Written in an engaging style, this comprehensive text prepares K-12 teachers to address a wide range of contemporary social issues--such as violence, gender, war, terrorism, child labor, censorship, and disabilities--through multicultural children's literature. Each chapter includes sample lessons plans designed to encourage critical and creative…

Discusses Milton Meltzer's recent contribution to historical nonfiction, "Cheap Raw Material," which documents the long, horrifying history of the ritualized abuse of children through child labor practices. Appends questions to stimulate student response to the book. (RS)

Contains learning activities dealing with child labor around 1908 and utilizing primary source documents for secondary U.S. history classes. Students read and discuss two oral accounts and analyze three photographs depicting child labor and working conditions in 1908. (AM)

Notes that writing can be a more effective tool for social studies learning if assignments require students to generate their own thoughts rather than restate someone else's ideas. Offers a two-day lesson on the reform of child labor practices during the English Industrial Revolution. A wide variety of writing activities are featured. (JDH)

Conveys the importance of teaching students about child labor, and the history surrounding it, through the use of literature; students learn about the problems of poverty and develop empathy for the children's plight. Gives a variety of examples along with summaries of each book and a list of class activities. (CMK)

Presents information on the participation of children in effecting change in their lives and their communities in The Concerned for Working Children rural project in Karnataka, India. Discusses the concept of a children's trade union and the nature of community participation in empowering children to lead self-reliant lives. (AIM)

This 3-lesson unit of study for grades 8-12 and adults considers the 250 million children who spend most of their day on the job, despite efforts to regulate or eliminate the practice of child labor. The unit focuses primarily on export-oriented businesses in the Americas. This focus serves as a starting point to understanding other forms of…

Presents four lessons focusing on the laws, institutions, programs, and policies affecting students as minors, the shifts in the policies toward children in industrial societies, examining the changing policies using primary and secondary sources, and forming arguments on the policies using historical evidence. Describes an additional comparative…

Focuses on the rights of youth in three articles: (1) "Equal Justice? Girls in the Juvenile Justice System"; (2) "Child Labor: An International Challenge"; and (3) "Should Minors Have Access to Violent Video Games?" Includes learning activities at the end of each article. (CMK)

Focuses on the use of trade books in the social studies classroom. Presents different trade books on human rights, child laborers, and different cultures for use with intermediate grade students. Includes lesson ideas for each topic and provides unit culminating activities. (CMK)

As the world embarks on a new millennium, the reality of child labor in developing and industrialized nations seems daunting. This teacher's guide is designed to introduce the subject of child labor to middle school students. The guide's intent is to provide teachers with ideas and suggestions that will help them in preparing their own lesson…

Describes a social studies unit for use in U.S. history courses or a class in contemporary social problems. Explores child labor in U.S. history and today. Includes questions, research, and discussion for small groups of students. Suggests that the unit helps students' view themselves as part of the learning process. (DK)

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to research and analyze primary source documents about early factory labor (mill workers during the period between 1840-1860) showing their hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. The lesson plan asks students to read a historical novel about the time,…

Discusses children's rights and the UN (United Nations) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Examines trends that relate to three rights of children (access to education, children and violence, and child health) and evidence of progress in establishing each right. Provides two model units that are linked to the NCSS (National Council for the…

Asserts that public policy analysis has a time-honored tradition in civics education. Provides a four-part teachers' rationale for including the study of child-labor legislation in social studies courses. Includes a five-part classroom format for teaching public policy analysis. (CFR)