Learners examine the history of celebrating Labor Day and discuss the important role blue-collar workers play in the country's economy. After discussion, they create a cube displaying drawings of various jobs they admire. Panels of cube...

Get your class working on the railroad with this detailed and interactive activity. After reading and discussing Ten Mile Day, learners explore division of labor, human capital, and productivity with a hands-on group activity in which...

When your upper elementary class returns in the fall, have them identify and define the beginnings of the labor movement and Labor Day in the United States. They thoughtfully reflect on changes that have occurred in the way we think...

Third graders complete various activities pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day. They conduct research and complete writing and art activities on the...

Download a reading and have learners follow along on a transcript about Labor Day. A series of worksheets follow that include matching, filling in blanks, and unscrambling word spellings. An online multiple choice activity is also...

Students consider the role of women in the food industry. In this gender exploitation lesson, students work in groups to examine unfair labor practices. Students watch a video and write a fictional letter from a female laborer. This...

Students analyze the work of auto industry labor unions. In this labor unions instructional activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on the details of various sit-down strikes. Students respond to...

Teens explore economics by listening to a labor history lecture and an excerpt from Looking Backward, by Edward Bellamy. A detailed outline is provided for the lecture, along with follow up and assessment questions. In groups, they...

Students examine child labor laws. In this social justice lesson, students compare and contrast child labor laws of the United States and the state of Nebraska. Students research primary sources and complete the included analysis...

Students study the math concepts associated with the calendar including days of the week, months of the year, odd/even numbers and numbers which come before and after. They use handheld computers with the appropriate software.

An investigation of the 1911 New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire leads class members to examine primary and secondary source materials related to the event and apply what they learn about the working conditions at the time to...

A five-day lesson on getting and keeping a job; what could be more beneficial to a young adult? They'll discuss how to locate a job, pick up and fill out an application, and nail the all important job interview. Resume writing,...

Students 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.

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 research the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. In this labor reform lesson, students research the fire and write a newspaper article report from the perspective of the time. Students evaluate the perspective of the workers and create...

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...

Students make their own maple sugar and learn about how it is made on a grander scale. In this maple sugar lesson, students make their own maple sugar and learn about evaporation and what labor is put into making it.

Students explore Grandparents' Day. They interview their grandparents and select an activity to highlight their interview. They select a project including writing an essay, composing a song, creating a poem or scrapbook, or writing a...

To raise awareness and understanding of modern-day slavery, class groups research the various forms of slavery, including human trafficking, read and reflect on case studies, and design a plan of action for their community.

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.

Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...

Students read about a boy's first day in a new school. For this self-esteem lesson, students discuss the problems Chico has in his new school and how he faces them with courage and bravery. Students discuss people who migrate from other...

Students watch a Flash presentation on students working in agriculture in this lesson which is part of a unit. They compare and contrast the experience to their own. Unit links are on this lesson page.

The tenant farming and sharecropping systems that developed in the South after the Civil War, the reasons for their development, and the eventual decline of these systems are the focus of this two-day plan.