Introduction:

"Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. ... The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union of New York City sought to create 'a day off for the working citizens.' Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, two months after the May Day Riots of 1894. May 4 was chosen to remember the Haymarket Affair. ... Today, Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest and parades."

"Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. ... Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. ... However, of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, as early as July 24 in many urban districts..." Wikipedia

Lessons Plans:

• Learn about Labor Day with this lesson
  
• Here's a collection of occupational poems
  
• This lesson looks at occupations in geography
  
• This idea is called "When I Grow Up..." and is about students' future occupations
  
• In this brief idea, students paint a picture of what they want to be
  
• This lesson answers the question "What Is Work?" from a scientific point of view
  
• Part of this lesson is on jobs in aviation
  
• This in-depth lesson is on Cesar Chavez and his work to help migrant farm workers
  
• This lesson is on helping and looks at jobs in the classroom
  
• This is a graphic organizer that students use to research corporate companies and benefits
  

• This idea uses the book Carpenter, Carpenter, What Do You See as a career exploration tool
  
• In this lesson, students build a web while exploring the correlation between different careers in the workforce
  
• This is a five-day unit on helping a teen find, get and keep a job
  
• In "Community Helpers," students draw and write about their future occupation and how they will help the community
  
• This is a bingo vocabulary game about people who provide service in a community
  
• Here career exploration results in a PowerPoint including educational and job requirements, a mentor interview and possibly a job site tour
  
• These are Job Readiness and College Preparation Workshops and handouts:
  • SMART Goals, Resumes and Cover Letters
    
  • Interviewing Skills Training
    
  • Preparing and Paying for Higher Education and the College Lifestyle
    
  • References and Additional Resources
    
• Students research how technological changes impact employment opportunities in the computer field in this Photo Story 3 lesson
  
  
• Not many here yet. If you have any Labor Day lesson plans to share, please add them to our site!

Videos and other Media:

• The History Channel offers film footage of turn-of-the-century factories along with photos of working conditions and profiles of labor leaders.
  
  
• This Library of Congress collection of films was taken inside Westinghouse factories in 1904.
  
  
• Browse segments on labor and the economy from PBS NewsHour coverage of Origins of Labor Day.
  
  
• John McCutcheon wrote this labor song for teaching with lyrics which you can see and listen to here.
  
  
• Here are free Labor Day PowerPoint presentations and some additional lesson plans.
  

Additional Resources:

• This is the history of Labor Day from the United States Department of Labor.
  
  
• Here is short story about Labor Day from the U.S. Embassy in Sweden.
  
  
• This USA.gov site includes information on all aspects of Labor Day from labor and labor union facts, occupational outlook and state job banks, career activities for kids, and back to school, recreation, and travel resources.
  
  
• Here are educational Labor Day activities including arts and crafts, puzzles and quizzes, games and activities, quotations, poetry, songs, book and vocabulary lists, and other printable materials.
  
  
• Crayola.com celebrates this holiday with a labor day worker's cube activity, seven additional lesson plans, some e-cards, and numerous craft projects.
  
  
• This is a curriculum of U.S. labor history for teachers sponsored by the Illinois Labor History Society.
  
  
• History.com presents Lewis W. Hine's photographic collection of child labor in America prior to 1918 on their Labor Day mini-site.
  
  
• Here are short articles about the Haymarket Tragedy and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
  
  
• This page is called "Labor Day - Kids Work Too!"
  
  
• This is an e-How article on labor laws for teens.
  
  
• See more labor related lessons in the Business & Economics section of our Social Studies pages
  

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