10th Grade New York

Industrialization

This inquiry leads students through the political, social, geographic, and economic changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain between roughly the years of 1760 and 1840. By investigating the compelling question “How did the Industrial Revolution move people?” students consider the ways in which movement (e.g., people, goods, services) affects a person’s geographic location and daily life as well as the structure of society. Students examine the ways in which the Industrial Revolution influenced people to physically move, how it moved aspects of workers’ daily lives, and how it metaphorically moved people forward and backward by analyzing how it affected progress. In investigating historical, geographic, and economic evidence, students develop an interpretation of the positive and negative influences of the Industrial Revolution and the extent to which these influences affected people in the past and people today.

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Compelling Question:

How Did the Industrial Revolution Move People?

Staging the Question:

Using a map showing technological innovations from 1715 to 1815, preview the growth of industry in Great Britain by having students make predictions about how these innovations affected daily life and society.

Supporting Question Where did people move to and from during the Industrial Revolution?

Formative Task Draw a population map of Britain highlighting where people were moving and annotate the pull factors that led them there.

Sources Source A: Image bank: Maps of Great Britain and the Industrial Revolution
Source B: Manchester from Higher Broughton
Source C: Excerpt from Observations On the Effect of the Factory System

Supporting Question How did daily life move before and during the Industrial Revolution?

Formative Task Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast the ways daily life moved before and during the Industrial Revolution.

Sources Source A: Excerpt from A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain
Source B: Interview with Michael Crabtree, child laborer
Source C: Excerpt from a factory inspector’s report

Supporting Question How did the Industrial Revolution move society backward?

Formative Task Develop a claim supported by evidence that explains how the Industrial Revolution moved society backward.

Sources Source A: Excerpt from The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844
Source B: Excerpt from Hard Times
Source C: “Age Distribution in Cotton Factories”

Supporting Question How did the Industrial Revolution move society forward?

Formative Task Develop a counterclaim for the previous claim using evidence that explains how the Industrial Revolution moved society forward.

Sources Source A: Excerpt from Thrift
Source B: “Life Expectancy at Birth, Cities in England, 1850s–1890s”

Summative Performance Task

Argument: How did the Industrial Revolution move people? Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical sources while acknowledging competing views.

Extension: Students hold a classroom debate on how the Industrial Revolution moved people, ultimately coming to a conclusion on whether it moved society backward or forward.

Taking Informed Action

Understand: Investigate the challenges of an economic boom/bust in the community by researching a company, business, factory, etc. that recently moved in or out of the region.

Assess: Weigh the positive and negative impacts for various stakeholders (e.g., laborers, company owners, government employees) that come with the company or factory’s moving in or moving out.

Act: Write an editorial for a local newspaper detailing your opinion on the company or factory’s decision to move in or out and whether or not this movement benefits the community as a whole.