Module 3: People at Work:
Building a Foundation in Research Skills
ABOUT
People at Work: Building a Foundation of Research Skills challenges students to trace changes in the workplace by looking closely at key periods in United States history. Students learn how such factors as immigration, the economy, technological innovation, and legislation affected people’s work experiences in the past, shape working conditions today, and will affect the workplace of tomorrow. Students research different periods of U.S. history by analyzing primary and secondary sources of information, including documents, art, and photographs, that portray work life from various perspectives. They also conduct interviews of present-day workers in order to collect information about the workplace of today.
In this module, students learn and apply a variety of research and communication skills, including finding and evaluating sources, paraphrasing, and citing sources appropriately. In an ongoing project, students develop technology skills as they build a class Web site that explains how the workplace has changed throughout U.S. history.