Classroom Activities
Angelo's Saturdays
Angelo, an immigrant newsboy living in Chicago in 1898, confronts both possibilities and limitations as he tries to determine his own future. This unit takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating both history and language arts in student activities that build research, analysis, writing, and presentation skills.
Lesson 1: Angelo's Three Worlds
By comparing and contrasting 1890s-era photographs of two vastly different
Chicago neighborhoods, students will explore the lifestyle gap that
existed between immigrants on the Near West Side and the wealthy business
titans of Prairie Avenue.
Lesson 2: Historical Heads
This lesson uses the “historical head” conceptual framework derived
from the work of James Percoco to explore the thoughts and feelings
of the characters in Angelo's Saturdays.
Lesson 3: Historical Heads (Part 2)
This lesson continues with the "historical head" activity begun in
Lesson 2, derived from the work of James Percoco. Students will present
their "Advice to Angelo" before reading the final chapters of Angelo's
Saturdays, which center on Hull House.
Lesson 4: Photo Editor
In this lesson, students will learn to analyze and interpret primary
source photographs as evidence in order to draw conclusions about the
history of Chicago and heighten understanding of the narrative text.
Lesson 5: Creative Presentations
Students will present their creative works assigned in Lesson 3 and
Lesson 4 in order to summarize their decision-making process and heighten
understanding of the narrative text.