Immigrant Journal Outline
You will write at least four entries in your immigrant journal. Each entry should be at least 600 words. Each entry should include an appropriate date (such as March 20, 1910), a greeting (such as Dear Diary,), and should be signed with your immigrant’s name. Type your entries and design a cover for your journal. Include a map of your journey.
In the past, authors of excellent journals have gone far beyond the minimum requirements and have created a story full interesting characters and problems. You are encouraged to use dialogue as part of your journal entries, just as Rifka does. You are also encouraged to use figurative language. You are encouraged to write more than four journal entries and entries that are longer than 600 words.
You need at least 4 entries, and your immigrant needs to leave home, get to the port city, cross the ocean, and go through inspections on Ellis Island. Try to develop some problems or conflicts along each step of the way. Below are some suggestions for what you might include in these entries. You do not need to follow this exactly and you do not need to answer all the questions.
Journal Entry 1
Write about yourself and your family: Introduce your character.
§ What is your name?
§ What country are you from? What is the name of your town or city? What is it like to live there?
§ How old are you?
§ Tell about yourself. What do you enjoy? What are your skills or strengths? What do you dislike?
§ Tell about your family. Who is in your family? How do you get along?
Write about why you are leaving your country and coming to America:
§ Are you leaving because of poverty? Religious persecution? War?
§ Why do you want to come to America?
§ What family members are you immigrating with or leaving behind?
§ What belongings are you taking with you?
§ Describe an experience that made you want to leave or forced you to leave. How did you feel? How did you respond to the situation? Describe your feelings.
Journal Entry 2 (Ask for handout about ships and port cities)
Write about your journey from home to the port city.
§ How far is it from home to the port?
§ What port city are you leaving from? (see handout)
§ How did you get to the port city? Walking? Cart and horse? Train?
§ Do you meet anyone on the way?
§ What problems did you have on your way to the port city?
Journal Entry 3
Write about your journey on the ship
§ Do you have any problems getting your ticket for the ship?
§ What is the name of your ship? (See handout)
§ You are in steerage (third class). What are conditions like (sleeping, meals, bathrooms)?
§ How many immigrants are on your ship?
§ What difficulties do you experience during your voyage?
§ Who do you meet on board? How do you spend your time?
Journal Entry 4 (I will provide information about Ellis Island inspections)
Write about your feelings as you enter New York Harbor and see the Statue of Liberty:
· What are your hopes and expectations as you are about to enter the United States of America?
· If you wish, you may write a poem for part of this entry.
Write about your experiences on Ellis Island:
§ What were the inspections like? What are some questions you were asked? How did you answer them?
§ Were you detained and why? Was anyone in your family detained or deported?
§ Did the inspectors seem friendly, businesslike, gruff, or nasty?
§ How long did you wait to get through the inspections?
§ What was it like to see so many people of different backgrounds in the same building?
§ Where did you go after you left Ellis Island?
Other requirements:
· Your journal must be typed
· Your journal must be carefully proofread for errors
· Your journal must have an attractive cover.
· Your journal must include a map of your journey. Draw your route on the map.
Note: You don’t have to immigrate from Europe. You may immigrate from another part of the world if that is where some of your family originally came from. If you are immigrating from Asia, you may describe your feelings on seeing the Golden Gate Bridge and your experiences on Angel Island (ask for handout). If you are coming at an earlier or later time period than 1900-1925, please see me to discuss your ideas.
Grading (there is a more detailed grading rubric, but here is an overview):
A: Far exceeds the requirements. Most A’s are mini-novels.
B: The narrative is developed with conflict, characters, dialogue, and description. It doesn’t just answer the questions in the outline. It is clearly written.
C: Doesn’t really develop a story. May not meet the minimum requirements for length. Run-on sentences and many spelling/grammar/punctuation errors may make the story difficult to understand.