tlp_11_mpuleo

=Teacher Page -- Mary Puleo=

Mary Puleo TEACHERSIDE page

Standard: 5.27 Explain how Americans were expected to participate in, monitor, and bring about change in their government over time, and give examples of how they do so today.


 * Grade Level: 5th**

How did the orphan train movement immigrant children assimilate to American life?
 * Lesson Essential Question:**

What/who was an orphan? Who found orphans to ride the Orphan Trains in the Boston area? What were some of the reasons/causes of the orphan train movement? Who established the movement/What agencies were responsible? Who were selected to ride the orphan trains? Where did the orphan trains go? What were the orphan train riders experiences like after being "placed out?" What can the orphan train movement tell us about how immigrant children were treated during the process of "placing out**"** in the years 1854-1929?
 * Guiding Questions:**


 * Title:** //Riding the Orphan Trains//


 * Introduction:** Between the years 1853-1929, over 200,000 children were placed on "orphan trains." During this series of lessons**,** we will explore who rode the orphan trains; what routes the trains took. We will examine what happened to the children when the train reached its final destination. Finally we will explore what purpose did the orphan trains serve for children: did they have any role in helping immigrant children assimilate to an American way of life?


 * Task:** You will pretend that you are an immigrant child who has arrived in the United States and is living in Boston or New York.The year is 1900.You have been chosen to ride on the orphan trains. After looking at a series of primary source documents that include: letters, newspaper articles**,** rider biographies, and maps; you will find some reasons why you may have been chosen to ride. As a final activity, you will use these source to help create a scrapbook documenting your journey by sharing your experiences on the train ride,telling where you arrived, and what your new life is like.

Today you will begin to find out what were the orphan trains and who rode them and why they had them. To help us answer these questions we are going to look at some primary sources to help us find answers to these questions. In library we have learned what a source is. Can anyone tell us? Write down your responses.
 * Process:**
 * Day 1:**

Let's look at some information to give us some background on what was happening in cities in the United States during this time. In pairs go the computer and look at the following sites that are secondary sources. [] After reading the information talk with your partner and list at least two reasons telling why you think the orphan train movement started. We will discuss them as a group when we have finished reading the information. Let's hear some of your responses. You have some good ideas. Now let's keep this information in mind when we work in our groups and look at more sources.

Divide you in 4 groups of 5. You will be receiving a series of documents of 4 documents. After examining them, decide if these documents are primary or secondary sources sources. What are the clues? [note -- image documents are in the Resources section below]

Now in your small groups you are going to read each document and answer the following questions You can write your responses write your responses on the chart paper so that the responses can be shared with the larger group. //What was an orphan?// //Who rode them?// //When did it happen?// //What happened after boarding the train and when you arrived?// //Why do you think there were orphan trains?//

A.The is is the first source we are going to look at. [] "The Independent" of Oskaloosa, Kansas January 20, 1911 Is this a primary source? Why? Let's read the article together out loud. Let's think about the questions on the chart paper. Take a minute and talk with your group. Write your responses on the chart paper.
 * Newspaper article**

B. Let's look at the next two documents. In the first letter who is writing the letter? Who is receiving the letter? After reading the first letter ask who is writing the letter? Who is receiving the letter?

Read the second letter. Who is writing the letter? Who is receiving the letter?

How do the letters answer the question, "Who was an orphan?" Write your responses on chart paper.

Little Wanders Advocate Volume 3 #2 February 1867 p38 Read the second letter Ask who do you think is writing the letter? Who do you think the letter is to?
 * Letter from orphan to his mother (image)**

New England home for Little Wanders Advocate (Image) Direct students: You may look at the to help you answer your questions Give 10 minutes for the students to examine the documents to answer the above questions.
 * Letter from Agent**

C.**Orphan Train Statistics** (image) Let's look at this next source. What does this source tell you about the kinds of orphans in the orphanage like the New England Home for Little Wanderers. How would this help answer the questions, Who as an orphan at the time?

