Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.
Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.
Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, through discussion and research, students will explore the ramifications of the modern slave trade.
Elyse Fischer, The New York Times Learning Network
Suggested Time Allowance: 1 Hour
1. Reflect upon the notion of modern day slavery and what it means for young people around the globe.
2. Explore the modern day slave trade through reading and discussing “What It Takes To Stop Slavery.”
3. Define and discuss historic and current instances of slave or forced labor.
4. Articulate their thoughts and feelings about modern slavery and forced labor in a round-table discussion.
5. Research the specific programs to address slavery and forced labor set up by the International Labor Organization.
Resources / Materials:
-copies of “What It Takes To Stop Slavery” (one per student)
-classroom research materials (global history textbooks, encyclopedias, reference materials on countries with histories of slavery and slave trade, computers with Internet access)
Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM UP/DO NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following questions, written on the board prior to class: Do you believe that slavery still exists in the world today? If so, where? What kind of labor do you think slaves perform? What do you think children need to grow up happy and healthy?
Students may share their answers.
2. As a class, read and discuss “What It Takes To Stop Slavery,” focusing on the following questions:
a. What happened to the children reported to be on a slave ship off the coast of Benin?
b. What has been one result of the publicity surrounding the ship?
c. How does Beth Herzfeld of Anti-Slavery International define “slave”?
d. Using the definition of slave cited in the article, how many people are enslaved today?
e. What was the trans-Atlantic slave trade? How long did it last?
f. How does the number of people enslaved today compare to the estimated number of people forced into labor by the trans-Atlantic slave trade?
g. In what types of occupations do many of the 250 million children who are providing cheap or free labor around the world work?
h. Why are “today’s peddlers of servitude” seeking out “not the strong, but the weak: women and children”?
i. The article mentions several reasons why a society might be moved to take action against “a social or political evil, an industrial danger or even the potential for natural catastrophe.” What are some of the reasons outlined in the article?
j. Why was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire a significant moment in United States labor history?
k. How did the recent stampede at a soccer match in South Africa change laws there?
l. What did the most recent earthquake in India prompt calls for?
m. According to the article, do calamities always bring about the call for change?
n. How did the official reaction to the factory fires in New York (the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory) and recently in Bangladesh differ?
o. The article cites examples of individuals making a difference. What are some of these examples?
p. What does Juan Somavia, the director general of the International Labor Organization believe is the most important factor in bringing about change in the use of forced and slave labor?
q. What is market activism?
r. How has grass roots activism brought about changes in the child slave trade in West Africa?
3. Write the definition of slavery used in this article on the board. It should remain there throughout the class period.
“…A slave is someone forced to work under physical or mental threat, and where the owner or employer controls the person completely – where a person is bought or sold. …it includes restrictions on freedom of movement, no pay or very little [pay] and no say over hours, holidays or rest.”
As a class, discuss the definition. Students may add to or amend the definition. Using an agreed upon definition, students provide current or historic examples of slavery.
4. In a roundtable format, discuss the following questions: (Students should be encouraged to support their statements with specific examples whenever possible.)
–Were you aware that slavery exists in the world today? If you were not aware of modern day slavery, what do you think inhibited your awareness? If you were aware of modern day slavery, how did you gain this awareness?
–Why do you think slavery exists today?
–What does it take to stop slavery?
–Think about your daily routine. Do any of the things that you do every single day (get dressed, walk over a rug, drink juice, drive in a car, etc.) have any impact on slavery? (Teachers may choose to be very specific or very general here. Some students may realize that it is possible that the very clothes that they are wearing may have been manufactured in a factory that uses forced labor.)
–Do you think that forced labor exists in the United States of America?
–What can you do individually or as a group to stop slavery?
5. WRAP UP/HOMEWORK: Individually or in groups, students research the campaigns of the International Labor Organization to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in one of the following nations or areas: El Salvador, Nepal, Tanzania and West Africa. (These are the places in which the ILO is initiating programs.) Students should respond to the following in their research (written on the board for students to copy before leaving class):
-Why are these programs needed?
-In what kind of conditions must the children work?
-What kind of work must the children do?
-Where do the children come from?
When research is completed, students re-visit and continue the day’s discussion, incorporating their new knowledge of ILO’s programs in their responses.
Further Questions for Discussion:
–Why do you think slavery still exists? Support your answer.
–Do you believe that forced labor exists in any form in the United States? Support your answer.
–Were you surprised when you read this article? Why or why not?
–Do you think that you have a personal responsibility to not use any products that were manufactured with forced labor? Why or why not?
Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated upon written journal response, participation in class discussions and research on an ILO.
speculation, outcrop, phenomenon, enslaved, disposable, trans-Atlantic, vulnerable, peddler, servitude, conceal, catastrophe, catalyst, transforming, toxic, contamination, trafficking, stampede, fault line, globalization, callousness, corruption, land mine, parallel, leverage, abduction, spiriting
1. Create an illustrated timeline of American labor reform laws from 1911 to the present. Include catalyzing events, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
2. Imagine you are interviewing either Diana, Princess of Wales, Youssou N’Dour or Mechai Viravaidya about the issues that they have brought to the forefront of world or local attention. Write up the transcript of the interview. Make sure to research both the person and the issue so that your questions and answers are substantive and well thought out.
