Lesson 3: Child Labor
Choose Activity A or B below. You must complete one or both.
Here are the rubrics (linked) for both Activity A & B.
Activity A: Letter to child
Visit each of the following links to learn facts about Child Labor during the Industrial Revolution. Have a piece of paper handy to jot down some notes about topics like: types of work, how much they were paid, hours of work, treatment of children, and reasons kids went to work instead of school.
1. A History of Child Labor
2. The Story of My Cotton Dress
3. Child Labor in America pictures from The Atlantic
4. Weight of Factory Children chart
Write a letter:
Using the information you've learned on the sites above, imagine you are an adult and your niece (Jenny) or your nephew (Johnny) works in one of these jobs (coal mine or textile factory, for example) back in the 1800s. Pretending to be a concerned aunt or uncle, share your worries for Jenny's/Johnny's safety and well-being and address your concerns directly from the facts you learned from the sites above (3 facts must be included and addressed in your letter/role-play). Also, include BK you have gathered during this unit to provide context in your letter. You may respond through a 7-10 sentence letter (to the child, boss, or lawmakers) or through a role-play in front of Mrs. Harris.
1. A History of Child Labor
2. The Story of My Cotton Dress
3. Child Labor in America pictures from The Atlantic
4. Weight of Factory Children chart
Write a letter:
Using the information you've learned on the sites above, imagine you are an adult and your niece (Jenny) or your nephew (Johnny) works in one of these jobs (coal mine or textile factory, for example) back in the 1800s. Pretending to be a concerned aunt or uncle, share your worries for Jenny's/Johnny's safety and well-being and address your concerns directly from the facts you learned from the sites above (3 facts must be included and addressed in your letter/role-play). Also, include BK you have gathered during this unit to provide context in your letter. You may respond through a 7-10 sentence letter (to the child, boss, or lawmakers) or through a role-play in front of Mrs. Harris.
Activity B: Comparison to Child Labor Today
Did you know that child labor still exists today? Did you know it even exists here in the United States? I'm not talking about working a few hours a week at McDonald's either. There are kids today who work long hours in terrible conditions instead of going to school.
In this activity, you will complete a Venn Diagram that compares child workers back in the Industrial Revolution to child workers today. You should get a good understanding of child labor in the IR from the these links first.
Child Labor in the past:
Here are the resources for you to develop background knowledge on child labor today:
Complete a Venn Diagram either ONLINE by using this website or by printing a Venn Diagram here. Compare/contrast categories might include: schooling, details of work, punishments, hours of work, type of jobs, family life, pay, etc.
**When you are finished,answer this question: "If you had to be an exploited child worker today or back in the IR, which would you choose and WHY?"
Submit both your Venn Diagram and your statement to Mrs. Harris.
In this activity, you will complete a Venn Diagram that compares child workers back in the Industrial Revolution to child workers today. You should get a good understanding of child labor in the IR from the these links first.
Child Labor in the past:
Here are the resources for you to develop background knowledge on child labor today:
- Child Labor Public Education Project
- Eight Child Labor Facts
- Who are child workers?
- Made in the USA video
Complete a Venn Diagram either ONLINE by using this website or by printing a Venn Diagram here. Compare/contrast categories might include: schooling, details of work, punishments, hours of work, type of jobs, family life, pay, etc.
**When you are finished,answer this question: "If you had to be an exploited child worker today or back in the IR, which would you choose and WHY?"
Submit both your Venn Diagram and your statement to Mrs. Harris.