Thoughts on our Unit Plan

The essence of our groups unit is to try to show how the technological revolution drastically changed American culture. The massive migrations to the cties and and the shift from the farm to the factory had enormous consequences on the lives of ordinary people. Although this change began more than one hundred years ago, its effects are still felt today. Today, despite the fact that there have been great improvements in working conditions in the U.S. (which we can thank the union movement for); today there are still frequent reminders of how the industrial worker faces a dangerous and abusive work environment. I believe a good way to get students involved with their community and learn about government would be to plan a field trip to the NYS Department of Labor in Albany. http://www.labor.ny.gov/sites/legal/laws/domestic-workers-bill-of-rights.page 
 In Albany students could take a tour of the Capitol building as part of a larger unit, but we could pay special attention to the Department of Labor. With any luck I could arrange a meeting with a representative from the Department so students could have an opportunity to ask questions and get some first hand information from an expert. By learning about the Dept. of Labor, students will be able to draw easy connections between the conditions faced by workers of the past and present. It is key for them to understand that a major part of the reason working conditions have gotten so much better is because of government regulation. What I would also like students to take away from this, is that our elected and appointed officials have a duty to listen to the concerns of their constituents. These people serve an important role in our communities, and it is our job as American citizens to practice a relationship with our government.