Last updated: February 24, 2022
Lesson Plan
The Harvey Girls – Increasing Opportunity
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- HS.H4.1, HS.H4.4, HS.H3.4, HS.H4.1
Essential Question
How can expanding opportunity for individuals push society forward?
Objective
Students will:
Learn about The Harvey Girls at the Grand Canyon
Learn about how WWII brought women of color into the Harvey Girls workforce
Create an outline for an interview for a Harvey Girl
Preparation
-
The Articles and videos
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Writing materials
Materials
Lesson Hook/Preview
Have students answer the following questions as short answer responses to access their background knowledge:
-
What were the consequences of the Great Depression on different people? On women? On people of color?
-
What were the employment opportunities for different people in the 1930s and 1940s? For women? For people of color?
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How did WWII change these employment opportunities?
Discuss the answers with students to see what they already know and to share their knowledge with other students.
Procedure
Engage:
Have students write a story about the following prompt:
You live in a small community and you have never left home. You need to work and you hear about the opportunity to work out west with the Fred Harvey Company as a waitress. You get a ride with a neighbor to the closest train station, and you get on the train. How are you feeling? What is your experience on the train?
Explore and Explain:
Have students watch the Setting the Standard Video Series.
Then have students read the Harvey Girls article.
Elaborate:
Have students continue their story. They have now arrived at the Grand Canyon, now have them write about their experience working at the Grand Canyon.
Have students peer review their stories and talk to their classmates about the perspective they utilized in their writing.
Final discussion:
Have students form small groups to discuss the societal importance of the following quote:
Zada Sharon said, “I’m glad I was a Harvey Girl. The most important thing in the whole story of the Harvey Girls is the fact it gave woman a chance to move out of the lives they were locked into and to be able to be a bit adventuresome.”