Labor History Lesson Plans

Fourth graders see that the history of labor in the United States was greatly impacted by Wisconsin workers. They read an introduction and article about the labor history in Wisconsin and answer questions about Wisconsin's labor history while playing a game.

Students calculate how much coal they use based on their electric power usage. In this environmental science lesson, students trace the history of coal mining in US. They write a letter to USPS to encourage them to create coal mining stamps.

Students explore the tragedy of the coal miners camped outside the coal mines of Ludlow Colorado during the spring of 1914. They develop their skills in searching historic databases, retrieving primary source information, and asking critical questions of the content.

Sixth graders compare the information presented on the two charts with questions such as the following: What similarities and differences are there between the two sets of strikes?, What were the principal sources of conflict between management and labor in the period under consideration?, and What can the strikes tell us about differences in the national and state economies in the period under consideration?

Young scholars examine how how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good, and identify examples of where they fail to do so. They describe how workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they contribute to the production and exchange of goods and services. They create their own factory where paper airplanes are produced.

Students comprehend the related nature of all of these struggles, relevant chapters of the social sciences text America's Story. Students watch excerpts of PBS video documentaries covering the various civil rights movements.

Young scholars cite the importance of the steam engine, cotton gin and steel making process. They describe conditions in cities due to increased industrialization. They explain how the living and working conditions led to the development of labor unions.

Students explore economics by listening to a labor history lecture. In this labor union lesson, students identify the importance of workers uniting in order to receive better pay and benefits. Students answer study questions based on the lecture and define a list of labor history vocabulary terms.

Students describe places using language that is as vivid as possible. They will examine the writer's craft in describing a place by reading and discussing "Resurrecting the Miner's World." They will then revise their descriptive pieces using the article as a model. Students exchange papers and draw the place that one of their classmates has described.

Young scholars explore the significance of Labor Day. In this Labor Day lesson, students research Internet sources to study the history behind the holiday. Young scholars discuss labor union history and simulate a public hearing regarding the proposal of an 8-hour work day.