Travail de compréhension d'un texte. Témoignage du site d'Ellis Island intitulé "Gateway to America".
Le texte peut-être proposé soit en lecture individuelle. On pourrait également proposer un travail de groupe avec un extrait du texte à étudier par groupe.
L'on peut également proposer une version "simplifiée" à l'aide de l'outil rewordify
(à coller dans Rewordify) ELLIS ISLAND
GATEWAY TO AMERICA
From across Upper New York Bay, Ellis Island lies in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. Today its handsome but decaying buildings are unfamiliar to most onlookers from shore; however, Ellis Island occupies a permanent place in America's history. More than half of the immigrants entering the United States between 1892 and 1924 passed through its gates. While mass examination of immigrants at Ellis Island ended in1924, it continued to be used as a detention center for immigrants whose status in this country was questioned. In 1954, the island was permanently closed.
Suppose, for the moment, that we could return to Ellis Island when it teemed with people and share the experience of an immigrant's progress.
"When I first arrived in this country I was filled with so many hopes, dreams and fears. One of the greatest fears was of a place known as Ellis Island, but called by us the 'Island of Tears'.
"In my village I had heard of this place to be inspected and maybe, it was said, sent home if you did not pass. 'Sent home to what? To where?', I worried. I tried to convince myself that America would never send me home onceI had reached her doors.
"I will never forget the joy I felt when I saw the tall buildings of New York and the Statue of Liberty after so many dark days on board that crowded ship. There was the symbol of all my dreams—freedom to start out in a new life. Then came Ellis Island.
"When I landed the noise and commotion were unbelievable. There were so many languages being spoken. The shouting and pushing guards calling out the big numbers on the tags attached to our coats created more noise and confusion. Surely, I felt, the noise surrounding the Tower of Babel could not have been worse.
"We were told 'Keep moving' and 'Hurry up' as my group was pushed along one of the dozens of metal railings that divided the room into several passage-ways. Immigrants walked along these passageways until they reached the first medical inspector who looked at face, hair, neck and hands. Interpreters asked,'What is your age?', 'What work do you do?'
"I walked on to where a doctor inspected me for diseases. Again, I moved to another doctor, the "eye man" I had heard so many terrible rumors about.I passed inspection but the man in front was marked with an "E" in chalk on his coat and sent to another area.I had heard that an "E" meant deportation.
"For a long time I sat on a bench in the main part of the great hall waiting for the final test. I talked anxiously with those around me and rehearsed the answers to questions I might be asked about jobs, money and relatives. Some people said it was best to answer as fully as possible; others said it was best to say just 'Yes' or 'No'.
"Finally, I went before a tired, stern looking official who checked my name against the ship's passenger list and quickly fired questions at me: 'Can you read and write?' 'Do you have a job waiting for you?' 'Who paid your passage?' 'Have you ever been in prison?''How much money do you have?' 'Let me see it now." On and on went the questions until I got more and more confused. "Suddenly I was handed a landing card. It was hard to believe the ordeal was over in an afternoon. My fears were unfounded, the statue in the harbor had not turned her back on me. America had accepted me."
The Island is empty now and it is hard to imagine that once there were thousands of people shouting, laughing, and crying throughout the buildings. By listening hard, we may still hear the echoing sound of many languages being spoken in the now quiet halls of the 'Island of tears'.
Exemple d'activités que l'on peut générer automatiquement à l'aide du site Rewordify:
EX: activité "matching" pour s'approprier le vocabulaire difficile 
Ex. activité 2 word bank proposant des définitions pour les mots difficiles du texte
Ex activité 3: un texte à trous avec les mots difficiles du texte peut être automatiquement généré à l'aide du site et permettra aux élèves de vérifier leur mémorisation: acquisition du vocabulaire
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A l'issue de l'étude du texte, on peut demander aux élèves de résumer ce qui a été compris avec pour consigne l'utilisation du vocabulaire étudié. Les productions collaboratives pourront être publiées sur le padlet de la séquence.
