Worksheet

Arriving Then and Now

Compare a fictional 1908 arrival at Ellis Island with a present-day arrival to explain reasons for immigration and immigrants' experiences.

Grade 3Social StudiesInteractive · Printable

Aligned toHIS.3.3

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Single worksheet
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1 C3 Framework standard
Printable answer key
14 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 3
Subject: Social Studies
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students explain reasons people immigrated to the United States.
Students describe immigrants' experiences at Ellis Island and compare them with arrivals today.
Students use evidence to compare past and present immigration experiences.

How to use

Read the two-part passage together, asking students to mark details about reasons and experiences. Use the final response to discuss what changed and what stayed similar.

Curriculum

C3 Framework standard covered

HIS.3.3

Explain why people immigrated to the United States and describe immigrants' experiences, such as at Ellis Island.

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Name Date

Arriving Then and Now

Compare why people immigrated and what they experienced after arriving.

Read about two arrivals

Read the passage about Elena's family in 1908 and Amina's family today. Then answer the questions.

Two Journeys to a New Country

1Elena Bianchi wrote about her family's journey in 1908. The Bianchis lived in southern Italy. For several years, their farm produced poor harvests, so earning enough money was difficult. Elena's uncle had moved to New York and wrote that he could help Elena's father find work. The family decided to immigrate, or move to a new country to live, in the United States.

2After a long ocean trip, the Bianchis reached New York Harbor. They went to Ellis Island, a federal immigration station that opened in 1892. In the Great Hall, they waited with many other newcomers. Officials asked questions about their names, ages, occupations, and destination. A doctor checked each person. People who needed more examination could be held for a longer time.

3Elena's family passed the inspections. They took a ferry to New York City, where Elena's uncle met them. The family still had work to do: they needed to learn new customs, find a home, and build a life in a busy city. Ellis Island closed in 1954.

4People immigrate to the United States today for different reasons. Some move to join family members, look for work, study, or find safety. For example, Amina's family moved from Morocco to the United States in 2022 to join her mother, who already lived here. They arrived by airplane. At an airport, officials checked their passports and immigration documents. The family then looked for housing and learned how school and daily life worked in their new community.

5The two families arrived in different times and places. The Bianchis waited at Ellis Island and spoke with inspectors there. Amina's family went through an airport. Yet both families had connections to relatives, had to complete an arrival process, and had to adjust to life in a new country.

Which pair of reasons best explains why Elena's family decided to immigrate?

A. Poor harvests made money hard to earn, and an uncle offered help finding work.
B. A doctor invited them to New York, and a ferry carried their farm away.
C. They wanted to visit Ellis Island, and their neighbors planned a city trip.
D. They hoped to avoid learning new customs, and their farm had too much food.

Circle the TWO details from paragraph 1 that help explain why the Bianchis left Italy.

Their farm had poor harvests for several years.They waited in the Great Hall.An uncle offered help finding work.They took a ferry in New York.

Complete the sentence with a word from the word bank.

Word bank: Ellis Island · New York City · Morocco · the airport

In 1908, the Bianchis went to after their ocean trip.

Which was one experience Elena's family had at Ellis Island?

A. They chose a job for every person in New York.
B. They answered questions and received a medical check.
C. They studied in a New York City school that day.
D. They moved directly into their uncle's farm.

Match each detail to the person, place, or time it describes.

A doctor checked newcomers.
Officials checked passports and immigration documents.
Elena's uncle offered help finding work.
Amina's family learned about school and daily life.

A. Amina's experience today
B. Elena's reason for immigrating in 1908
C. Ellis Island in 1908
D. An airport today

Why did officials ask the Bianchis about their names, ages, occupations, and destination?

A. To learn which family had the best ocean ticket
B. To decide which New York school had the most room
C. To collect information about people entering the country
D. To choose a new name for each person

Think about the evidence

Use details from the passage. Sort, compare, and make a conclusion.

Sort each detail as a reason someone immigrated or an experience after arriving.

Poor harvests made earning money difficult.Officials checked a family's documents.A relative offered help finding work.A family looked for a home.A family wanted to join a mother.A family learned how school worked.

Reason for immigrating	Experience after arriving

Which statement best compares the Bianchis' arrival with Amina's family's arrival?

A. Both families arrived through the same station in New York.
B. The Bianchis arrived by airplane, while Amina's family crossed the ocean.
C. Amina's family did not have to adjust to a new community.
D. They arrived in different places, but both adjusted to new lives.

Circle the TWO details, one from 1908 and one from today, that show how the arrival process changed over time.

The Bianchis waited in Ellis Island's Great Hall.Amina's family looked for housing in their new community.The Bianchis had an uncle in New York.Officials at an airport checked passports and immigration documents.

10.

A family in 1908 has poor crops and receives a letter from a cousin offering work in the United States. Which idea from the passage best explains why the family might immigrate?

A. They may want to spend one day inside an immigration station.
B. They may be trying to avoid meeting any relatives.
C. They may be seeking better work and help from family.
D. They may be leaving because a doctor selected their destination.

11.

Complete the sentence with the year from the passage.

Ellis Island closed in .

12.

Which conclusion is supported by the passage about immigrants' lives after arrival?

A. Arriving in the United States ended a family's challenges.
B. Families often had more work to do as they found homes and learned about daily life.
C. Families usually returned home before meeting anyone in a new community.
D. Families who arrived at Ellis Island did not need help from relatives.

13.

Circle the TWO details that support the conclusion that some reasons for immigrating were similar then and now.

Elena's uncle offered help finding work.The Bianchis took a ferry after passing inspections.Amina's family moved to join her mother.Amina's family arrived by airplane.

Use evidence

Write a short answer using details from both parts of the passage.

14.

Explain why Elena's family immigrated to the United States. Then describe one way their arrival experience was different from Amina's family's experience and one way it was similar. Use at least three details from the passage.