Scott Jason Benson

A Curriculum Unit for the 4^th Grade

Inequalities in the Workforce

“Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?”

Table of Contents

Overview and Rational

Teacher Background Information

Unit Planning Chart

Organization and Subject Matter Overview

Goals and Objectives

Learning Activities Bank

Assessments

Appendices

Overview and Rationale

While going to school to become a teacher, I have had the opportunity to work in various work environments. For the first five years of my collegiate career, I was a factory worker who struggled to stay awake during an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. graveyard shift. I learned quickly that I was just another pair of hands that had to be careful of pinch points and moving machinery. Headaches and irritability were my constant companions during my Pepperidge Farm experience but I quickly learned to ignore them. Unfortunately I began to ignore my wife and school as well as I became more and more sleep deprived. I guess you could say that sleep became an obsession with me. However, the pay was good and the insurance was even better, so I stayed. Thankfully I didn’t have to stay longer than five years. My wife soon got a teaching job and I was able to get a part-time job.

My part-time job led me to a strange and exciting environment as I became a sweeper/custodian for a local elementary school. It wasn’t a bad job because my boss allowed me to work whatever hours were most convenient for me. I could come in at 3 p.m. or 2 a.m. as long as I got it cleaned before the next day. The bad thing was that I had to clean feces finger painting off of the bathroom stalls and I only earned $6.00 an hour. Do I feel that 6 dollars an hour was an appropriate wage? To be honest, no I don’t. Unfortunately, when money is in short supply, you do whatever you can to provide for your family.

The instances from my life that I have shared above aren’t unique to my life. Millions of workers throughout the United States and the world are working in jobs that pay little or no money and are required to work long hours without any rest. This is a very important social justice that effects the lives of everyone. I, however, feel fortunate to have had both of these working experiences because it brought a new understanding about the workforce to my eyes. Whether it was the laughter that followed when I explained that I was a part time custodian or the memory lapses that fill my mind from the lack of sleep during my five years at Pepperidge Farm, these experiences have helped cultivate a deep conviction in my heart that students throughout our nation need to be taught about our workforce and the painful injustices that often occur therein. As teachers, I feel that we can help change these workforce conditions by teaching our students that they have rights in the workforce, and that they should have the privilege of enjoying these rights.

This unit is designed for use in the 4^th grade. My unit theme is “Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?” Even though the Constitution of the United States says that all men/women are created equal, we have learned through history that this is not always the case. Instances of racial, cultural, and gender stereotyping have often scarred our nations workforce. The National Council for the Social Studies states that learners need to “recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice (NCSS 6h). I feel that by helping learners examine our nations workforce and some of the typical stereotypes that are contained therein, it will allow them to become familiar with the concepts of fairness and equity and will give them opportunities to apply them in their own lives.

The Utah State Core Curriculum for the 4^th grade emphasizes the importance of analyzing the role of the worker in a business (Utah 6040-0303). This includes differentiating the roles of workers in a business, identifying the needs of workers, and identifying the workers contributions to business success (Utah 6040-0303). Students will be able to see the relevance of this theme in their own lives because all of their parents will be coming from different perspectives in the workforce. Some of the students’ parents may be doctors who make $250,000 a year while other parents may be immigrant workers who only make $5,000 a year. Learners need to realize that every job is an important part of a business. Every job. Whether you are a custodian or business chairperson, everyone is a contributing member of the business and should be paid accordingly. This relates to social studies in all aspects because the overall goal of social studies is to help learners become aware that they are and should be contributing members of a society and that they are important to that society.

Teacher Background Information

As mentioned in the overview and rational, this unit will focus on the theme “Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?”. In order to answer this question, the unit is divided into 4 1-week lessons that will help students to understand equity and fairness in the workforce and will allow them to see the important contributions that everyone makes to a business.

During week 1 the theme of our unit, “Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?”, will be introduced. We will also discuss stereotyping in the workforce and how this pertains to the students’ future careers. Week 2 will begin with a field trip to the Pepperidge Farm factory where students will experience first hand some of the different working environments that exist in the workforce. Group interviews with actual factory employees set the stage for the rest of the week as the student’s discuss the roles of workers in business. The focus of week 3 will be child labor and will expose the children to the reality that child labor still exists today. Some people might believe that children shouldn’t be exposed to such harsh reality, but I feel that it is important that everybody, even children, should be aware of the plights and struggles of those who surround them. To conclude the unit, week 4 will be spent discussing the effect that education has on a person’s career. This final week will help children realize the importance of education in their future lives and hopefully allow them to see the relationship that exists between a person’s education and the money that they might make.

In order to carry out an effective unit, it is imperative that the teacher knows and understands the concepts that he/she is going to teach. Listed below are a variety of sources that will be invaluable in teaching this unit.

