If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine provides young readers with an insightful look into the immigrant experience at Ellis Island. The book teaches values like empathy, resilience, and the importance of understanding history. It helps kids appreciate the courage of those who sought a better life and how their stories shaped America. Through its engaging format, the book inspires curiosity and compassion for the experiences of others.

We incorporate If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island into our homeschool curriculum to explore literature through interactive activities. Here are a few examples:

• Historical Comprehension: Through reading and discussion, children develop a deeper understanding of the immigrant experience, learning about the reasons families left their home countries and the challenges they faced upon arrival in America.
• Empathy and Creative Expression: Students engage in activities that simulate the journey to America, such as creating a diary entry from the perspective of an immigrant child or designing a scrapbook page that might belong to an immigrant family.
• Critical Thinking and Research Skills: Students will investigate their own family histories, exploring the origins and journeys of their ancestors.
• Civic Understanding and Discussion: The book prompts discussions about the concept of the "American Dream" and what it means today. It leads students to consider the values that shaped the country and how immigration policies have evolved.