A PROJECT SAVE WEB QUEST

Child Labor During the Gilded Age

Patria Mirabal Middle School

Javier Amador

mr.amador.esl@gmail.com

Introduction:

During the Age of Industrialization in the1800s and early 1900s, many companies in the United States used children as cheap labor in their factories, farms and other work places. Working hours were long and conditions were often unsafe, and in many cases these workers were hurt or even killed as a result. Many reformers of the era wanted to bring about changes that would improve the lives of all factory workers, and especially children. These reformers urged changes that were viewed by many people of the time as very radical and dangerous to society. There was strong opposition to their goals and objectives.

Imagine you are a staff member for a member of Congress in the late 19^th century. You report to your Representative information that may be useful for future law. Recently there have been many complaints about working conditions in the nation’s new factories. You are asked to develop a report for Congress on these issues and conditions. To do so may help people understand the policies being followed and can bring about a change in the attitudes of people and maybe even change society! Good luck on your project and presentation..

Task:

Your objective for your group is to do research into the nature of the problem of child labor and create a PowerPoint presentation to inform your class about the issues faced by child laborers in the United States during the Age of Industrialization. You will use this information to describe these conditions, identify public policies and options available at the time, and explain if this issue was effectively addressed. You will use the American History Public Policy Analyst to guide you. Remember that you are researching conditions and policies that were used during the 19^th century and not what you think should have been or ought to have been changed.

Process:

Working in groups of four you and your group will use the Worksheet Handouts to gather and analyze your data. You will then produce a PowerPoint slide show to present your findings to the class. You will also hand the Worksheet Handouts to me for evaluation. Your grade will depend on the completion of the Worksheets and the quality of your slide presentation. You can look at the rubric below to know how your project will be evaluated.

The PowerPoint Presentation:

Slide 1: Show title and group members.

Slide 2: Define the problem. Use Worksheet 1 to help you clarify the issue.

Slide 3: Show the evidence proving your view of the problem. Use this guide to gather

your evidence. Use Worksheet 2 to help you simplify the process.

Slide 4: Identify the causes of this problem. Use this page to help you research causes and

fill out Worksheet 3 to simplify the process.

Slide 5: Show and evaluate 3 policies that were used to deal with this problem. Use this

page to help you with this part of the project and fill out Worksheet 4 to help you

organize your notes in this section.

Slide 6: Identify one possible reoccurrence of this problem in present day United States

and compare and contrast with one present day issue and policy aimed at solving

it. Use Worksheet 7 to document your findings.

Slide 7: Cite your sources using MLA Citation Style. Use this MLA page to see

examples.

Resources: Use these resources to help you get started with your research. Since the number of these resources is limited, you are required to look at other sources for your information.

The History Place: Child Labor in America

Child Labor in US History

Child Labor in Factories

Samuel Slater and Child Labor

Wikipedia: Child Labor

Evaluation:

Your work will be graded according to a rubric. Be sure to monitor your work and check if it meets the requirements outlined in that rubric.

Evaluation Rubric

Performance	Excellent 4	Very Good 3	Fair 2	Poor 1
Worksheets	All worksheets are thoroughly completed, demonstrating an excellent understanding of the problem, its causes and the resulting public policy.	Most worksheets (3+) are completed, demonstrating a good understanding of the problem, its causes and the resulting public policy.	Some worksheets (2+) are completed, demonstrating a fair understanding of the problem, its causes, and the resulting public policy.	Few worksheets (less than 3) are completed, demonstrating a poor understanding of the problem, its causes, and the resulting public policy.
Visual Presentation	PowerPoint presentation shows a deep understanding of the issue and greatly engages the audience with rich text and graphics.	PowerPoint presentation shows a good understanding of the issue and engages the audience interesting text and graphics.	PowerPoint presentation shows a fair understanding of the issue and mildly engages the audience limited text and graphics.	PowerPoint presentation shows a poor understanding of the issue and it doesn’t engage the audience because of poor text and lack of graphics.
Oral Presentation	Orators speak very clearly, while involving all group members and maintaining audience attention.	Orators speak clearly, while involving all group members and maintaining audience attention.	Orators speak somewhat clearly, while involving all group members and maintaining some audience interest.	Orators do not speak clearly, nor do they involve all group members and don’t keep the interest of the audience.
Organization	Information, group work and oral presentation are extremely well integrated.	Information, group work, and oral presentation are well integrated.	Information, group work, and oral presentation are somewhat integrated.	Information, group work and oral presentation are poorly integrated. Final product lacks clarity.

Conclusion:

You should have demonstrated from this web quest understanding about

A) the problems faced by child laborers during the Age of Industrialization in the United States.

B) the laws and policies covering the rights of child labor in the United States

C) how to use internet resources to make an effective presentation.

D) the importance of using the American History Public Policy Analyst (AHPPA) to

examine how socioeconomic problems are solved.

Standards Addressed: Social Studies

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

Standards Addressed: English Language Arts

STANDARD 2 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression. Students will read and listen to oral, written and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

STANDARD 3 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

STANDARD 4 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.