Tiffany Imparato

Virtual field trips are a fun and exciting way to bring your teaching beyond the walls of the classroom and promote technology based skills. Students of various ages can be emerged into another place just by the click of a button; this is extremely helpful due to so many restricts placed upon field trips and social distancing. Living close by in Southern New Jersey I embarrassed to admit that I have never had the chance to visit Ellis Island and explore the history there; so I have decided to attend a virtual field trip there.

On Scholastic’s website I was able to find a fun and interactive field trip of Ellis Island to explore without any traveling needed. With a few clicks of my mouse I was able to pretend that I was one of the 12 million immigrants that entered the United States through this piece of history. It is estimated that 40% of our nations population can trace their ancestors through Ellis Island. The virtual tours guides students through the various stops along the way as the life of an immigrant coming into America. The first stop was the passage of the overcrowded ships that immigrants had to endure next health officers would board the ship and prescreen passengers. The third stop was the baggage room where they were tagged before inspections. Next step was walking up the stairs to the registry under the careful eye of doctors looking for more signs of distress. This is where people reached the great hall for more observations before receiving their infamous 6 second physicals and moving to legal inspection. If an immigrant failed the health or legal inspection they were detained on Ellis Island for lengthy times. The 9th stop is known as the stairs of separation this is where one would go to medical detainment, legal detainment, or be free to enter the country. Those lucky enough might be greeted by awaiting family at what is now called the kissing post. It is sad to imagine how many dreams were made there and crushed as well.

The virtual field trip includes many photos, audio links, and maps of the island in addition to the interactive tour. I can see this tour being used for various student age levels and could be followed up with fun learning assessments and projects. There is stories of young immigrants and great data as well to explore. I found this activity to be exciting and very informational and know that I will be using virtual field trips in my future classroom.