Students become reformers in this hands-on workshop, tackling real problems from New York’s crowded tenements. Working in teams, they investigate issues like fire safety, sanitation, and overcrowding, then design and present practical solutions grounded in the realities of the early 1900s. It’s collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity rolled into one engaging activity.
 
Audience
Middle & High School Students
 
What Students Will Do
Read History Cat’s article “Life in the Tenement Slums: Immigrant Struggles on New York’s Lower East Side.”
Analyze photographs, letters, and excerpts as members of the NYC council in 1901.
Propose reforms to improve overcrowded tenement conditions.
Complete scaffolded worksheets, guided reading notes, and reflection questions.
Draw connections between Progressive Era reforms and today’s housing challenges.
 
What’s Included
History Cat article (printable classroom version)
Scratch pad activity with 10 questions, quick sketch activities, quote analysis, and compare and contrast. 
Reformer's Workshop (2 page student worksheet, 12 primary and secondary sources, easy reference fact sheet.)
Answer Keys for Scratch Pad activity
Step-by-step Teacher’s Guide for zero prep 
 
Estimated Duration
120 minutes (2 class periods)
 
Standards Alignment
Aligned to the NCSS C3 Framework for Social Studies.