Process

Your process has two main parts:

1.) Muckraker's Persuasive Article and Magazine with group

2.) Class Presentation to promote reform

STEP 1

Meet with your team and each person will assume the role of one of the Muckraker journalist. (Nellie Bly, Jacob Riis, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, John Spargo, Lincoln Steffans)

STEP 2

Each of you will investigate your journalist and the topic that Samuel McClure, Editor of McClure's Magazine, has assigned you. You will write an article that will include a title, appropriate graphics, (photographs, clip art, etc.), a quick bio of your journalist, and it should expose the social ill you are reporting on.

  1. Nellie Bly - Triangle Factory Fire

  2. 1) What happened? When did it occur? Where was it? Who was involved?

  3. 2) Why was this event significant?

  4. 3) Could the tragedy have been prevented? What can be done to help insure that it won't happen again?

  6. Jacob Riis - Tenement Housing

  7. 1) What are the conditions of the housing? Give detailed evidence and try to include personal accounts.

  8. 2) Why is this believable?

  9. 3) What can be done to change the situation?

  11. Upton Sinclair - Public Health (Meat Packing Industry)

  12. 1) Give a detailed description of the problems associated with the Meat Industry, citing evidence of what you uncover in your research.

  13. 2) Are there any inspection/sanitations laws regulating the meat industry?

  14. 3) What can be done to change the situation?

  16. Ida Tarbell - Big Business

  17. 1) What are the problems associated with big business?

  18. 2) How do monopolies take advantage for the public consumer?

  19. 3) What can be done to change the situation?

  1. John Spargo - Child Labor

  2. 1) Give a detailed description of the working conditions that children must endure on a day-to-day basis.

  3. 2) Why are children forced to work? What kinds of jobs do they obtain?

  4. 3) What can be done to change the situation?

  6. Lincoln Steffans - Political Corruption

  7. 1) Who was Boss Tweed? What happened to Tammany Hall?

  8. 2) Describe the political corruption and the parties involved.

  9. 3) What can be done to prevent political corruption?

STEP 3

After conducting your research and writing your article your group must design the layout of the magazine issue using Microsoft Publisher. I will provide you with a template for your magazine, but you have to come up with your headlines and the order of the articles. Your magazine should be 4 pages. Include a bibliography on the last page.

Use the template McClure's Magazine. When prompted to open or save you can save to your student account. If you do not know how to save to your student account ask immediately.

STEP 4

You will present your magazine to the class and expose the social injustices you have researched to promote reform. Each group must effectively persuade the public (the classroom) to embrace your concerns. Your presentation should last 3-4 minutes. Each group will receive a copy of your magazine issue and I should receive a color copy of each groups issue.