EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, EXCHANGE IN HISTORY
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Procedure:
Activity 1 Procedure: The Uprising of Change: Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, and a Call for Change
• Pre-class: When students enter the classroom, project an image of several different types of meat, to engage students’
interest.
• Generate a short discussion, connecting what students ate for their last meal and its source.
• Explain that food supplies were once not as safe and reliable as they now are.
• If needed, provide students with a short background talk on the ways that President Theodore Roosevelt approached
progressive reform (teacher background information is available at www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/politics-reform/
essays/theodore-roosevelt-making-progressive-reformer) and the role of Harvey Washington Wiley (teacher background
information is available at www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/CentennialofFDA/HarveyW.Wiley/).
• Break up the class into small discussion groups (three to five students per group).
• Pass out copies of an excerpt from chapter 9 of The Jungle. After reading and clarifying the questions, ask the students to
engage in a close reading discussion. This can be completed in small groups or the entire class, based on the familiarity of the
class with the task. Questions might include:
• What clues show you the position of the author?
• Point to the evidence presented in the book.
• What reasons does the author give for reform? What examples support these reasons?
• Share a sentence that supports the author’s view.
• What is the purpose of this piece? What are the clues that tell you about this?
• What does the author propose as reform? What evidence is given?
• What do you predict happened next? What are the clues that make you think so?
• Group Discussion: Upton Sinclair was largely unhappy with the reaction to his book. He had hoped to focus on the
ways that immigrants were being exploited in Chicago; most Americans instead focused on the section that discussed the
meatpacking industry, in which many immigrants worked.
• Why would Sinclair be disappointed with the public’s reaction to his book?
• Why did Sinclair think this would help lead to a wider revolution of the working class in America?
• Why was the working class reluctant to push for more rights in the U.S.?
• Formative Assessment: Give students an exit card, on which they explain two reasons why Sinclair wrote his book.
Activity 2 Procedure: “Read All About It”
• Project the political cartoon to begin the lesson. Discuss what the students see in this drawing and what they think the
cartoonist is advocating. Sample prompts:
• Name what you see in the political cartoon, people and objects.
• When do you think this political cartoon was printed?
• Why was the political cartoon drawn?
• What is the message of the cartoonist?
• Did the artist convey his or her message clearly?
• What question would you ask the artist?
• Place students into groups of four, then give each student a different article and the close reading rubric you have chosen.
Have students read independently and respond to the prompts in the chart. As they read, they should be taking notes and
completing the rubric.
• After students read their articles, they should discuss what they read within their group. They should each take notes on
what is said by other members of their group. Set a time limit for each student’s turn in the discussion.