4. Getting Started
Read chapter 16 section 1
in (pg. 205)
Write down the chapter title
and the section heading in
your notes.
Answer these three questions in complete
sentences under the chapter heading:
• Who was Jacob Riis?
• What is a muckraker?
• What was Riis trying to accomplish with his
photographs?
5. America in 1900
Read chapter 16 section 2
(pgs. 206-07)
Write down the section
heading in your notes.
6. Reread
Answer these questions in
complete sentences under the
chapter heading:
What important announcement
did the Census Bureau make in
1890?
What happened to American
industry in the years after the
Civil War?
What did American cities look
like in 1900?
How had the U.S. population
become more diverse by the
early 1900s?
8. What are threeWhat are three
major problemsmajor problems
MuckrakersMuckrakers
uncovered?uncovered?
GOALGOAL
9. Can you summarizeCan you summarize
the reasons for threethe reasons for three
problems Muckrakersproblems Muckrakers
uncovered?uncovered?
GOALGOAL
10. Directions
1. Prepare your “muckraking”
notepads.
2. Conduct your field investigation.
3. Choose the focus of your
investigative report.
4. Create a magazine or newspaper
to inform the nation.
5. Report your findings to the class.
11. Prepare your
“muckraking” notepads
1. Divide your
paper in half.
Fold it and then
draw a line on
the fold.
1. Divide the half
paper into three
sections.
2. Repeat on
another piece of
paper.
1: Problem title
2: Problem
Description
3: Information
about the Problem
12. Conduct your field
investigation.
Fill in your “notepad”
For part 1: Examine the visual and written information. In
this space, explain what problem you think you have
uncovered. Use a headline style format.
For part 2: Describe the problem using vivid and shocking
language that will stir your reader into action. Write at
least 2 sentences about the photograph. Also chose one
sentence from the quotation excerpt that exemplifies the
problem. Cite the quote.
For part 3: Read the section in the textbook. Then, in this
space, record at least four important pieces of information
about the problem.
13. Choose the focus of your
investigative report.
Pick one of the four areas to focus on:
Problems in cities
and workplaces
Slum Life
The workplace
Unsafe products
Problems in the
environment
The landscape
Natural resources
Pollution
Problems in politics
Political Machines and
bosses
Local and state politics
National politics
Problems in society
Social class
African Americans
Women
Families
14. Research Your Issue
Read the section for your specific
topic.
Problems in cities and workplaces
Problems in the environment
Problems in politics
Problems in society
15. Can you write anCan you write an
effective paragrapheffective paragraph
about a problem atabout a problem at
the Turn of thethe Turn of the
Century?Century?
GOALGOAL
16. Write Your Investigative
Report 1/2
Your newspaper/magazine must include
these elements:
An appropriate and appealing title.
A byline with group members’ names and an appropriate
date from the time period.
An introduction with a brief explanation of muckraking
and an overview of what you plan to expose in the
article.
One article describing each of the problems you
uncovered for your topic. Use vivid and shocking
language. Each article should have at least five well-
developed sentences, including at least three pieces of
information from your notes, and a title.
17. Write Your Investigative
Report 2/2
Your article must include these
elements:
A conclusion summarizing the reasons your
readers should take action to address the
problems you uncovered.
A “photograph” for each article from your
investigation with a brief caption. This can
be a drawing you make or a photograph you
download from the Internet. It should
depict something you wrote about the
article. It must be historically accurate.
Add other clever and creative touches that
will make your article more realistic.
Jacob Riis was a photographer and journalist. Muckrakers uncovered the nation’s problems and wrote about them. Riis was trying to expose the conditions of the poor.
In 1890, the Census Bureau announced that the “American frontier” was closed, stating that most of the land beyond the Appalachian Mountains had been settled. 2. After the Civil War, advances in technology, transportation, and communications helped fuel rapid industrial growth. More efficient machines and productive methods allowed American factory workers to produce more goods much faster than anyone had ever though possible. 3. In 1900, city residents included such newcomers as immigrants, African Americans, and transplants from rural areas of the North. Cities had modern attractions such as department stores and steel-framed skyscrapers. 4. Between 1870 and 1920, at least 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States. By the turn of the century, immigrants from Mexico and Canada joined new waves of immigrants from southern Europe and Asia. They added their customs and languages to the mix of cultures already in the United States.
In 1890, the Census Bureau announced that the “American frontier” was closed, stating that most of the land beyond the Appalachian Mountains had been settled. 2. After the Civil War, advances in technology, transportation, and communications helped fuel rapid industrial growth. More efficient machines and productive methods allowed American factory workers to produce more goods much faster than anyone had ever though possible. 3. In 1900, city residents included such newcomers as immigrants, African Americans, and transplants from rural areas of the North. Cities had modern attractions such as department stores and steel-framed skyscrapers. 4. Between 1870 and 1920, at least 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States. By the turn of the century, immigrants from Mexico and Canada joined new waves of immigrants from southern Europe and Asia. They added their customs and languages to the mix of cultures already in the United States.
