Cam, Kelsie, and Tommi

Lesson Plan-ONU Workshop

Early 20th Century Industrialism and Child Labor

  1. Standard and Theme Identified
  1. THEME-Regions and People of the Western Hemisphere
  2. STRAND- Economics
  3. TOPIC- Economic Decision Making Skills
  4. CONTENT STATEMENT- The choices people make have both present and future consequences.
  1. Grade Level
  1. 5
  1. Purpose, Background, and Context
  1. The primary purpose of this lesson is to position students to critically analyze economic decision making practices and the resulting present and future consequences of those decisions.
  1. Goals and Objectives:
  1. Students will engage in discovering common early 20th century child labor practices.
  2. Furthermore, students will compare and contrast those choices with contemporary child labor practices in other parts of the world.
  1. Materials:
  1. (picture A)
  2. Picture B
  3. Youtube child labor video
  4. Guided notes
  5. T-chart for listing work responsibilities at home
  6. Venn diagram for comparing past and current child labor practices
  7. Image questionnaires
  1. Procedure: 4 Days

Day One

  1. Modeling Exercise
  2. Divide students into teams and subgroups
  3. Distribute image (to choose later) and questionnaire
  4. Pairs will complete questionnaire in 10-15 minutes
  5. Pairs will then get together with their team and compare questionnaire within their team.
  6. Whole group discussion of the image and questionnaire.

Day Two

  1. Preview the Activity
  2. Divide students into teams of 3 or 4
  3. Provide each team with a graphic organizer, t-chart, web, etc.
  4. Group will brainstorm a list of chores or jobs they do at home.
  5. After each group comes up with a minimum of five jobs they will select one job that they want to act out.
  6. Groups will come up in front of the class and act out their job.
  7. Remainder of the students will guess the job they are performing.
  8. Instructor will create a master list of jobs on the dry erase board.
  9. After all groups have performed instructor will lead students in a discussion on compensation or lack compensation for their work and their working conditions.
  10. Students will make suggestions to improve those areas.

Day Three

  1. Picture A
  2. Repeat modeling procedure/exercise with picture A
  3. Teacher will lead a discussion on the child labor practices of early 20th century coalmining (PowerPoint) and students will complete guided notes. (Specifically, focusing on working conditions, practices, and why these choices were made.)
  1. Assign student writing activity-A day in the life of a child laborer (authentic journal/diary) Assessment
  2. Web brainstorm
  3. Write journal
  1. Extension and Adaptations
  2. Relate past child labor practices to current child labor practices in other parts of the world
  3. Have students take their right shoe off
  4. Create a master list of countries that manufactured their shoes
  5. Discussion child labor in contemporary times
  6. Show sweat shop video clip/use sweat image (who made your shirt video) youtube.com
  7. Divide students into a group and complete a venn diagram comparing past labor practice to current labor practices