Keep the Learning Going

6 Powerful Resources About the Triangle Factory Fire

By Lauren Salisbury
October 17, 2018

Granger

The narrative nonfiction feature "Out of the Flames," in the November issue of Scope is sure to captivate your students. It tells the riveting true story of the Triangle factory fire of 1911 and how the tragedy changed America forever. After reading the article, explore the resources below to keep the learning going. 

Guiding Questions

Post these questions in your classroom for students to refer to as they explore the resources:

  • What rights and protections should workers have?
  • Why is it important to learn about disasters from the past?
  • How have immigrants shaped America?
 
6 Resources to keep your student's learning going:

Virtual Museum Exhibit

Scroll through this virtual exhibit from the Tenement Museum in New York City to experience the sights and sounds of the Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century. 

(Alternately, if your classroom uses Google Expeditions, take a guided virtual reality tour of the Tenement. Just type “Tenement Museum” into the search bar of your Expeditions app.) 

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Nonfiction Book

Read "Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy" by Albert Marrin, an engaging nonfiction book written for middle school readers about the Triangle fire and its legacy. 

Model and Video Tour

View a model of the ninth floor of the Asch building and its fire hazards to better understand how the “fireproof” building became a fire trap. Then take a video tour of what the Asch building looks like today.

A video tour of where the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire occurred.

Interactive Game

Play Mission US’s “Mission 4: City of Immigrants” to navigate New York’s Lower East Side in 1907 as Lena, a young Jewish immigrant from Russia. Lena works long hours in a garment factory for little money and becomes involved in the growing labor movement. 

(As long as flash content is enabled, this game works on any browser. To play the full game, you need to register to create your own login and password. When you log in, your game information will be saved to your account every time you play, allowing you to easily stop and resume progress later.)

City of Immigrants

Newspaper Headlines

Read newspapers headlines from across the country to discover how the Triangle fire was reported at the time. (Note that the final death toll was not known for several weeks after the fire, so papers reported many different numbers.)

Granger

Memorial

Learn about this organization's campaign to have a permanent memorial created for the victims of the Triangle fire. Then discuss as a class:

  • Why might a memorial for the Triangle factory fire be important?

 

Granger

Two engaging activities to choose from:

  • An exhibit about the Triangle fire is opening in your town, and you’ve been asked to give a speech. Your speech should summarize what happened and explain why it’s important to remember this tragedy. Use information from “Out of the Flames” and any of the resources above to support your ideas.
  • Create a memorial for or tribute to the victims of the Triangle factory fire. It can be in the form of a sculpture, video, painting, or song.
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