Grade 8 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 9, Lesson 3

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A More Perfect Union

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 9, Lesson 3: Seeking a Better Way (pp. 267-273)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Values Reform movements developed in response to changes and problems created by industrialization.

Review reform movements in slavery, women's rights, education, and labor rights, and explain what problem each movement attempted to solve. Point out how one reform movement could lead to another, such as the anti-slavery movement leading to women's rights.

Define utopian community. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast reformers who attempted to work within the existing society and those who withdrew from the rest of society to create utopias. Include details about the Shakers and Brook Farm as examples.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Divide students into working groups and assign each group a problem that a reform movement worked to solve, such as alcoholism, slavery, lack of women's rights, etc. Ask each group to explain how a reformer within society might deal with this problem, and then how a utopian society might address the same problem. Have each group present its work and discuss.
Ask each student to chose a reform movement and draw a cartoon, either supporting or opposing the efforts of the reformers. Remind students to clearly show the problem and the proposed solution.

Social Studies Center | Houghton Mifflin Social Studies | Grade 8 Home
Education Place | Site Index

You may download, print, and make copies of Lesson at a Glance pages for use in your classroom, provided that you include the copyright notice shown below on all such copies.