Sixth Grade Immigration Unit Culminates with Ellis Island Simulation, Visit, and Film Festival

The Class of 2025 completed another milestone in their ICS journey during the last few weeks of school, as they undertook a major project-based unit on American Immigration. As the sixth grade students studied American Immigration, they were grouped into small family units, and were given a nationality and circumstances that replicated those of an actual family who had traveled to the United States in 1918. Students then researched their countries of origin and assigned trades, and created the necessary documents to support their story in order to immigrate to the United States. They also completed odd jobs around the school to earn money for their passage to the U.S.

On Tuesday, May 28, the sixth grade students arrived to the Evergreen Campus in full costume and with their luggage and after some time waiting in steerage, boarded their ship (bus) to the United States (Upper School.) Once they arrived to "Ellis Island" their Immigration Simulation activity took off, as they waited in lines, showed documents, took medical exams, psychiatric exams, Literacy exams, sang the national anthem, demonstrated their knowledge of currency, outsmarted gypsies, and waited some more. At the end of the morning, most of the students had successfully become United States citizens.

The students celebrated their successes with an Immigration Luncheon, consisting of dishes from their countries of origin, which the students had prepared on their own. The entire immigration process was documented through student films, which were shared with parents at a Film Festival on Thursday, June 6.

The class traveled to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty together on Wednesday, May 29, to culminate their Immigration studies. Seeing the actual location where immigrants have historically entered the United States after experiencing the Indian Creek simulation was especially meaningful to the students. Thank you to Ms. Strickland, Ms. McManus, Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Kornmeyer, Ms. Benson, and all of the other faculty and staff members who have made this special event possible for Indian Creek students over the past 17 years.

Click here or log into the ICS website and navigate to News > Featured Content > Media > 6th Grade Immigration 2019 to view a full, downloadable gallery of Immigration photos.
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Indian Creek school is a co-educational, college preparatory independent school, located in Crownsville, Maryland.  Students in Pre-K3 through grade 12 receive a vibrant educational experience based on excellent academics steeped in strong student-teacher connections.