Child Labor and the Industrial Revolution

Learn about child labor conditions in the 20th Century in this historical, leveled script! Differentiated roles allow teachers to involve students of all reading levels in this activity, encouraging everyone to perform and confidently build fluency!

Students will act out the story of two young girls, Roberta and Pauline, who work at a linen mill in North Carolina in 1919. The girls must work to help support their family, so they cannot go to school. At the mill, they are treated unfairly, working in harsh, unsafe conditions. In this script, two workers from the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) hear the girls'' story and decide to work to improve child labor laws and to make school compulsory for children. See how these efforts in the 20th Century secured a better future for upcoming generations. This Reader''s Theater script features roles written to match multiple reading levels. Teachers can assign specific roles to their readers based on each student''s current reading level, allowing all students to get involved in the same activity and feel successful! Students will gain confidence in their reading fluency through performance, regardless of their current reading ability. While performing with others, students will practice performance, interacting cooperatively, reading aloud, and using expressive voices and gestures to better tell the story. These drama scripts for students are a great way to teach literacy and engage all learners!