Stats of Children by Nationality (image) New England Home for Little Wanderers

D. Let's look at this last source. You may go over to the computers and read it with your group. [] What does this last source tell us about the groups or people who organized the orphan trains? Does this information seem the same or different from the letter from the agent (above)? Can you explain in what way?

Remember that these answers are being written down for review by the group.

E. Closing questions: With the information we have from our documents, we've tried to answer some questions to learn more abut the orphan train movement. Let's review our responses on the chart paper. Now try to answer these questions:

//Did you think the orphan trains helped immigrant children? Why or why not?// //Why do you think the the trains started in places like Boston or New York?// //What do you think the groups like the Children Aid Society did this type of work?// //Why do you think immigrant children would want to move to another part of the United States?// //Do you think it would be easier or more difficult for an immigrant child to find a placement? Why or Why not?// //How could the orphan trains help immigrant children feel that they were a part of life in America?//

What do your answers tell you about the orphan trains and immigrant children?

//**Orphan Train Routes**//
 * Day 2**

Today you are going to look at the routes the orphan trains took and where they stopped. As a class take a look at the map and see if we can answer some questions. What type of source would be the most helpful for us to use?

Let's take a look at this map: Colton's New Railroad and County Map of U.S. and Canada

"What is the title of the map?" "What year was it made?' "What is it showing?" "How does the map show railroad lines?"

Leventhal Map Center Colton's New Railroad and County Map of U.S. and Canada []

We are going to divide into our four groups of five. You are going to use the map that we have been looking at. Each group will be given a starting point and an ending point on a different train line. Use the map to trace the route using this railroad map. Then each group will receive a one current United States Map. Try to trace the route with a marker using this present day map. Think about if there have been any changes or any differences in the United States looking at this map.

Group 1 Start point Boston, MA -Omaha, Nebraska Group 2 Start point Boston, MA -St. Paul, Minnesota Group 3 Start point New York City-Wien Missouri Group 4 Start point New York-Topeka, Kansas Group 5 Start point New York-Kalamazoo, Michigan

Then one person from each group to show their current United States Maps. Let's come together and look at these routes.

//Which orphan had the longest journey?// //Why do you think think the orphans found homes in these final destinations?// //Why do you think agencies like the Children's Aid Society and the Home for Little Wanderers chose these places for the orphans?// //How would these places be different from New York or Boston?// //How do you think am immigrant child would feel living in another place?// //Why do you think these places were final destinations?//

Today we are going to work in our four groups of five and read some excerpts of orphan train riders biographies and autobiographies. What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography? Which one would be a primary source and which would be an example of a secondary source? Each group will go the the computer and access the following links:
 * Day 3**
 * Orphan Biographies and Autobiographies**

(Taken from National Orphan Train Complex)

Group 1 Passage (Take excerpts) [] Group 2: []

Group 3: [] Group 4 & 5 []

After reading the passages your group will complete the accompanying worksheet..

//After finishing the activity, answer the following questions:// //Do you think your orphan train rider was helped by being placed out? Why or why not?// //Do you think the an immigrant child was helped by this experience ? Why or Why not?//

When you are finished we will meet as a group to discuss our responses?

Closing question: We looked at some biographies and autobiographies of orphan train riders. Some were examples of immigrant children. Do you think the experience was different for them because they were immigrants? Why or Why not?

Day 4

Today we are going to pretend that we are orphan train riders. In your 4 groups of 5 I would like you to partner up and have each pair create a scrapbook showing your experience on the train.You are going to use the information you learned during the past few weeks to help you complete this project.
 * Scrap booking Activity**

Here are some guiding instructions and questions to help you in the role of an immigrant orphan on the train: Give your orphan a name. Your orphan will be an immigrant. Choose a country that your orphan came from. Show why the you had to leave your current home in the United States. What was the train ride like? Where did you end up and what did you end up doing. How did the experience feel to you as a new immigrant to the United States?

