Teacher’s Copy
Grade 4, Session 4
Before Reading: Today, we will reread Immigrant Kids to make inferences. What two things do
you use to make an inference as you’re reading? [Review from Session 2: background knowledge
+ text clues].
“I can” statement for Session 4: I can make an inference by using my background knowledge
and text clues to figure out the answer to a question.
As I read the beginning of the text to you, I’m going to think about what I already know (my
background knowledge) and find clues from the text to support my thinking.
Immigrant Kids
(An excerpt) by Russell Freedman
1
Between 1880 and 1920, 23 million immigrants arrived in the United States. They
came mainly from the countries of Europe, especially from impoverished towns and
villages in southern and eastern Europe. The one thing they had in common was the belief
that in America, life would be better.
2
Most of these immigrants were poor. Somehow they managed to scrape together
enough money to pay for their passage to America. Many immigrant families arrived
penniless. Others had to make the journey in stages. Often the father came first, found
work, and sent for his family later.
After reading the section aloud, the teacher models how to make an inference with a
think-aloud about paragraphs 1-2.
Sample Think-Aloud: Let’s make an inference about what the word “impoverished” could
mean. The sentence says the immigrants came from impoverished towns and villages.
When I look for clues in the story, I notice that in the first paragraph, the author says that
the immigrants believed life would be better in America. In the second paragraph, the
author talks about how most immigrants were poor. The word impoverished reminds me
of “poverty,” which I know means “poor.” I can infer that impoverished towns were poor
towns.
Guiding Direction for paragraphs 3, 4, and 5: Use your background knowledge and look
for context clues to determine the meaning of challenging words. Jot your thinking in the
margin.
Possible words
for discussion
are underlined
on the teacher’s
copy of the text.
Students read paragraphs 3-5 before participating in a Think-Pair-Share.
3
Immigrants usually crossed the Atlantic Ocean as steerage passengers. Reached by
steep, slippery stairways, the steerage lay deep down in the hold of the ship. It was
occupied by passengers paying the lowest fare.
4
Men, women, and children were packed into dark, foul-smelling compartments.
They slept in narrow bunks stacked three high. They had no showers, no lounges, and no
dining rooms. Food served from huge kettles was dished into dinner pails provided by the
steamship company.
Because steerage conditions were crowded and uncomfortable,
passengers spent as much time as possible up on deck.
5
The voyage was an ordeal, but it was worth it. They were on their way to
America. The great majority of immigrants landed in New York City, at America’s busiest
port. They never forgot their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.
Think-Pair-Share: Paragraphs 3-5
Turn and talk to your partner. What background knowledge and text clues helped you
figure out the meanings of challenging words?
Guiding Question: Paragraphs 6 & 7: “What inferences can I make in this section about
how the immigrants felt when they arrived in New York City?”
6
But the journey was not yet over. Before they could be admitted to the United
States, immigrants had to pass through Ellis Island. There they would be questioned and
examined. Those who could not pass all the exams would be detained; some would be sent
back to Europe. And so their arrival in America was filled with great anxiety. Among the
immigrants, Ellis Island was known as “Heartbreak Island.”
7
When their ship docked at a Hudson River pier, the immigrants had numbered
identity tags pinned to their clothing. Then they were herded onto special ferryboats that
carried them to Ellis Island.
Officials hurried them along, shouting, “Quick!
Run!
Hurry!” in half a dozen languages. Filing into an enormous inspection hall, the immigrants
formed long lines separated by iron railings that made the hall look like a great maze.
*Think-Pair-Share: Paragraphs 6 & 7
As you finish reading independently, continue to make inferences about the people
mentioned in the text as well as some of the more challenging words. Use your
background knowledge and text clues. Ask yourself:


8
“What clues can help me figure out this word?”
“What clues can tell me how this person was feeling?”
Now the examinations began. First the immigrants were examined by two doctors
of the United States Health Service. One doctor looked for physical abnormalities. Some
immigrants received a chalk mark on their right shoulder for further inspection: an H for
heart problems, for instance.
9
The second doctor watched for contagious and infectious diseases. He looked
especially for infections of the scalp and at the eyelids for symptoms of trachoma.
Trachoma, a blinding disease, caused more than half of all medical detentions. As a result,
the eye exam was greatly feared. The doctor stood directly in the immigrant’s path. With
a swift movement, he would grab the immigrant’s eyelid, pull it up, and peer beneath it. If
all was well, the immigrant was passed on.
10
Most immigrants passed through Ellis Island in about one day. Carrying all their
worldly possessions, they left the examination hall and waited on the dock for the ferry
that would take them to Manhattan, a mile away. Some of them still faced long journeys
before they reached their final destination. Others would head directly for the immigrant
neighborhoods of New York City.
Immigrant Kids
1
Grade 4, Session 4
Read this sentence from paragraph 6 of the story.
Before they could be admitted to the United States, immigrants had to pass through Ellis
Island.
As used in the sentence above, the word admitted most closely means
A
B
C
D
2
travelled
confessed
kept out
let in
Read these two sentences from paragraph 9.
“Trachoma, a blinding disease, caused more than half of all medical detentions. As a
result, the eye exam was greatly feared.”
Which of the following describes the relationship between these two sentences?
A
B
C
D
3
The sentences explain a cause and effect.
The sentences contrast two events.
The sentences describe two steps in the same process.
Both sentences are opinions.
Why did Ellis Island become known as “Heartbreak Island” among immigrants?
A
B
C
D
Ellis Island was busy and crowded.
Immigrants who did not pass the tests at Ellis Island were not allowed into America.
Many immigrants were ill from their voyage by the time they reached Ellis Island.
Some immigrants still had a long way to travel after reaching Ellis Island.
Immigrant Kids
4
Grade 4, Session 4
Short Answer Constructed Response for Immigrant Kids
According to the passage, Immigrant Kids, what challenges did immigrants experience as they came to
America? Use two details from the text to support your answer.
Write your answer in complete sentences.
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