Labor Day in the Classroom

If you ask someone what Labor Day is, what kind of answer do you get? Some might shrug and respond, “I don’t know,” but many will tell you it’s a holiday that they have free from school or work to give workers a day off. Labor Day is also a day for barbeques and an indicator of the end of summer. But, why do we celebrate Labor Day? What is the history of the holiday that so many of us enjoy? 

Why Celebrate?

This day is always celebrated the first Monday of September and is a product of the labor movement. According to the United States Department of Labor, Labor Day is dedicated to the “social and economic achievements of American workers” and is a tribute to the workers who help uphold our country’s “strength, prosperity, and well-being.” It became a federal holiday after the Pullman Strike in Illinois (1894), where factory workers from the Pullman Palace Car Company fought against wage cuts and poor treatment.

Connecting to the Classroom

The week before or after Labor Day is a great opportunity, not only to learn the history behind the holiday, but also to discuss cause and effect: how standing up for a cause can lead to a positive effect. For example, you can focus on the multitude of labor strikes and do a comparison of which ones were effective and why, whether or not violence was involved, the amount of people who participated, what they did to get their message across, etc.

Another fun way to teach cause and effect, with regard to labor strikes and other situations, is to create different sentence strips and cut them in half, separating the cause from the effect (see examples below). Put all the strips in a container and allow each student to chose one. Once each person has chosen his sentence strip, everyone must walk around, reading their strips to one another, searching for their match. After they find their pair, they must stand or sit on the floor next to each other, until everyone is matched. When everyone is matched, have each pair read their sentence out loud to the class. 

Sentence examples:

• The workers at Pullman Palace Car Company felt they were being poorly treated and unfairly paid // so the workers started a strike against the company to get their voice heard, which led to the creation of Labor Day.
• The girl was sent to her bedroom // because she refused to clean up her mess.
• The fifth grade class was given extra recess time // since they completed their classroom assignment very efficiently.

If there are a few incorrect pairs, have students explain why they thought they were a good match for each other. Then, allow an open discussion to figure out the correct pair.

This activity not only provides the opportunity to think cognitively about cause and effect, but it also enables pupils to get out of their seats and move around the classroom. In addition, reading the sentences out loud to each other is a good supplement to increase reading skills.

Tips:

• Make sure each half of your cause and effect sentence strips include specific details, in order to avoid general sentence halves that can match with multiple sentences.
• Don’t forget to create as many strips as you need for each person to participate.
• You can do this activity more than once by creating multiple set of sentences, or just have everyone put their strips back in the container and shake it up!
• Print sentences on card stock paper, or laminate them, in order to keep them durable for future lessons.

More lessons:

How Labor Got its Day

Learn about Labor Day and compare workers’ lives today with those in the nineteenth century.

Workers, Take a Holiday! The Beginning of Labor Day

Discover the history of Labor Day and how it has affected the United States.

Sweating the Big Stuff

Upper graders will explore the roles corporations play in increasing labor standards.

Cause and Effect

Discuss cause and effect after reading If you give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff.