Share My Lesson

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Share My Lesson

Share My Lesson curated a collection of lesson plans, activities and resources to help teachers explore the role of labor unions with your preK-12 students including Worker’s RightsLabor EducationLabor History and Related Resources

The National Park Service published the American Labor History Theme Study in 1991. The study commemorates the hisory of American laborers and their activities, the impact of industrial and technological change, and the contribution of workers to the country's development.
Don't Iron While The Strike is Hot
The musical story of Kate Mullany and the Troy Collar Laundry Union 1864 Strike.
Click HERE to watch the musical
Click HERE for a Lesson Plan about Kate Mullany and the Troy Collar Laundry Union
View this YouTube presentation "The Decline of the Middle Class: How and Why it Happened" by ALSC Executive Director Paul F. Cole

Featured Resources

Union Songs for Kids!

Category: Featured Resources

Union Songs for Kids!

Labor’s Bookstore

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Labor’s Bookstore

Collective Bargaining Simulation for High School Students (Updated)

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Click HERE to read more

How today’s unions help working people

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How today’s unions help working people
By the Economic Policy Institute.

The Decline of the Middle Class: How and Why it Happened and What to do About It by Paul F. Cole

Category: Featured Resources

This paper addresses the issue of income and wealth inequality in the
United States and an exploration of its causes, effects and solutions with
a particular emphasis on working families.

California Federation of Teachers – Labor in the Schools Program

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Learn about the best and most comprehensive state federation program for teaching about labor.

Labor Heritage Foundation

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A rich resource for books, DVDs, posters, buttons and other items about labor.

Labor Songs

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Using Songs to Teach Labor History

The American labor movement has a long and rich heritage of song. Like hymns and patriotic songs, union songs are songs with a message. Thousands have been written by union members and others over the years. These men and women, black and white, native American and foreign born, created their own literature reflecting every aspect of life in the mines, mills, factories, shops and farms where they were forced to labor…

Labor History Lesson Plans

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Click here for a variety of labor history lesson plans including ‘United We Stand’ from the Library of Congress

Boy Scout Labor Merit Badge

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The American Labor Merit Badge was established by the Boy Scouts in 1987. For requirements and more.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Wisconsin Teaching Labor History Law

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Nearly a decade after Wisconsin passed a law declaring that the teaching of labor history must be part of the teaching standards for the state’s children, it is near to becoming reality.

Quick Links – An Alphabetical Guide to All Web Site Resources

Category: Featured Resources

Quick Links – An Alphabetical Guide to All Web Site Resources

The American Labor Studies Center (ALSC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to create, collect and disseminate labor history and labor studies curriculum materials and resources to K-12 teachers nationwide through this web site and via conferences, workshops, seminars and exhibits and to restore the Kate Mullany National Historic Site in Troy, New York where it is located. Paul F. Cole is the Executive Director.

Labor Spotlight

American Labor and U.S. History Textbooks: How Labor’s Story is Distorted in High School History Textbooks

“Imagine opening a high school U.S. history textbook and finding no mention of —or at most a passing sentence about—Valley Forge, the Missouri Compromise, or the League of Nations…”


This excellent photo-packed 62 page history of unions is for 9 -12 year-old students. Search online to purchase.

Kate Mullany National Historic Site

Home of the leader of America’s first all-female union

The Troy Collar Laundry Union

The Power in our Hands: A curriculum on the History of Work and Workers in the United States is the single best resource for middle and high school teachers who want to integrate labor history into their classrooms. It is organized into five units and 16 lessons and includes 46 handouts includes a bibliography for each unit. Click HERE to order for $23.00.

Unionist

Union Communications Services , sponsored by the Worker Institute at Cornell ILR, produces materials, media, context and commentary that worker-leaders can put to use immediately.

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Class Time Limited?

Resources for teachers who have a limited amount of time to incorporate labor history into their classrooms.

Kate Mullany

Kate Mullany National Historic Site

Home of the American Labor Studies Center