Labor Logic Slides Labor Logic
Supply, Demand, and the Factory Floor
The Auction
5 MIN
Round 1: Scarcity
The teacher is auctioning off ONE piece of premium candy.
"How high will the bidding go when everyone wants the same single item?"
Round 2: Surplus
The teacher is now auctioning off 30 PIECES of candy.
"What happens to the price when there's more than enough for everyone?"
Key Concept: SCARCITY = VALUE
Industrial Reality
10 MIN
Embedded media
Watch Until
04:54
Key Question
Why was labor so cheap in the late 1800s?
The Power Balance
"Your friend is upset after asking her boss for a raise. Her boss pointed to a stack of applications and said, 'These people want a job and are willing to work for less.'"
Who has the power in this scenario? Why?
Supply of Labor Simulation
The Roles
3-4 Factory Owners
The Job
Owners want the cheapest labor to maximize profit.
The Goal
Workers want the highest wage to survive.
Get your Instruction Kits and Play Money!
20 MINUTES
The Worker's Voice
10 MIN
Imagine you are a worker in a crowded city in 1890.
"Write a diary entry explaining why you can't just 'ask for a raise'—and what you think might need to happen for things to change."
Use your Reflection Journal Handout
Factory Floor Simulation Kit Factory Floor
Supply of Labor Simulation
INDUSTRIAL AGE
How to Play
1
Assign Roles: The teacher will select 3-4 "Owners." Everyone else is a "Worker."
2
Round 1 (Rural Life): Only half the workers are looking for jobs. Owners must "bid" to hire them. Goal: Workers want high wages.
3
Round 2 (Urbanization): A "population boom" happens. Every worker is now in the city looking for work. Goal: Owners want low wages.
Labor Tracker
Name:
Role:
Round Wages Paid/Earned 1: Low Supply 2: High Supply
Observation Deck
After the simulation, answer these questions:
1. In which round was it easier for a worker to get a high wage? Why?
2. In Round 2, if one worker refused a low wage, what did the owner do? Why?
3. How did "Urbanization" (more people moving to cities) change the power balance?
Industrial Scrip
Cut these bills for use in the simulation
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
$1 Industrial Wage Scrip $1
ONE DOLLAR DAILY WAGE
$1 Not valid for real-world currency $1
City Streets Reflection Journal City Streets
A Worker's Reflection, Circa 1890
DATE:
NAME:
The Setting
The air is thick with smoke from the factories. Your tenement building is crowded with ten families sharing one bathroom. You spent 12 hours today spinning thread, and you're exhausted. You hear your neighbor got fired today for asking for 5 cents more per hour.
The Diary Entry
Write a diary entry from the perspective of this worker. Explain why you can't just 'ask for a raise' based on what you learned about supply and demand today. Finally, what do you think needs to change for workers to have more power?
Dear Diary,
Labor is the force that moves the world.
Industrial Insights Teacher Guide Teacher Resource
Industrial Insights
Facilitator Guide: Labor Market Logic
Duration
45-50 Min
Grade Level
6-8 (Middle)
Subject
Economics/History
Focus
Supply & Demand
05:00
The Candy Auction
Execution: Auction 1 piece of candy. Kids will bid high (scarcity). Then reveal 30 pieces. Bids will drop to nothing (surplus).
Teacher Script:
"Why did you stop bidding for the 30 pieces? Because you knew you could get one easily. Labor works exactly the same way."
10:00
Video Analysis
Source: "The Rise of Worker Rights" (YouTube). Stop at 04:54.
Key Discussion Point: Urbanization (supply shift).
Why didn't owners just raise wages to be nice? (Competition/Profit Margin)
What made workers "replaceable"? (The constant stream of new city arrivals)
20:00
Simulation: Factory Floor
Setup: 4 Owners, the rest Workers. Give owners $10 total in scrip.
Round 1 (Rural)
Only 5 workers can enter. Owners compete to hire them. Wages should be HIGH.
Round 2 (Urban)
Every worker enters. Owners can pay $1. If a worker refuses, hire the next person. Wages CRASH.
10:00
Synthesis & Reflection
Students use the City Streets Journal. They must use the term "Surplus Labor" or "Supply and Demand" in their entry.
Vocabulary Check
Labor: The collective employees in an industry.
Scarcity: When demand is high but supply is low (Prices go UP).
Surplus: When supply is high but demand is low (Prices go DOWN).
