LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Tobacco bag stringing: Elementary activity three

In this activity for grades 3–6, students will read and evaluate primary source letters from the Tobacco Bag Stringing collection. This should be done after Activity one, which is the introductory activity about tobacco bag stringing.

A for grades 3–5 Social Studies

By Pauline S. Johnson

Learn more

  • Secondary source: Tobacco bag stringing This article introduces the concept of tobacco bag stringing and discusses its importance as a source of income for women in North Carolina and Virginia during the Great Depression. Adapted for elementary students.
  • Primary source: Tobacco bag stringing: Life and labor in the Depression Images and text from a report in the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill documenting tobacco bag stringing work in North Carolina and Virginia in 1939.

Related pages

  • Tobacco bag stringing: Elementary activity four: In this activity for grades 3–6, students will read and evaluate a primary source letter from the Tobacco Bag Stringing collection. This should be done after Activity one, which is the introductory activity about tobacco bag stringing. Students will investigate the influence of technology, and its lack, on the tobacco bag stringers. They will do a role play/debate in which they will assume the roles of owners of companies and other people that were involved in the issue.
  • Letter of April 1, 1939: Box 132, R. #1, Leaksville, N.C., April 1, 1939. Mr. Sherlock Bronson, Box 644, Richmond, Va. Dear Sir:...
  • Letter of April 7, 1939: MORSE BAG COMPANY East Bend, North Carolina. April 7, 1939. Mr. Sherlock Bronson, Richmond, Virginia....

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This is one of a series of activities that will help educators use the Tobacco Bag Stringing project materials in their classrooms. Throughout the series students will learn about tobacco stringing, study primary source documents and visuals, engage in a role play/debate, and practice critical thinking and analysis skills.

This activity should be done after Activity one, which is the introductory activity about tobacco bag stringing.

Learning outcomes

  • Students will read and evaluate primary source letters.
  • Students will understand the role of the historian as they examine primary source letters.
  • Students will experience historical empathy in a written assignment.
  • Students will practice higher order thinking.

Teacher planning

Materials needed

Time required for lesson

20 minutes

Procedure

  1. Ask the students how many of them have written a letter. This number may be very small as more students email than write letters. Ask them why people in the past may have written letters.
  2. Ask the students why historians might be interested in letters from the past.
  3. Pass out copies of the letter excerpts to students. Allow them to work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Teachers may need to read the letters to younger students.
  4. Discuss answers as a whole class.
  5. Letter activity two can be done in class or as a homework assignment.

Assessment

  • Assess by clarity of student understanding as evidenced during discussion.
  • Assess letter activity one by completion of questions.
  • Assess letter activity two by clarity of persuasion, grammar, and style.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 3

  • Goal 2: The learner will analyze the multiple roles that individuals perform in families, workplaces, and communities.
    • Objective 2.01: Distinguish and compare economic and social roles of children and adults in the local community to selected communities around the world.
    • Objective 2.02: Analyze similarities and differences among families in different times and in different places.
    • Objective 2.03: Describe similarities and differences among communities in different times and in different places.
  • Goal 3: The learner will examine how individuals can initiate change in families, neighborhoods, and communities.
    • Objective 3.01: Analyze changes, which have occurred in communities past and present.
    • Objective 3.02: Describe how individuals, events, and ideas change over time.
    • Objective 3.03: Compare and contrast the family structure and the roles of its members over time.
  • Goal 5: The learner will apply basic economic principles to the study of communities.
    • Objective 5.01: Define and identify examples of scarcity.
    • Objective 5.02: Explain the impact of scarcity on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
    • Objective 5.03: Apply concepts of specialization and division of labor to the local community.

Grade 4

  • Goal 2: The learner will examine the importance of the role of ethnic groups and examine the multiple roles they have played in the development of North Carolina.
    • Objective 2.03: Describe the similarities and differences among people of North Carolina, past and present.
  • Goal 4: The learner will analyze social and political institutions in North Carolina such as government, education, religion, and family and how they structure society, influence behavior, and response to human needs.
    • Objective 4.01: Assess and evaluate the importance of regional diversity on the development of economic, social, and political institutions in North Carolina.
  • Goal 6: The learner will evaluate how North Carolinians apply basic economic principles within the community, state, and nation.
    • Objective 6.01: Explain the relationship between unlimited wants and limited resources.
    • Objective 6.02: Analyze the choices and opportunity cost involved in economic decisions.

Grade 5

  • Goal 2: The learner will analyze political and social institutions in North America and examine how these institutions respond to human needs, structure society, and influence behavior.
    • Objective 2.08: Describe the different types of families and compare and contrast the role the family plays in the societal structures of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and selected countries of Central America.
  • Goal 3: The learner will examine the roles various ethnic groups have played in the development of the United States and its neighboring countries.
    • Objective 3.02: Examine how changes in the movement of people, goods, and ideas have affected ways of living in the United States.
  • Goal 4: The learner will trace key developments in United States history and describe their impact on the land and people of the nation and its neighboring countries.
    • Objective 4.01: Define the role of an historian and explain the importance of studying history.
  • Goal 5: The learner will evaluate ways the United States and other countries of North America make decisions about the allocation and use of economic resources.
    • Objective 5.03: Assess economic institutions in terms of how well they enable people to meet their needs.
    • Objective 5.08: Cite examples of surplus and scarcity in the American market and explain the economic effects.