For many, Labor Day is a sign of the end of summer, the return to school, a three-day weekend, and lots of store sales. For our students, as with many other holidays, it is a day off with no classes. We often wonder how many truly understand the meaning of labor, especially when they complain of too much homework and studying. By definition, labor is hard physical work. It is also the reason we plan this week on showing them this TED-Ed animation, "Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?" by Kenneth C. Davis.
As with all TED-Ed animations, educators can use the thinking and discussion questions that are provided to deepen the learning. This particular video not only provides an excellent overview about the holiday, but it also opens up connections to child labor today. Many of our students are sheltered from the idea that this is a major and growing problem around the world. They are also almost a century away from a time period in American history when children had to labor long hours in factories and not attend school. They can't image life any other way than what they know now.
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| Source: LIN@R |
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| Source: Infographiclist |
For other resources on the topic of labor see:
- Look At Labor Day Visually With Infographics
- United States Department of Labor homepage
- History of Labor Day from the U.S. Department of Labor
- Labor History Timeline from the AFL-CIO
