Child Labor Lesson Plans

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 working conditions of children laborers. Use this lesson to reinforce the use of support and evidence in a persuasive essay.

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.

Fifth graders explore child labor and how children were exploited and used in the work place. In this Industrial Revolution lesson plan, 5th graders research child labor by reading, looking at photographs and drawing conclusions then sharing their ideas with the class. Students also compare and contrast laws today to those in 1915.

Students analyze Nebraska census data from 1920-2000 and compare child labor issues. In this child labor legislation lesson, students interpret data related to urban and rural settings. Students jigsaw readings ans present and compare their findings.

Students examine harsh conditions and expectations of the child laborers of the late 1800s and early 1900s in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, and write a one week journal as a child coal worker.

Students examine the plight of child laborers. In this photo analysis lesson, students use the attached worksheets to analyze photographs of child workers. Students discuss the working conditions and write letters to persuade Lewis Hines to take their selected photograph to a Congressional hearing.

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

Seventh graders determine how individuals played a role in the establishment of child labor laws. For this industrialization lesson, 7th graders investigate multimedia sources to study how individuals addressed the child labor issues of the 20th century.

Students 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.

Young scholars 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.