This document provides instructions for a classroom activity where students will conduct a survey of the countries of origin of their classmates' families. It outlines the following tasks: 1. Students will survey their classmates to create a list of the countries their families originally came from. 2. Students will enter the survey results into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and create a chart to visually represent the data. 3. The document provides resources on immigration statistics and websites about immigration to the US to help students with their research.

1. A WebQuest
For Classes 502,703
Using Microsoft Excel

2. Introduction
• America has often been referred to as a “melting pot”.
Many people have left their homeland and immigrated
to America in search of a better life. Between 1820
and 1924, over thirty-five million people came to
America. For many of them the trip to America was a
difficult and often very dangerous trip.
• When the immigrants arrived most of them had to go
through Ellis Island, the immigration headquarters. At
Ellis Island, immigrants were inspected and had to pass
many tests before they were allowed to enter
America.

3. Task
• Everyone is from somewhere. Conduct a
classroom survey during the coming week. Ask
everyone in your class what country their
families are originally from. Create a list of the
countries and record your results.
• Using Microsoft Excel, enter your data from
your class survey and then create a graph (ex:
pie, chart, line) to represent the results of
your survey.

4. Process
• Create a table with country names and student names.
• Survey your classmates to determine what country
their family is from.
• Enter the data on your table.
• Create a table using Microsoft Excel.
• Enter your data from your class survey (remember to
add column and row titles).
• Highlight the data and “Insert – chart” to capture the
data in picture form.
• Save the Excel workbook as LastName_Class.

5. Resources
• 1820-2007 chart
• 1820-2007 stats
• Immigration continent
• Immigration Continent chart
• Also, use the 3 WebSites on the next 3 pages -

6. Click to visit the Tenement
Museum
http://www.tenement.org/

7. Click on the BrainPop movie -
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/immigration/preview.weml

8. The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
Foundation
http://www.ellisisland.org/
Search for your own
ancestors using this
free website!

9. Conclusion
• America holds a unique place in the history of the
world. The migration of immigrants to America in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the
greatest population movement in history. Still today
many more seek our shores than we can accept. But,
what will our attitude be toward immigrants in the
21st century?
• This is a question that will affect the quality of life for
everyone in the United States for better or worse.
But only you can answer that question for you are
the leaders of the twenty-first century.