Mrs. Sarah Schultheis Grade 8 Social Studies Chittenango Middle School schultheiss@ccs.cnyric.org

During the early 1900s, American factories were dangerous places to work. While many American workers organized to improve their working conditions, terrible disasters still occurred. The most infamous factory disaster occurred at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City on March 25, 1911.

President William Howard Taft has asked you to serve as his special advisor on a committee created to investigate the tragic fire that occurred at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. He is expecting you to report on the possible causes of the fire, problems within the factory that contributed to the tragic events, and possible solutions to prevent a future disaster of this nature. Your discoveries are to be displayed on an informational tri-fold poster board.

1) Working in pairs, you will research will the following topics:

•Causes of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

•Factors within the factory that contributed to the disaster

2) You and your partner will join another pair to create a committee of four. Your committee of four will be required to develop recommendations to prevent future factory disasters.

Your discoveries and recommendations will be presented to President Taft in an oral presentation using a tri-fold poster board.

3) Use the American History Public Policy Analyst as the basis of your investigation.

4) Use the following four worksheets to guide your gathering of information.

Worksheet 1 – Define the Social Problem

Worksheet 2 – Gather the Evidence

Worksheet 3 – Determine the Causes

Worksheet 4 – Evaluate the Policy

Use the following website links to gather your information:

Cornell University

National Public Radio (NPR)

YouTube Video

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial

The following rubric will be used to evaluate your work:

	Exemplary 4	Accomplished 3	Proficient 2	Insufficient 1	Score
Content	Information is completely accurate, comprehensive, and carefully selected to meet the needs of the project.	Information is mostly accurate and comprehensive and contains few extraneous details.	Information is somewhat accurate and comprehensive. Contains extraneous detail.	Little or no accurate information is provided.
Organization	All materials and information are well organized, clearly and logically presented.	Most materials and information demonstrate organization, clarity, and logic.	Some materials and information demonstrate organization or clarity or logic.	Materials poorly organized with little or no attention to clarity or logic.
Poster Board	Grammar, spelling and word usage are correct and contribute to clarity and style.	Minimal errors in grammar, spelling and word usage.	Frequent repetitive errors.	Major errors that interfere with communication.
Punctuality	Poster board is completed by the deadline.	Poster board is turned in one day late.	Poster board is turned in two days late.	Poster board is turned in more than three days late.
Cooperation	Group members cooperated extremely well, completing required tasks	Group members cooperated well, and completing required tasks	Group members cooperated with some difficulties, but completed required tasks	Group members cooperated poorly, but completed required tasks

By working on this project you have learned about the factors that contributed to one of the worst factory disasters in American history, and developed possible reforms that would prevent another accident of this nature.

You have also experienced the importance of a “Public Policy Analyst”. It is this profession that analyzes critical social problems and formulates innovative policies that improve all our lives.

This Web quest addresses to the followings curriculum NYS Social Studies and ELA standards:

SOCIAL STUDIES

Standard 1 - History of the United States and New York: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Standard 1 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

Standard 4 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.