Resources

http://www.dol.gov/ -The US department of Labor website. A very informational website that has contributed information to every lesson in the unit. It is an important source of statistics, charts, and factual information for the entire United States with regard to wages, equal opportunity employment, and how education really does effect employment.

http://www.dol.gov/oasam/library/ -The official online library for the US department of Labor. Contains pictures, videos, and articles on almost every subject in the workforce. You are able to search through the library according to author or subject.

http://dced.utah.gov/Factbook/labor_.pdf – This link leads to an article that contains lots of information on the labor market in Utah. From the companies that employ the most people in Utah to expected growth in the Utah workforce, this article can be an important source for statistical information. The article also contains graphs that will allow students and teachers to compare the average hourly wages that a worker makes here Utah to other western states.

www.labor.state.ut.us The official website for the Labor Commission of Utah. Contains information on Utah child labor laws, equal opportunity employment, and wages according to county based on race, ethnicity or gender. A very helpful sight.

http://clea.sit.edu/learningresources.html –The Child Labor Education and Action Project website. This website contains a wealth of information and resources on child labor. This site includes lesson plans, other websites, and contact information.

http://www.digitalrag.com/iqbal/ This is a website posted by students at Broadmeadow Middle School in order to help other students learn about child labor. The website is dedicated to a young man from Pakistan, Iqbal, who was sold into labor at the age of 4 for $12. After he escaped, he began to speak out against child labor and was eventually murdered in 1995 for his courageous voice. I feel that this is a great site for students because it tells them about a young man, close to their age, who gave his life fighting for other children. Very powerful.

www.nccte.org/publications/ncrve/mds-09xx/mds-934.asp?dirid=146&dspid=2 This web address leads to an article called Diversity in the Workforce, Series Report #1. I was almost overwhelmed by all of the information contained in the article. It discusses why there is stereotyping in the workforce, what we can do about it, and gives numerous resources for further research on the topic. This is one of the most important sources of information for this unit and should be read in advance. In case that the link above doesn’t work, you can e-mail either the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education (NDCCTE) or the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) for information on the article.

Unit Planning Chart

Teacher: Scott Jason Benson Grades: 4^th Unit of Study: Does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage? Time Frame: 4 weeks		Unit Issue Does everyone have right to earn a fair wage?			Teacher Resources National Geographic, September, 2003 http://www.dol.gov/ http://www.dol.gov/oasam/library/ http://dced.utah.gov/Factbook/labor_.pdf www.labor.state.ut.us http://clea.sit.edu/learningresources.html www.nccte.org/publications/ncrve/mds-09xx/mds-934.asp?dirid=146&dspid=2			Read Alouds Kids at Work by Russell Freedmen
Student Reading/Literature http://www.digitalrag.com/iqbal/		Oral Language · Poems readings about the plight of child labor. · Group presentations				Written Language · Letters to companies voicing concerns of unfair wages. · Unit Journals
Unit Outcomes and Goals The learners will be able to · Identify examples rights and responsibilities of citizens (NCSS 10b) in the work force · Recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice. (NCSS 6h)
Integrated Learning
Social Studies · Stereotyping in the Workforce · Field Trip to Pepperide Farm · Child Labor · Education vs. Wage	Art · Draw pictures of various people in different careers. · Put together collages of different kinds of jobs in the workforce.						Music · Write letters to various musicians asking about how education effected their careers · Research inquiries into stereotyping in music industry. Are there any African American country singers?
Science · Oral reports on leading female/minority scientists and their contributions to science.			Math · Compare the wages of men and women in certain jobs. ·						P.E./Health · Interview local female athletes who have wrestled or played football.
Technology · Use specific websites to find information on ideas presented in unit.				Accommodations for Learners · Students will be allowed to make audio/video tapes instead of writing papers. · Students can draw/illustrate careers. · Students will be given shorter assignments/longer time to complete.
Assessment · Have students place what they feel is their best work for the unit in personal portfolios. · 5-minute personal interviews with each student to discuss his or her feelings on the unit goals. · Unit Assessment-Students will fill out justification worksheet regarding job placement and wage.
Culminating Activity/Unit Projects · Students will keep journals for the entire unit. · Reflection papers

Organization and Subject Matter Overview

The information presented in this unit will be topically organized in order to give students adequate knowledge and experiences in order to better understand the question “Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?” The National Council for Social Studies has set clear standards and expectations of what knowledge they hope all children in elementary school can gain through social studies. I have based this unit on two NCSS performance expectations. These expectations are:

· Identify examples rights and responsibilities of citizens (NCSS 10b) in the work force

· Recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice. (NCSS 6h)

This unit is divided in 4 1-week lessons. During week one, the theme of our unit, “Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?”, will be introduced. We will also discuss stereotyping in the workforce and how this pertains to the students’ future careers. Week two will begin with a field trip to the Pepperidge Farm factory where students will experience first hand some of the different working environments that exist in the workforce. Group interviews with actual factory employees set the stage for the rest of the week as the student’s discuss the roles of workers in business. The focus of week three will be child labor and will expose the children to the reality that child labor still exists today. Some people might believe that children shouldn’t be exposed to such harsh reality, but I feel that it is important that everybody, even children, should be aware of the plights and struggles of those who surround them. To conclude the unit, week four will be spent discussing the effect that education has on a persons’ career. This final week will help children realize the importance of education in their future lives and hopefully allow them to see the relationship that exists between a persons’ education and the money that they might make.

