Lesson 5: Child Labor: A Long, Hard Look

Priscilla Kron

AHTC Summer Institute: 2008

 

 

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Abstract:

In this final lesson students will use their historical background and their knowledge of the current issue to create a group booklet in comic form.

 

Essential Questions/Enduring Understandings:

         •     What is the historical setting in the U. S. for child labor?

         •     What are some of the current problems related to child labor?

         •     To what extent is child labor prevalent in the U. S. and the world?

         •     What should childhood look like?

 

Assessment:

The students work in pairs to complete a class project. They will be graded according to a rubric.

 

Setting the Purpose:

Students will prepare for the final project by reviewing their knowledge of various aspects of child labor – the history, the problem, the current issue. Students will use software to create one page of a graphic booklet on the topic of child labor.

 

Duration:

3-5 class periods.

 

Procedure:

Part 1: Building Background

         •     Have a brief group discussion about the various sides of the issue of child labor – the history, the problem, its occurrence in the U. S. and other countries, and its alternatives. This serves as a summary of what has been covered so far.

 

Part 2: Explanation of the Project

               Using the software Comic Life by Plasq (or a similar type of design

               software), the students will create one page for a group booklet. They

               will follow a rubric, which includes a topic title, illustrations for their main

               points, and short verbal explanations that effectively describe their topic.

 

         •     Hand out the Project Rubric and explain the project and the

               expectations.

 

 

Part 3: Preparation for the Project

         •     Hand out a Project Plan page to each pair or small group of students.

               Explain the different pages and have pairs/groups choose the page they

               wish to work on. (Pages can be added as necessary, depending on

               numbers of students in the class.) Try to avoid duplication of issues,

               areas of the world, etc.

         •     Give the students class time to work with the group to formulate their ideas so that they have some thoughts down for the actual project.

 

Part 4: Creation of the Project

         •     Arrange to take students to a computer lab or to have laptops available for their use. Internet access will also be necessary.

         •     Have websites ready on a webpage for students to search for images as they prepare their page.  (These may be the sites referred to in this lesson or others found.) This simplifies the search process and prevents unknown hits.

         •     Remind students that images and words chosen should be powerful and carry an impact, as a comic book doesn’t allow for wordy text or many images.

         •     Students should refer to the rubric as they  prepare their page.          

         •     (If more time is available, students individually  or in pairs could be responsible for the entire booklet.)

 

Part 4: Sharing the Projects

         •     Students can view each others’ work by using the Export feature as they

                save.

 

 

Analysis of Primary Sources:

Students will use primary sources such as quotations and images as they prepare their comic page.

 

Attachments:

         •     Project Plan

         •     Project Rubric