Your scrapbook should have a title and the names of the author. It should include at least three photos with captions. Ask students-You will be given the entire class to complete this project. Think about these questions. Use the supplies and copies of photographs provided to show your experience. When it is completed we will display the scrapbooks around the library for everyone to read.

//Assorted photos links.//

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Do you think there were any ways that it would help immigrant children assimilate to the American way of life? Do you think the Orphan train movement would work today? Why or why not?
 * Conclusion:** During the last few weeks we learned about the orphan train movement .Reflecting on the information we discussed do you think it helped or harmed children? Do you think the orphan train movement favored immigrant children more than native born children? Why or why not?


 * Assessment:**

Assessment Rubric

of the term,refers to examples in primary sources || Gives the definition of an orphan || Gives the definition of an orphan. || Cannot define the term orphan ||  ||
 * You will be able to.... || Strong || Good || Adequate || Inadequate || Weighting ||
 * **Define the term orphan and describe who rode the orphan trains** || Gives a clear definition
 * **Identify the routes/places that orphan trains traveled** || Student identifies train route || Student identifies train route || Student identifies train route || Student fails to identify train route. ||  ||
 * **Summarize the events that occurred after arriving to their destination** || Student will summarize and give at least 3 reasons for the orphan train movement based on primary source documents. || Student will summarize and give at least 2 reasons for the orphan train movement based on primary source documents. || Student will summarize and give at least 1-2 reasons for the orphan train movement based on primary source documents. || Student gives no or one reason with out using primary source documents. ||  ||
 * **Will create a scrapbook that illustrates the experiences**
 * of a child riding an orphan train.** || Students expresses many of the orphans experiences on the orphan trains and writes clear captions and illustrations. || Students expresses some of the orphans experiences on the orphan trains and writes clear captions and illustrations. || Students expresses little of the orphans experiences on the orphan trains and writes clear captions and illustrations. || Students fails to illustrate of the orphans experiences and writes little or no captions to accompany illustrations ||  ||
 * **Draw conclusions about whether or not the orphan train movement helped immigrant children**
 * assimilate into American life.** || Student creates a reasonable conclusion of immigrant children and the orphan train movement. || Student creates a reasonable conclusion of immigrant children and the orphan train movement but lacks some detail. || Students creates a conclusion about immigrant children and the orphan train movement but is not reasonable. || Student does not create a solution. ||  ||
 * **Participation** || Consistently works well with others || Usually works well with others || Sometimes works well with others || Rarely works well with others. ||  ||


 * Resources:**

//Primary Sources://
Orphan train rider Elizabeth Daniel shares her experiences [|http://video.optv.org/video/139298104]

Massachusetts Charitable Societies Records BPL Rare Books Call Number : Ms. 825-864

// Boston Children's Aid Society Annual Reports 1892-1920 // Charities College Simmons College Boston

//New Home for Little Wanderers Annual Reports:1878-1879// Charities College Simmons College Boston

Pamphlet:-Account Origin, Plan and Success of Work New England Home for Little Wanderers 1892 Charities College Simmons College Boston




























 * Secondary Sources/Background reading**

//Raum, E**lizabeth.** Orphan Trains// //An Interactive History//**.** Mankato, Capstone Press, 2011.

Walker, Andrea. //Orphan train rider: One Boy’s story// New York, Scholastic, 1996.

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 * New England Home for Little Wanderers**

[|http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/] Document Archive Document History Project [|http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/index.html] Placing Out [|http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/topics/placingout.html] [|http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/topics/orphan.html]
 * Adoption History Project**

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 * Children’s Aid Society **

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 * National Orphan Train Complex**


 * Orphan trains of Kansas **

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 * Orphan Train, a IAGen Web Special Project**

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 * Nebraska State Historical Society**

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 * American Experience: The Orphan Trains**

Orphan Trains Myths and Legal Reality

Orphan Train History