Child Labor Teacher Resources

Young scholars investigate child labor during the Great Depression. In this US policy lesson, students evaluate multiple layers of the social, economic, and political affects of policy during the Great Depression. Young scholars will...

Working in groups, middle and high schoolers describe and discuss photographs depicting working conditions experienced by child laborers in the 19th century. They then write a persuasive paragraph supporting an amendment to regulate the...

Tenth graders, after reading two excerpts about contemporary child labor situations, discuss two broad questions in detail along with the industrial boom following the Civil War conditions in the United States. They investigate how the...

The Industrial Revolution: long hours, low pay, and unsafe conditions. An eye-opening activity explores the darker side of industry and exposes the realities of child labor with photos. Scholars view four photos from the famous...

While the Industrial Revolution may have fueled America's rise to the top of world markets, the child laborers often faced dangerous conditions. Using primary source images and other information, scholars consider what these children...

America sure did have a few growing pains during the Industrial Revolution. Share the problems, causes, effects, and reformation that marked the turn of the century and shift in policy during US industrialization. This slide show...

Fifth graders research topic of child labor by studying Industrial Revolution, read about child labor laws, and examine countries where child labor still exists today. They then choose single question to research from list, and create...

A day off from work to celebrate...labor? Find out why on the first Monday of every September, Americans and Canadians celebrate Labor Day. Viewers will learn about the unique history of the first Labor Day, in which workers not only...

Fifth graders explore child labor and how children were exploited and used in the work place. In this Industrial Revolution lesson, 5th graders research child labor by reading, looking at photographs and drawing conclusions...

Students analyze the growth of America from the 1880's-1920's. In this Industrialization era lesson, students use primary resources from the time period to investigate child labor, and determine the contribution of children to the...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. For this child labor lesson, students examine the issue of child labor and determine how citizen action prompted...

Have class members eager to enter the workforce? They'll be glad to learn that things aren't how they used to be. Have your young historians examine then discuss four primary source images related to the negative effects of...

One of the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution was the advent of child labor. Discover the good deeds and law making powers held by Lord Shaftesbury. Each slide describes his life and his contributions to child welfare,...

Students make discoveries about the child laborer through a selection of readings. They make connections between the website readings of the child laborers' personal stories and the images that they saw in the previous lesson.

Imagine a day in the life of a child who has to work 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week. After viewing images and reading stories of child laborers, class members select an image and write a richly detailed narrative about a typical...

Safety first! Safety first! A short video and a PowerPoint presentation introduce job seekers to child labor law awareness, safety standards, and ways to reduce workplace injuries. Class members first take a short workplace...

Learners examine the child labor laws of the present and past. They discover how technology added to the problem of child labor during the Industrial Revolution. They read articles about how other countries deal with this problem.

Fifth graders investigate the history of child labor that is found in America. They use a variety of resources to conduct research. Students create cause and effect arguments using the information that is found. They also compare and...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this child labor lesson, students examine photograhs by Lewis Hines and discuss the implications of child labor in America.

Attempting to address Standard 10.3 (the effects of the Industrial Revolution), this presentation falls short and isn't a helpful resource. It contains some good information about the emergence of a middle class during this time, but...

Students explore what life was like during the Industrial Revolution.  In this United States History lesson, students analyze a specific job then complete a webquest about that job.  Once their research is complete, students...

Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.

Wes Magee's poem "The Chimney Boy's Story" about chimney sweeps/climbing boys is used as an introduction to a lesson that asks groups to research child labor in Victorian Britain. 

Young scholars examine the topic of child labor in history. They discuss jobs that children their age would have done before child labor laws. They decide on an action to take on Labor Day to share what they have learned with others.