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THE GRANGER COLLECTION, NEW YORK/THE GRANGER COLLECTION

The Dangerous Life of Harriet Hanson

This inspiring play tells the story of Harriet Hanson, a 10-year-old girl who worked in a cotton mill. The play has a focus on identifying character traits.

By Spencer Kayden

Learning Objective: This inspiring play tells the story of Harriet Hanson, a 10-year-old girl who worked in a cotton mill. The play has a focus on identifying character traits.

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More About the Article

Content-Area Connections

Character education

Social studies: U.S. history

Key Skills

Character, vocabulary, text evidence, key details, cause and effect, text features, plot

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Set a Purpose for Reading (10 minutes)

As students look at the play’s opening pages, point out the labels in the top left corner of page 20 (“Play” and “Read-aloud historical fiction”). Ask: What is historical fiction? (a story that is set in a historical time but has some made-up characters) Ask students whether they have read any historical fiction (such as the I Survived series).

Every major story has a Think and Read box at the beginning. It gives students a question or an idea to focus on as they read. Call on a volunteer to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 20.

Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)

Although the story does not include vocabulary words in the text itself, there is a vocabulary activity online that previews challenging words and allows students to list the words that are unfamiliar to them. Project or distribute the activity to go over the words.

Challenging words: clanging, aches, organizing, exclaiming

2. FOCUS ON FLUENCY

Bridging Decoding and Comprehension

Storyworks Jr. plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.

Point out the stage directions in italics (nodding, to herself, shocked, in a low voice, etc.) and explain that they are included to tell the reader how to say the line. Demonstrate some of them for the class.

Pick a passage from Scene 3 and have two volunteers read the lines aloud. Encourage them to pay attention to the directions and say the lines with the appropriate emotion.

3. CLOSE READING

Reading and Unpacking the Text

First read: Continue reading the play as a class.

Second read: Project or distribute the close-reading questions. Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.

Separate students into groups to discuss the critical-thinking question. Then have groups share their answers with the class.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

  • According to Scene 1, why did factory owners hire young girls to work in the mills? (key details) The factory owners hired young girls because they didn’t have to pay them much money. Also, the girls had small hands and quick fingers.
  • Read Scene 2. What details show what it was like to work in a factory? (key details; text evidence) Harriet starts work at 5 a.m. and works for 14 hours. Her body aches. It’s hot in the factory, and the windows are nailed shut.
  • In Scene 3, why does the factory owner say they will have to pay the girls less? (cause and effect) More and more factories came to Lowell, so factories were struggling to make money. The owners wanted to pay the girls less so they could keep that money for themselves.
  • What decision does Harriet have to make in Scene 4?  What does she decide? (plot) Harriet has to decide whether or not she will go on strike. She decides that she will and walks out of the factory with the other girls.
  • According to Scene 5, what was the outcome of the protest? (cause and effect) The factory owners still cut the workers’ pay. Even though the strike didn’t change things right away, it inspired a movement. The Factory Girls’ Association became more powerful. Later, the workday went down to 10 hours.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

  • What’s one of Harriet’s character traits? Where can you find evidence of this trait? (character traits; text evidence) Answers will vary. Students may say that Harriet is strong because she works so hard in the mill, that she is brave because she walked out, or that she is caring because she fights for her fellow workers and for women.

4. SKILL BUILDING

Exploring the Character Traits  (30 minutes)

Have students complete the character activity. They should also write a response to the Think and Write question on p. 25.

Differentiate and Customize
For Guided Reading

After reading the play as a class, meet with your guided reading groups. Read the play again, giving students the chance to play different characters than they did in the whole class reading. Pause to discuss any points the students want to talk about. After reading, discuss the close-reading and critical-thinking questions as a group.

For Struggling Readers

First, go through the play together and talk about the text features. Discuss each photo and what it teaches about working in a factory, like Harriet did. Then read the play aloud, assigning the narrator and kids’ roles to students while you read the adult roles.

For Advanced Readers

Have students imagine that they are factory workers at the mill where Harriet worked. Have them write a journal entry about what it’s like to work in a factory and what happened on the day of the turn out.

For On Level Readers

What character traits does Harriet show? Which ones help her fight for the worker's rights? Write your answer in a paragraph, using details from the play.

Text-to-Speech