Tenement Life
The Tenement Museum website provides engaging and entertaining ways to introduce young students to primary sources. The “Elementary School Lesson” found under “Primary Source Activities” uses a family photo, a postcard, a report card, and a passport to examine the life of Victoria Confino, an immigrant girl at the turn of the 20th century. Because these sources are mostly visual, they allow easier access for young students and English language learners than text-dense sources. The lesson provides useful guiding questions for the teacher when helping students examine the documents. After students have discussed the sources, they are asked to write a paragraph about Victoria’s life.
The Tenement Museum website also includes a variety of other fun and educational activities for students. Students can play the immigration game in which they figure out how to get to America, or complete a virtual tour of a tenement building. They could also mix a folk song or, for older students, explore the webcomics of a modern immigrant.
Notes
Teachinghistory.org Lesson Plan Rubric
| Field | Criteria | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Historical Content | Is historically accurate? | Yes |
| Historical Content | Includes historical background? | No |
| Historical Content | Requires students to read and write? | Yes. Students read visual sources and write about immigrant life using evidence. |
| Analytic Thinking | Requires analysis/construction of interpretations using evidence? | Yes |
| Analytic Thinking | Requires close reading and attention to source information? | Yes. Includes prompting questions; teachers should add questions about document origins. |
| Scaffolding | Appropriate for stated audience? | Yes |
| Scaffolding | Includes scaffolding materials and strategies? | Yes. Suggested questions provided; teacher could develop graphic organizer. |
| Lesson Structure | Includes assessment criteria focused on historical understanding? | Yes. Students write about Victoria’s life using evidence. No criteria included. |
| Lesson Structure | Defines clear learning goals and progresses logically? | Yes |
| Lesson Structure | Includes clear directions; realistic for classrooms? | Yes |
