Glen Ellyn fourth-graders study immigration

Fourth-graders in Glen Ellyn recently took an imaginary trip around the world as part of their latest project exploring immigration.

The students at Lincoln Elementary School dressed up to reflect their own heritage and also took the time to learn about other immigrant groups.

The students also acted as museum-style guides, giving parents who visited their classrooms a tour of their respective cultures.

Cathy Gerlach, a fourth-grade teacher at the school, said the project started with "Coming to America," a book that is part of the reading curriculum, and the phrase, "We are a nation of immigrants."

"We thought it would be helpful for students to look into their own heritage, the reasons their ancestors decided to relocate to this country and when," Gerlach said.

Gerlach and fellow fourth-grade teachers Kathy Toulouse, Autumn Hall and Jeff Burke encouraged students to interview family members while also researching other immigrant groups. The planning for the project started back in August.

"They wrote a paper about either the contributions that immigrants made or about their motives for coming," Gerlach said, giving a glimpse of immigration through the ages.

The 107 students also created a "wax museum," where they dressed up and offered information on their own histories to parents who visited. Outfits ranged from native Polish wear to Indian garb, as well as sweaters knit in Ireland.

"Some students could trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower, and some students came as recently as last year or the year before," Gerlach said.

One classroom had a group of Somali children, who came to Glen Ellyn to escape persecution in their native country.

Another had a child with parents from Vietnam who moved away from religious discrimination.

Gerlach said one boy in her class was astonished to learn his family from Ireland came to America during the potato famine - something he had learned about in class.

"He was excited to make that connection between what he had studied in school and what he had found in his own family," Gerlach said.

Many of the children also seemed fascinated by Cuba, choosing to study it for their papers.

"I think they were astonished that a country that close to the United States could have that kind of troubled background," Gerlach said.

The teachers have talked about mapping out all the distinct heritages their students represent.

"The diversity was what surprised us the most," Gerlach said. "I think most nations were represented."