Lesson 3: Children at Work: Child Labor and the Law

Priscilla Kron

AHTC Summer Institute: 2008

 

 

Abstract:

In this lesson students will analyze a document related to child labor laws. They will also discuss the role of the government and the constitution in making those laws.

 

Essential Questions/Enduring Understandings:

         •     What was done to control child labor?

         •     Who should control child labor?

         •     What role should the government have in controlling child labor?

         •     What role did the U. S. Constitution have in controlling child labor?

 

Assessment:

The students will complete a document analysis form for a government t law. The teacher will also assess the students’ participation in a class discussion.

 

Setting the Purpose:

Students will write a brief warm-up about who should control child labor based on their feelings after the previous day’s photos. This will lead into an activity and a discussion related to the issue of control of child labor. The activity and discussion in this lesson will lead into a lesson on child labor today.

 

Duration:

One class period.

 

Procedure:

Part 1: Building Background

         •     Display an overhead of one of the previous day’s photos of child labor.

         •     Ask students to write in their response journals about how they believe

               child labor should be controlled.

 

Part 2: Document Analysis

         •     Show students a transparency of the original Keating-Owen Act  to let

               them see how it appears in the Congressional Record, giving some

               background information that is available at OurDocuments.gov.

         •     Put students into pairs and give each student a Document Analysis

               Form.

         •     Give each pair of students a copy of the modified Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 for analysis. The transcribed document is available at:

                        • OurDocuments.gov

 

Part 3: Note Taking

         •     On the back of the document analysis form, have the students take

               notes on the outcome of the Keating-Owen Act also taken from the

               background given at Our Documents. These notes should include

               the overruling by the Supreme Court based on the Constitution and

               intertstate commerce, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938,

               which finally ensured federal protection of children.

 

Part 4: Exit Slip

         •     In the final few minutes of the class, hand out the Exit Slip for students

               to complete.

         •     Collect the exit slips from the students as they leave the class.

 

Analysis of Primary Sources:

Students will use a document analysis form to respond to the primary source

in the lesson.

 

Attachments:

         •     Document Analysis Form

         •     Modified Keating-Owen Act document

         •     Original Keating-Owen Act photo

         •     Exit Slip