Activities focusing on three popular culture genres of the late nineteenth century--the muckraker magazine, the dime novel, and melodrama--help secondary students appreciate the ethnic diversity, social problems, and social themes of turn-of-the-century urban America. Material is divided into four sections. Following an introduction, the first section describes advantages of using these genres in the classroom. In the remaining sections, historical background and literary characteristics of each genre are accompanied by a description of a major student project. Students design and write a muckraking magazine, write a dime novel, and produce a melodrama based on themes relevant to the period. For each activity, directions, layout design, and evaluation questions are provided. (LP)