Analysis Worksheet is complete and thorough. || Students can read maps, find landmarks and draw some accurate conclusions that are supported by the primary sources. MAW chart is complete. || Students can read maps, find few landmarks and draw few accurate conclusions that are supported by the primary sources. MAW is not entirely complete. || Students have difficulty reading maps, finding landmarks and draw little accurate conclusions that are supported by the primary sources. MAW are incomplete and lack information**.** || ====== ======
 * // STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO… // || //** STRONG **// || //** GOOD **// || //** ADEQUATE **// || **// INADEQUATE //** || **// WEIGHTING //** ||
 * **Analyze and interpret historical maps of Boston North End.** || Students can read maps, find landmarks and draw all accurate conclusions that are supported by the primary sources.

**25**
|| their claims. || Students can provide some relevant information and form some opinions using facts from the some primary sources to supports. their claims. || Students can provide few relevant information and form opinions using few facts from the primary sources to supports. their claims. || Students can provide little relevant information and form opinions from the primary sources to supports. their claims || **15** ||
 * **Provide information about the consequences of Industrial Revolution on the North End Neighborhood** || Students can provide all relevant information and form opinions using facts from all the primary sources to supports.
 * **Draw conclusions from analyzing and interpreting**
 * historical photographic images** || Students can draw accurate conclusion and inferences from the images. Photo Analysis Worksheet are complete and thorough. || Students can draw some accurate conclusion and inferences from the images. PAW are complete. || Students can draw few accurate conclusion and inferences from the images. PAW are not complete. || Students can draw little or no accurate conclusion and inferences from the images. PAW are incomplete. || **20** ||
 * **Understand perspectives and draw conclusion about the experiences of immigrants** || Students can fully understand perspectives and draw conclusions from primary sources. || Students can understand perspectives and draw some conclusions from primary sources. || Students can understand perspectives with difficulty and draw few conclusions from primary sources. || Students can barely understand perspectives and draw little or no conclusions from primary sources. || **20** ||
 * **Provide information about family heritage and make connections with the unit's content.** || Students follow all guidelines to complete visual displays and can make many relevant connection to the unit's content || Students follow most guidelines to complete visual displays and can make some relevant connection to the unit's content || Students follow few guidelines to complete visual displays and can make few relevant connection to the unit's content || Students barely follow guidelines to complete visual displays and cannot make relevant connection to the unit's content || **20** ||


 * Resources:**


 * [|Italian Immigration on Digital History]
 * [|OracleThinkQuest: The Journey to America]
 * [|Italian Immigration]
 * [|North End History]
 * [|BostonFamilyHistory.com]

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