Learners create song lyrics celebrating the history of labor unions serving the entertainment industry, then create posters illustrating the importance of each union to the industry they represent.

Long before modern labor unions, guilds worked to ensure that workers had a fair wage. But, in medieval Europe, they also cooperated with the government. Using a simulation and primary source analysis, young scholars become hatters in...

Young historians will explore the complex causes and effects of industrialization in China by perusing the numerous articles included in this webpage. Throughout the resource, there are many writing and discussion prompts to help direct...

Students compose a statement of basic rights to protect their own health and well-being. They research the history, power and purpose of unions in the United States before creating their own union to promote the interests of students.

Students identify and assess the impact of unions on workers, management, and community. They listen to radio stories, students are asked what can they conclude about the impact of unions on the lives of the workers, management, and...

Students discover labor issues of the 1800's.  In this Pennsylvanian history lesson, students research the case of Mary Harris Jones and discover her work as a labor activist.  Students discuss the case together in class.

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 explore foreign cultures by reading a story in class. In this Hispanic history lesson, students read the story Radio Man by Arthur Dorros and identify the times discrimination is used in the story. Students discuss labor...

President John F. Kennedy bought 1,200 Cuban cigars the night before he enacted the Cuban trade embargo in 1962. Should the United States maintain the embargo? Using the website, pupils explore the topic to prepare for a class debate or...

Middle schoolers read about the history of Labor Day in a newspaper article. They discuss difficulties American employees of the past had to face, learn about labor rallies, and conduct Internet research. Part of the intention of this...

Middle schoolers research the growth of unions due to issues related to the Lattimer Massacre. They research primary source documents and create posters, skits and role plays.

High schoolers examine the general events of the Homestead strike through reading comprehension of a one-page synopsis. They locate the events of the Homestead Strike. Comprehend multiple perspectives of the reasons, relationships and...

Students examine a situation of striking workers in Los Angeles. They answer questions related to the story. They also interview people involved if time allows.

Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...

Students analyze documents of miners and identify their working conditions.  In this industrial revolution instructional activity students view documents and photographs of miners and discuss their conditions and what some possible...

Students explore U.S. History by analyzing the Great Depression. In this economic instability instructional activity, students read fictitious accounts of a farm dealing with the loss of a Strawberry Farm and discuss the reasons behind...

Students divide into small groups and study one of the three union flyers. Groups share their findings with the whole class and clarify unfamiliar vocabulary terms.

CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...