Counting on Grace By Elizabeth Winthrop

Book Overview: In this novel, based on a true story, Grace is 12 years old when she is taken out of school and begins working in a textile mill with her family. Her and another boy, Arthur, are the smartest students within her classroom and causes the teacher to be upset with them leaving. Miss Lesley, the teacher then starts holding Sunday classes for the students, which is their only day off and has them write a letter to the National Child Labor Committee. With these letters, a man comes to document and photograph children's life in the mills. Life in the mills was difficult for Grace being a left handed person, while Arthur was angered with working in the mill at all. Read this book to find out what these children and their families go through and the consequences of writing to the National Child Labor Committee caused them.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:
Textile Mills
National Child Labor Committee
Child Labor
Immigrants

Before Reading: Introducing the novel, any unfamiliar vocabulary pertaining to the child labor laws should be discussed before reading the novel. Have a discussion with the students about how they would feel if they had to work to help support their families.

During Reading: While the students are reading the novel, they should also be taking notes about life in the mills. These notes will be helpful when they are writing their journal entries they will create after reading.

After Reading: After reading this novel, students will write journal entries pretending to be a child during the early 1900s working in the textile mills to help support their families. They need to demonstrate their knowledge of the struggles these children went through and how child labor laws came about. Were children or their family members injured? Who was able to have jobs in the mills? Why did some people lose their jobs?

Extra Resources:
Reading and Discussion Guide for Teachers
All about Elizabeth Winthrop

Winthrop, Elizabeth. Counting on Grace. New York: Yearling, 2008. Print.