Ellis Island

Fourth grade students at the three Bedford School District (BSD) elementary schools recently participated in an Ellis Island learning experience. As part of the English Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum, students had an authentic learning experience of reliving the experience immigrants went through 100 years ago to gain citizenship in the United States.

Kara Speaker, Peter Woodbury School’s enrichment teacher, said, “I get tears in my eyes each year as I watch them (students) walk out of their classrooms dressed as immigrants from 100 years ago and totally acting the part.  No matter the kid...this unit reaches each and every one of them.”

The Ellis Island experience is the culminating learning activity in a unit of study on immigration. Students have the opportunity to step back in time and reenact what it would have felt like to step off a steam ship onto Ellis Island. Each student walks through a progression of stations: Registry, Legal Inspection, Mental Testing, Medical Inspection, Literacy Test, Special Inquiry, Final Inquiry and Final Citizenship before they are granted entrance into the United States. Throughout this immigration unit, the students learn about geography, their own ancestry, past and current immigration, reasons why people emigrated from their homelands in the early years of the twentieth century, and the process of gaining entrance into America through Ellis Island. Additionally, the students read and write about immigration as part of their English Language Arts studies.

Current Bedford High School students who participated in the immigration unit when they were in elementary school traveled back to the elementary schools for a morning to become part of the Ellis Island greeting committee. Sixteen BHS students, who are also members of the high school’s Global Unity Club, actively participated in the process of testing and determining if the ‘immigrant’ deserved to be allowed into America.

The BSD fourth-grade students enjoyed their experience. One Peter Woodbury student said of his participation, “It felt good to experience what we were learning about in class.” Part of the Ellis Island learning activity was to put the students in the shoes of those who came to America 100 years ago. “I never knew that people had to go through all that struggle before they got to America.  It made me think how hard it was for people to have a better life!”, stated a Memorial Elementary school student.

Creating a social studies and English learning activity that replicates a real-life experience gives the students a better opportunity to retain what they learned. As one Riddle Brook student reflected, “I'm really going to remember the experience of going through all of those stations and how hard it was!”

It takes a great deal of planning and preparation from the teachers, staff, and parent volunteers to make the Ellis Island project a meaningful and memorable experience for the students. The students were invested in their learning and ended the unit with a deep understanding of immigration.

Article Contributors: Kara Speaker, Checker Hansen, Molly McCarthy, Phil Schappler, Cheryl Daley, Chris O’Hara, and Tom Laliberte

Students at Peter Woodbury look over their passports and prepare to enter Ellis Island.

A Memorial Elementary student awaits her turn to gain US citizenship.

BHS Press Release

Event: Bedford High School Theatre Company is donating approximately $800 it raised during its production of Fiddler on The Roof to benefit The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pennsylvania following the tragic shooting on Saturday, October 27^th.

Who: Bedford High School’s Theater Company

Since the performance dates of Fiddler on The Roof (see synopsis below) tragically coincided closely with the recent shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 27^th, the Bedford Theatre Company decided to donate a portion of the show proceeds to help the Tree of Life Synagogue. Donations raised during the performance reached approximately $800. A donation was not something the company considered when rehearsals began in August but after the events on October 27th, the company knew it had to help in some way.

To prepare for the performances, students learned about the Jewish culture they portrayed on stage in the play. In order to be faithful and respectful of themes in the play, the cast and crew had a Jewish faculty member at the Lurgio Middle School and Rabbi Robin Nafshi from Concord teach them about Jewish history, traditions, faith, and culture. The play is set in a Jewish village in Russia in 1905, a time when the Tsar conducted frequent programs against the Jewish people.

Learning about the diversity of the world and being a good citizen are part of Bedford High School’s culture, which is evident in our mission (excerpted): “We foster habits of open inquiry and an understanding of our diverse world…[and]…Through good citizenship and service to others, we strive to make positive contributions to the world.”

Play Synopsis: Set in the Jewish village of Anatevka (a fictional shtetl), Russia in 1905, the lead character, Tevye has five daughters who traditionally have their father agree to marriage arrangements. However, his daughters decide to take matters into their own hands by defying the tradition (and their father), and finding matches of their own choosing. The traditions of the village are further threatened as the Tsar decides to remove the villagers from their homes. How will Tevye and his family and village cope with such upheavals?

Fiddler on the Roof- BHS Cast

Lurgio Seismograph

LURGIO SEISMOGRAPH

Ross A. Lurgio Middle School (Bedford) has partnered with the Boston College Weston Observatory through their Educational Seismology Project (BC-ESP) to bring authentic scientific learning to students. Through the generous support of the Bedford Education Foundation (BEF), we were able to install a seismograph just inside the school’s main entrance. The seismograph is actively collecting data on worldwide seismic activity which is displayed on a large-screen monitor.

The acquisition of the seismograph has been an ongoing process that was completed this fall. The BEF and additional private donations funded all of the equipment and educator professional development costs. Teachers are being trained on how to maintain the equipment, interpret the seismographic data, and integrate this technology into their lessons and activities.

According to the BC-ESP online curriculum website, “Seismographs measure the pulse of the Earth and provide direct information about earthquakes, plate tectonics, and the structure of the Earth’s interior.” Eighth-grade students will now be able to observe and use real-time data to investigate worldwide seismic movement. John Boucher, the district K-8 Math and Science Curriculum Coordinator, brought the idea to the middle school in 2016. According to Mr. Boucher, “We have worked for a few years trying to bring this real-world program to the Bedford School District. With the support of the BEF, we have been able to establish this partnership with Boston College. This data collection will not only support our students but will also contribute to the data compiled and analyzed by the Weston Observatory.” Lurgio science teachers are collaborating with experts from Boston College to carry out lessons on various aspects of Earth science.

The picture below shows the seismograph located at Lurgio Middle School. The monitor above the seismograph depicts the data in real time that is being recorded from the earth’s movement.

The Seismograph recorded earthquakes in Russia and Papua New Guinea on the first night after the seismograph was installed.

More information can be found on the Ross A Lurgio web page under the academics tab. http://www.sau25.net/LurgioQuake

Article contributors: Kristen Gauthier, John Boucher, Tom Laliberte