4.7 - Immigration and Migration

Mission US: City of Immigrants

In Mission 4: “City of Immigrants,” players navigate New York’s Lower East Side as Lena, a young Jewish immigrant from Russia. Trying to save money to bring her parents to America, she works long hours in a factory for little money and gets caught up in the growing labor movement.

Peppe the Lamplighter

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Copies: 1

In the tradition of Lois Lowry and Paul Fleischman, Elisa Bartone's Caldecott Honor-winning book gives children a glimpse into American history and the immigrant experience.

This is the story of Peppe, who becomes a lamplighter to help support his immigrant family in turn-of-the-century New York City, despite his papa's disapproval. Peppe's family is very poor, and though he is just a boy he needs to find work. Being a lamplighter is not the job his father had dreamed of for Peppe, but when Peppe's job helps save his little sister, he earns the respect of his entire family.

Author:

Elisa Bartone

Lexile:

AD570L

Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty

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Copies: 7

In 1883, Emma Lazarus, deeply moved by an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe, wrote a sonnet that gave a voice to the Statue of Liberty. Originally a gift from France to celebrate our shared national struggles for liberty, the statue, thanks to Emma's poem, came to define us as a nation that welcomes immigrants. The text of that now famous poem, "The New Colossus," appears in this free-verse biography, illustrated in an exquisite folk art style.

The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 4-5, Poetry)

Author:

Linda Glaser

Lexile:

AD790L

Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty

Brooklyn Bridge (Unabridged)

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On that day in 1903, 14-year-old Joseph Michtom's life changed irrevocably when his parents - Russian immigrants - created the first teddy bear. No longer did the Michtom's gather family and friends around the kitchen table to talk. No longer was Joseph at leisure to play stickball with the guys.

Author:

Karen Hesse

Grade Level:

Middle

Lexile:

NC680L

Length:

04:41

Immigrant Kids (Unabridged)

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Many people came to America in the early 1900s looking for jobs, opportunity, and freedom, and a lot of them were kids. But what happened to all these immigrant children after they passed inspection at New York’s Ellis Island - that is, if they passed inspection? Life was not easy for immigrants. Large families lived in small, one-room tenement apartments with failing plumbing and few windows.

Author:

Russell Freedman

Grade Level:

Middle

Lexile:

1050L

Length:

00:40

All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown (Unabridged)

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Sydney Taylor grew up among immigrant families on New York City's Lower East Side prior to World War I and wrote the All-of-a-Kind Family series for her daughter. This sequel finds talented Ella, mischievous Henny, studious Sarah, dreamy Charlotte, and little Gertie helping Mama with their new baby brother, Charlie.

Author:

Sydney Taylor

Grade Level:

Elementary

Length:

03:30

All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown (Unabridged)

Moving to the City (2005)

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Millions of immigrants, as well as thousands already in America, moved to the city in the decades following Reconstruction. The living and social conditions of the huddled masses during this era are examined, using the cities of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

00:30

The People and Cultures of New York

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The diverse peoples and cultures who call New York home are a huge part of what makes the state so unique. This book delves into the history of immigration in New York and the different cultures that have helped shape New York into the state it is today. Thoughtful text is supplemented by primary source documents and photographs that show New York in the past and as it is today.