3. Examine the clothing that you are wearing. What companies manufactured it? Where was it made? Using the Internet, research the companies’ whose clothing you wear. Have they been accused of using forced or child labor? Write a letter to the head of one of the companies that you have researched either in support or against the company’s manufacturing process.
4. Create an ad campaign to raise awareness of modern day slavery among your peers. Choose images and words carefully to ensure that they read and internalize your advertisement. You may choose to highlight those products or services that they use that may have an impact on the global slave trade.
5. What have young people done to combat forced child labor? Research an organization that was founded by young people to work for the rights of young people. Write a plan to start a branch of that organization in your community or an organization of your own.
Economics- Research the economic impact of low wage or no-wage workers on developing economies. What kind of impact would reducing the number of children or enslaved adults have on the economy of the nation? What kind of plans are already in place to do so? Write a report on your research. Include any suggestions you have for reducing the number of forced laborers and creating a healthy economy.
History- Write a biographical sketch of Frances Perkins. How do you think she would react to this article?
Language Arts- Read a fictionalized account of forced child labor. Write a letter to your teacher either suggesting the book or story for inclusion in the curriculum or suggesting that it be removed from the curriculum. Support your position.
Mathematics- Represent the number 27,000,000 in a way that your peers understand how enormous a number it is. (For instance, you may use a model, you may use a comparison, you may draw a picture, etc.)
Teaching with The Times- Read how the New York Times covered each of the catalyzing events mentioned in the article. Compare the coverage of national and international stories. Compare the coverage of earlier events with more current events.
Other Information on the Web:
International Child Labor Program (http://www.dol.gov/dol/ilab/public/programs/ICLP/) is a program from the United States Department of Labor.
Web Directory: Internet Resources on Child Labor (http://www.natlconsumersleague.org/kidlabur.htm) provides links to national and international organizations and programs.
Academic Content Standards:
Historical Understanding Standard 2- Understands the historical perspective. Benchmarks: Understands that specific individuals and the values those individuals held had an impact on history; Analyzes the influence specific ideas and beliefs had on a period of history; Analyzes the effects specific decisions had on history; Understands that historical accounts are subject to change based on newly uncovered records and interpretations; Knows different types of primary and secondary sources and the motives, interests, and bias expressed in them
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’6-8’, ‘hu2’)
Geography Standard 4- Understands the physical and human characteristics of place. Benchmarks: Knows the human characteristics of places; Knows how places and regions serve as cultural symbols; Knows the ways in which culture influences the perception of places and regions
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’6-8’, ‘geo1’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences; Writes compositions that speculate on problems/solutions
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’6-8’, ’1’)
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses a variety of resource materials to gather information for research topics; Determines the appropriateness of an information source for a research topic
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’6-8’, ’4’)
Language Arts Standard 8- Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmarks: Plays a variety of roles in group discussions; Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas; Listens in order to understand a speaker’s topic, purpose, and perspective; Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discussed
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’6-8’, ’8’)
Historical Understanding Standard 2- Understands the historical perspective. Benchmarks: Analyzes the values held by specific people who influenced history and the role their values played in influencing history; Analyzes the influences specific ideas and beliefs had on a period of history and specifies how events might have been different in the absence of those ideas and beliefs; Analyzes the effects specific decisions had on history and studies how things might have been different in the absence of those decisions; Understands that the consequences of human intentions are influenced by the means of carrying them out; Knows how to avoid seizing upon particular lessons of history as cures for present ills; Analyzes how specific historical events would be interpreted differently based on newly uncovered records and/or information; Understands how the past affects our private lives and society in general; Knows how to perceive past events with historical empathy; Knows how to evaluate the credibility and authenticity of historical sources; Evaluates the validity and credibility of different historical interpretations
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’9-12’, ‘hu2’)
Geography Standard 4- Understands the physical and human characteristics of place. Benchmarks: Knows how social, cultural, and economic processes shape the features of place; Understands why places have specific physical and human characteristics in different parts of the world; Understands why places and regions are important to individual human identity and as symbols for unifying or fragmenting society; Understands how individuals view places and regions on the basis of their stage of life, sex, social class, ethnicity, values, and belief systems; Knows ways in which people’s changing views of places and regions reflect cultural change
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’9-12’, ‘geo1’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes comositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes persuasive compositions
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’9-12’, ’1’)
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses a variety of news sources to gather information for research topics; Determines the validity and reliability of primary and secondary source information and uses information accordingly in reporting on a research topic
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’9-12’, ’4’)
Language Arts Standard 8- Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmark: Asks questions as a way to broaden and enrich classroom discussions
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’9-12’, ’8’)