Stop the Presses: The Newsies Strike out against Child Labor!
Medea E. Lamberti-Sanchez
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Prologue
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In 1899, the streets of New York City echoed with the voices of newsies, peddling the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst and other giants of the newspaper world. On every street corner you saw 'em, carrying the banner, bringing you the news for a penny a pape. Poor orphans and run aways, the newsies were a ragged army, without a leader, until one day when all that changed" (Newsies, the Movie, 1992)
Extra, Extra!! The Newsies strike out against Child Labor: Read all about it!
Stop the Presses: The Newsies strike out against Child Labor
will be a month-long, reading and writing unit designed for middle school students, grades five through eight, but may be adapted to fit high school curriculum for students in grades nine through twelve. The unit will discuss, research, read, and write about the topic of child labor in America at the turn of the century, two to three times per week, using a variety of resources that will include the performing arts (music, visual arts, theatre) as well as the literature and information pieces that will help build upon prior knowledge of the topic. This unit will appeal to students who are auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and linguistic learners because they will be researching the topic, writing about the topic, role-playing, and viewing multiple resources surrounding the conflict in order to heighten their engagement with the topic. By using multiple resources, the students will be more excited to learn more about child labor and the influence of "big money powers." It is the intent of the unit that student discourse will be generated, connections will be made with the text, and room for interpretations will be generated.
