Deborah and Megan’s fourth grade class went to Ellis Island on Wednesday, December 10th. We took a ferry to get there. We passed the Statue of Liberty.

We wrote a journal entry about how it might feel to see the 1st and 2nd class passengers just getting off the boat and the steerage passengers having to wait.

When we docked at Ellis Island, we walked inside and noticed the Great Hall was huge. It was cool to also see what the building looked like from the outside. There was a guide to show us around. The guide lead us to inspectors. The inspectors asked us to do stuff like pushups and jumping jacks. They gave us those tests to see if we were healthy. Then when they were done inspecting us they gave us different cards. If you had a blank card you were healthy. Max got a card that said FT which meant foot problems. Charlie got an H which meant heart disease. Andrei got L which meant lameness. Antonio got X which meant mental problems. The inspection was my favorite part of the field trip.

Then we went up a staircase to the Great Hall. There was somebody singing the national anthem and our class had to be silent. Then Governor Christie started giving a speech. We made a journal entry and listened to oral histories on an audio that we were given. The audios had oral histories and other stuff that taught you about the history of Ellis Island and immigration. The audios the teachers told us to listen to were mostly oral histories. Simón found these two audios that were really funny. Their numbers were 888 and 899. This guy called Murdy the Meerkat apparently was talking, he had an animal kind of voice. The Meerkat audios were for children.

After sitting down and writing journal entries we broke off into many little groups with the chaperones. Some kids went upstairs to the top floor and saw the bunks where the steerage passengers slept. Sadly, my group did not get to go upstairs.

When it was lunchtime we went to sit on benches. We were surrounded by this huge wall that went in a circle. It was the wall of honor. We knew that Max had a relative on the wall. We looked across the wall. We found it. It was towards the end of the wall. It said Max Taetle. To eat lunch outside felt freezing but Deborah said, “Immigrants had to immigrate in the winter even if they were cold.”

After lunch we got back on the ferry and went back to school. When we got back to
school we had free time. Then we went home.

By Pema