Life in 1890

This worksheet helps students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 explore Industrialization and the Gilded Age through historical perspective-taking, reflective writing, evidence-based reasoning, and social analysis. By choosing a role-immigrant, factory worker, or industrial tycoon-learners examine daily life, challenges, opportunities, and social conditions while grounding their responses in historical context and accurate details.

Skills Reinforced

• Social Conditions (Grades 6-8) – Analyze living and working conditions during Industrialization
• Historical Perspective-Taking – Write from the viewpoint of different social and economic groups
• Evidence-Based Reflection – Support ideas with historically accurate examples
• Critical Evaluation – Form and defend an opinion based on historical reflection

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with middle school social studies and ELA standards
• Guided Writing Prompts – Four structured questions support organized, complete responses
• Choice-Based Roles – Increases engagement by allowing students to select a perspective
• Flexible Use – Works well for classwork, assessment, discussion prep, or homeschool instruction
• Builds Historical Empathy – Helps students connect individual experiences to larger historical forces

This Life in 1890 worksheet helps students humanize Industrialization by stepping into the lives of people affected by rapid economic and social change. Through reflective, evidence-based writing, learners deepen their understanding of immigrant experiences, labor challenges, and industrial power while strengthening perspective-taking and critical thinking skills. It’s a meaningful, no-prep resource for classrooms and homeschool settings focused on connecting history to real human experiences.

This worksheet is part of our Industrialization and the Gilded Age Worksheets collection.