Not only will this unit address some NCSS expectations, it will support the following Utah Core Objectives:

By the end of the unit, students will be able to analyze the role of the worker in a business. This includes being able to differentiate roles of workers in business, identify the needs of workers, and identify the worker's contribution to business success. (Utah 6040-0303).

To effectively carry out this unit, the normal social studies block of time will be lengthened. A 2 hour social studies period will be necessary to incorporate the integrated curriculum listed below. The classroom needs to be set-up in order to facilitate student communication and discussion. The students’ desks are arranged into groups of six near the center of the room, with the teacher’s desk being near the back. Students will need a reading and writing center that will give them the privacy to do personal reflection or allow them to do group research. Computers will be used to facilitate research into inquiry subjects and the bulletin board will be used to place the posters. See classroom layout below.

Computer

Classroom Layout

Computer

Teacher’s Desk

Student’s Desks Bulletin Board

Unit Goals (NCSS Standards) The learners will be able to · Identify examples rights and responsibilities of citizens (NCSS 10b) in the work force · Recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice. (NCSS 6h)
Topic	Week 1 Introduction to Unit Theme Stereotyping in the workforce	Week 2 Pepperidge Farm Field Trip Roles of workers in business	Week 3 Cheap Labor	Week 4 Education and its Effect in the Workforce Conclusion
Utah Core Objective	3.3 Analyze the role of the worker in a business and identify the needs of workers.	3.3 Analyze the role of the worker in a business, differentiate roles of workers in business, identify the needs of workers, and identify the worker's contribution to business success	3.3 Analyze the role of the worker in a business and identify the needs of workers.	3.3 Analyze the role of the worker in a business, differentiate roles of workers in business, identify the needs of workers, and identify the worker's contribution to business success
Monday	KWL about the workforce. What is it and why do students need to know about it?	Pepperidge Farm field trip	Introduction to cheap labor through child labor lesson plan.	Group presentations on inquiry into sweatshops.
Tuesday	Introduce the subject of stereotyping and what effects it has on student's lives.	Review fieldtrip and group presentations on interviews.	Reflection papers on child labor. Group sharing of papers.	Defining education vs. wages.
Wednesday	Group discussions on how stereotyping effects the community.	Debate the roles and contributions of workers at Pepperidge Farm. Why are there line workers and why are there plant managers?	Class discussion on immigrant labor.	Group debates on importance of education in the workforce.
Thursday	Guest Speaker-Any person who does not fit the stereotype, such as a male elementary school teacher.	Students brainstorm ideas about the roles of workers in our community. Farmers, teachers, doctors, ect. What role do they play?	Students will form inquiry groups on sweatshops.	Unit Closure- Students will begin to write reflection paper on unit.
Friday	Students will create a group poster illustrating the information that they have learned during the week.	Writer's workshop. Students will choose one profession and write about the needs, contribution, and role that they will play in our community.	Students research into inquiry.	Reflection papers due. Unit Assessment-Students will fill out justification worksheet regarding job placement and wage.

Learning Activities Bank

Title of Lesson: Stereotyping/Gender Issues in the Workforce

Teacher(s): Scott Jason Benson

Date:

Time Allotted: 50 minutes

Grade Level(s): 4th

Number of Learners: 30

Unit Theme: “Why does everyone have the right to earn a fair wage?

Goal: The learners will be able to identify examples of the rights and responsibilities of citizens (NCSS 10b) in the work force and recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice. (NCSS 6h)

Objectives: Given the materials below, the learners will examine typical stereotypes/gender-biased occupations by comparing drawings that they will make. They will make a list on the board of jobs where they have seen stereotyping/gender-biased issues and have a group discussion on how stereotyping in the workforce can effect them, in order to analyze the role of the stereotyped workers in a business. (Utah 6040-0303)

Materials Needed:

· 30 pieces of drawing paper

· 30 pencils or markers

· 1 dry erase marker to write on board

· Each table should have 5 pieces of paper and 5 markers to begin the lesson.

Motivation: To motivate the learners, ask each table to draw one of the following people: a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a homemaker, a police officer, and a farmer. Give each table 5 minutes to draw their pictures before moving on to procedure 1. (5 minutes)

Procedures:

1. While the learners are drawing, write nurse, doctor, teacher, homemaker, police officer, and farmer on the board so that each name is the heading of a column.

2. Ask each table to come up in front of the class to demonstrate their pictures for the class. For each occupation, ask the class the following questions:

How many men do you see?

How many women do you see?

How many minorities do you see?

3. Write the number of men, women, and minorities under the corresponding column. Follow this same procedure until all occupations are discussed. Ask the students what they think of the numbers under each column and if the number