This distance learning experience is a 30-minute curriculum-based program.

Students will learn about America 's immigration past during its busiest era in history and explore the reasons for global migration and the immigration process at Ellis Island , America 's first federal immigration station.

After completing pre-visit activities in the classroom, students begin their exploration into the journey across the ocean, the confined spaces and oppressive condition of traveling in "steerage", and use primary documents like a ship's "manifest" the document used for inspection. Your class will pack a trunk as if they were leaving their homeland forever, taking with them the very little they could. Your class will then travel the virtual ocean to Ellis Island and explore the medical and legal process as did 5000 people per day at the facility.

The program explores the current immigrant process, who is responsible for immigrant inspection today and a discussion of the similarities and differences as compared to the era of Ellis Island . The program concludes with your students becoming ambassadors for the U.S. and who must be able to describe our country to those who know nothing about America , a Q & A session and your class historically interpreting sounds unique to America .

Students can earn their own Ellis Island Citizen Award for their participation in learning about the immigrant experience and the importance of preserving Ellis Island .