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Advocating for Change: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap
Students explore how meaningful social change comes about through a close study of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the social history of the early twentieth century.
ELA
Unit 2
7th Grade
Unit Summary
Please Note: In March 2026, this unit and its lesson plans received a round of enhancements. This unit is now 37 instructional days (previously 34 days). The overall content, sequencing, and writing projects of the unit have been adjusted significantly. Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for the updates.
On March 25, 1911, in New York City, 146 workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory perished in a fire. Only a year earlier, many of these workers—predominantly young, immigrant women—walked the picket lines to protest unjust treatment and unsafe conditions in that very factory. After many months of impassioned but unsuccessful negotiations, many of these women (who had few other options for employment) returned to work. And on that fateful day in 1911, the true plight of factory workers was revealed to the world.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was one of the greatest tragedies of the early 20th century, and yet the details of this event are largely unknown to many Americans today. This unit provides 7th-grade students an opportunity to study this significant moment in United States history in depth, discovering the complex social and political forces that preceded the fire and analyzing the far-reaching implications of that terrible day.
Students read two texts in this unit. The first, Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin, a National Book Award finalist, is an informational text that provides a detailed historical account of the fire. Students begin the unit by reading the first several chapters of this text, grounding themselves in the historical context of the early twentieth century, with a particular focus on the history of immigration and the experience of immigrants in New York City during this time period. They also study the history of garment-making in the United States and the development of the garment factory. With this schema, students dive into the second text: Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This historical fiction novel tells the story of three young women whose lives intersect at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. This text brings the historical facts from Flesh and Blood So Cheap to life through engaging, complex, diverse characters as they navigate a rapidly changing world.
Students continue their year-long interrogation of the factors that contribute to an individual's sense of belonging and identity through the lens of this tragic fire and all of the events surrounding it.
Throughout the unit, students continue to prepare for class discussions, determining which evidence best supports a particular idea and how to elaborate on that evidence. By writing daily in response to the Target Task question, students build their writing fluency, seeing the power of writing as a tool for understanding what they are reading. This unit also serves as the foundation for informational and argumentative writing. Students research a social movement that altered history and create a museum display to teach their peers about the movement. Students learn about how to conduct effective research, including using effective search terms and looking for information from multiple credible sources. To end the unit, students write an op-ed for The New York Times about labor laws in the United States following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy. Students learn how to structure an effective argument, including a counterclaim and rebuttal to persuade their audience.
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Texts and Materials
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Core Texts
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Book: Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 1000L
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Book: Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 790L
Supporting Texts
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Exhibit: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820–Present by the National Museum of American History
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Speech: “We Have Found You Wanting” by Rose Schneiderman
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Essay: “A Change in the Menu” by Grace Silva
- Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Rubrics
Resources for Lessons and Projects
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Unit 2. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments and Assessments Accommodations & Modifications Teacher Tools.
Warm Read Assessment
The Warm Read Assessment measures students' ability to apply the core reading standards and their knowledge from the unit to comprehend new, topically or thematically aligned texts. It includes both multiple choice and short written response questions and should serve as the primary assessment for the unit.
Vocabulary Assessment
The Vocabulary Assessment measures students' acquisition of text-based vocabulary words from the unit.
Fluency Assessment
The Fluency Assessment measures students' oral reading fluency with a passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. See the Assessing Reading Fluency Teacher Tool for more guidance.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.
Essential Questions
- How does meaningful social change come about?
- How do gender and class shape a person's experience of the world?
- How do marginalized groups create a sense of belonging even when they feel excluded by society?
Enduring Understandings
- The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire remains one of the most significant workplace disasters in American history; the impact of this event has been far-reaching and can still be seen today.
- Conditions in factories were horrible in the early twentieth century, and workers had to fight tirelessly for safety, respect, and justice in their jobs; women and immigrants were at the forefront of this fight.
- Collective suffering, though tragic, can bring people together and impact their sense of belonging in the community.
Vocabulary
Text-based
abundantagonyburdenconvictioncontemptdenouncedisgracedignityferventgrievanceignorantmarvelmiserypreposterousresolveresolutionscornsolidaritysubversivetragedyuprising
Literary Terms
characterizationcitationclaimconflictdramatic ironydynamic characterepigraphevidenceexplicithistorical fictioninferencejuxtapositionmoodparaphraseprimary sourcepreluderising actionsecondary sourcespeech
Writing Terms
counterclaimcredibleformal styleobjectiveop-edrebuttaltone
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 7th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Content Knowledge and Connections
Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
Future Fishtank ELA Connections
Notes to the Teacher
- In this unit, students have to move back and forth between a historical fiction and an informational text. While it may feel difficult to pause reading one text to read another, lessons are paced so that the readings from Uprising and Flesh and Blood So Cheap correspond closely with one another. Generally, students read from the informational text about specific historical events, and then read the passage in Uprising that refers to those events in order to evaluate the historical accuracy within the fiction text. In this way, students will have much of the schema necessary to comprehend events in the novel.
- This unit contains difficult subject matter. Both texts contain vivid descriptions of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and provide details about the extreme suffering of the people who died that day. Students may find this section of the unit especially upsetting. Be mindful of the possibility that you may have students who have experienced fires in their own lives.
- It is important to note that these two texts focus almost exclusively on the experiences of white people. In 1910, approximately two percent of New York City's population was Black, and Black women were generally excluded from garment factory jobs. Though there is a brief discussion of this on page 93 of Flesh and Blood So Cheap, students should be aware that much of the cotton used in garment factories was picked by Black tenant farmers in the southern United States.
Lesson Map
Conduct a research project using multiple credible sources to build and share knowledge about different aspects of a chosen topic.
Research and take notes on a topic from credible digital sources.
- Two-Column Notes Template (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.8
Gather relevant, categorized notes on the most important details about a topic from digital sources.
Standards
W.7.7W.7.8
Draft summaries for each section of the museum display.
Standards
W.7.2W.7.2.b
Include describing phrases into text features such as headings, captions, pictures and graphics to develop a topic.
Standards
L.7.1.aL.7.1.cW.7.2.a
Students present effectively and learn about social movements that have altered history.
- Gallery Walk Reflection Sheet (G7, U2, L10)
Standards
SL.7.4SL.7.5W.7.2.aW.7.2.b
Write an op-ed with a clear and developed claim and counterclaim.
Draft an outline including a strong claim and counterclaim.
- Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.1W.7.1.a
Draft an op-ed with an appropriate, formal tone.
- Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.1.aW.7.1.d
Finish a draft by incorporating words, phrases, and clauses that create cohesion and clarify relationships.
- Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.1.cW.7.5
Create a published op-ed that includes describing phrases that add detail and convey the tone.
- Dangling Describing Phrase Practice Page (G7, U2, L28)
- Op-Ed Template (G7, U2, L28)
Standards
L.7.1.aL.7.1.c
Projects
These projects are optional and serve as a great way to enrich students' experience and deepen their content knowledge in this unit. If teachers have flex days in their schedules, we strongly recommend any of the below options.
