Objective: Students will be able to develop a short story from a first-person point of view. They will go into detail of what they are feeling and thinking as they are traveling and heading to Ellis Island, as portrayed in the painting. Through this they will reflect on the challenges and opportunities that were faced through immigrants.
Look: What is happening in this painting? What is the artist trying to portray? What is the setting? Who are the characters? Imagine you are on the boat, heading to Ellis Island. What would you be feeling in that situation? What challenges are you going through? What challenges will you face? What opportunities are waiting for you?
Write: After having a class discussion, students will create a first-person short story. Have students include the following: first-person point of view, setting, characters, exposition, and perspective.
Share: After writing their stories, students will have the opportunity to share their story with another student, and they will provide constructive peer feedback to each other’s stories. Lastly, students will be able to volunteer to share their short story with the class. This activity allows students to put themselves in the shoes of others. All these students viewed the same painting and at the end every single one of these students’ stories will all be different.
Standards:
- W.6.1: Compose reflective, formal, and creative writing, which may happen simultaneously or independently, for a variety of high-stakes and low-stakes purposes.
- SS. Hist3.a.m: Use evidence to draw conclusions about an event or issue
Share your artwork with us on social media @milwaukeeart #MAMLearn or email pictures to teachers.mam.org. We’d love to see your creations!