Discusses two factors that greatly diminish the chances for success in college of working class students: communication protocols, and position within a family or a community organization. Discusses what middle- and high-school teachers can do to better prepare working class students for the tasks ahead in the areas of memorization, critical…

The Program for Adult College Education (PACE) at the University of Missouri at Kansas City offers a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. PACE faculty believe in writing as a learning tool. One course in the program is "Culture of the Working Class," which uses a variety of sources to examine how working people have lived from the turn of…

This manual is a collection of suggestions for lessons and learning activities for Labor Day (May 1st). It includes material for use with students at all levels, preschool, elementary and secondary school, and college. The activities are listed by level and subject matter. The subjects covered include English, art, reading, religious education,…

When Studs Terkel published "Working" in 1974, it quickly found its way into high school and college classrooms across the country. Not surprisingly, in the past 30 years, "Working" has sold over one million copies. This teaching guide for "Working" helps teachers to introduce their students not only to a great text,…

This volume of a journal on folksong for elementary and secondary teachers of history, literature, music, and the humanities contains three issues. The Fall 1990 issue is devoted to the songs of Newfoundland. The Winter 1991 issue features songs concerning mine, mill and tunnel workers in the years 1877-1932. The Spring 1991 issue focuses on songs…

Discusses how and why a pedagogy of overt comparison between students' home language (vernacular dialects of English) and school language (standard English) helps students learn the more global features of academic writing and the more sentenced-level features of Standard English. Outlines a pedagogy of overt comparison. Notes it motivates…

Describes the life of workers and the political turmoil of the Depression years. Introduces "Industrial Image/Images Industrielles (1987)," a volume containing art depicting life during the 1930's. Examples of the artwork are included. (GG)

A specific dramatic episode in history that allows students to delve into the deeper meanings of selected landmark events and explore a wider context of historical narrative is represented within this supplementary teaching unit. This approach helps students materialize history as an ongoing, open-ended process that is based upon decisions made in…

Reports a recent classroom analysis of Latino students who were doing well academically (as reflected both in teachers' assessments and in achievement tests). Finds that teachers were theoretically equipped, able to make curriculum judgments, and received support from colleagues. (MS)

Offers a lesson plan in which students examine the concerns expressed by Progressive Era reformers about working-class leisure activities. Uses dance hall reform as a case study of the problems that interested reformers and provides an example of the types of solutions they proposed. Includes three handouts. (CMK)