Teaching students about Labor Day
For more than 100 years the United States has been celebrating Labor Day. Whether your school start date falls before or after the holiday, you have the chance to teach students that Labor Day is about more than just long weekends and end of summer trips. Many of the protections and benefits we enjoy today, including child labor laws, were hard won by workers risking loss of employment, jail time and even violent assault. Here are 5 resources to help you teach students what Labor Day is all about.
1. Labor History Lesson Plans
The American Labor Studies Center offers a variety of lesson plans and activities for students covering:
- The history of child labor in America
- Labor and civil rights
- Heroes of American labor
- Sweatshops then and now
See the full list of resources here.
2. Interactive Site About Pivotal Triangle Factory Fire
Cornell University offers an interactive website chronicling one of the turning points in labor history: The Triangle Factory Fire in New York City. The site includes:
- Historical photos
- Audio interviews with survivors of the fire
- A timeline of events
- Further resources for research
Visit the website for more information.
3. Brief Audio History of the Labor Movement
In just under six minutes NPR provides a quick recap of the early days of the labor movement, providing a jumping off point for conversations with students.
4. Workers Compensation
High school students in Houston, Texas created this 10-minute documentary on the history of workers compensation that you can use in the classroom or assign students to view. Warning: Some historical images may not be suitable for younger students.
5. Full Resources from NEA
The NEA has an abundance of resources covering both the background of Labor Day, labor history, as well as links to lesson plans. Check it out.
