Grade Level: High School
Duration: 120 minutes
Bloom's Taxonomy Levels: Understand, Analyze, Evaluate, Create
 
Description:
Explore the harsh realities and resilience of immigrant life in New York City's tenements during the Progressive Era. This engaging lesson takes students through the living conditions, reform efforts, and cultural dynamics that shaped immigrant communities. Through primary source analysis, group activities, and critical discussions, students will gain a deeper understanding of how these historical challenges and reforms impact urban life today.
 
What's Included:
1. History Cat article: "Life in the Tenement Slums: Immigrant Struggles on New York’s Lower East Side" for classroom distribution.
2. Scaffolded lesson plan: Includes a printable copy of the reading, guided discussions, and structured analysis tasks.
3. Printable worksheets: Features Guided Reading Notes, Read & Reflect questions, and workshop notes
4. Primary source analysis: Students take on the role of the New York City council in 1901 to offer solutions to the overcrowding and horrid conditions of the city's tenement slums. Students are provided with photpgraphs, letters, and excerpts to inform their decision-making. 
5. Answer keys: Provided for all worksheets and activities to streamline feedback.
6. Extension activities: Suggested projects such as researching modern urban housing challenges and creating visual representations of tenement buildings.
7. Teacher’s guide: Step-by-step instructional support with adaptations for diverse learners
.Emerging Readers: Guided reading notes tailored for students needing additional support.
Advanced Learners: Opportunities for independent analysis and extension tasks.
Flipped Classroom: Flexible options for pre-class preparation and in-class discussion.  
 
Skills Developed:
Critical analysis of historical texts and images
Collaboration and teamwork in group problem-solving activities
Drawing connections between historical and modern urban issues
Evidence-based reasoning and presentation skills
 
Perfect For:
History teachers seeking an immersive Progressive Era lesson
Students studying immigration, urbanization, and social reform
Classes exploring the role of reformers and grassroots movements in shaping American society