Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to understand content and feature usage to drive site improvements over time. To learn more, review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Origins of the Industrial Revolution

Driving Question: What caused the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution brought massive changes to all aspects of society. But what caused these enormous changes? And why did the Industrial Revolution start where it did? Explore the geographic, social, economic, and environmental factors that helped tiny Britain jump-start an industrialization phenomenon that would alter the world.

Learning Objectives

  1. Analyze the features of Britain that helped it industrialize first.
  2. Evaluate how the Industrial Revolution changed human communities and societies during this era.
  3. Use claim testing to evaluate the Industrial Revolution.

Vocab Terms:

  • agricultural revolution
  • enclosure
  • mass production
  • slave plantation
  • steam engine
  • textile
  • urbanization
STEP 1

Opener: Origins of the Industrial Revolution

Teaching Tools

As you get started with this lesson on the Industrial Revolution, check out this blog post External link for a fresh perspective on a familiar topic.

Unlike those who lived through the Industrial Revolution, you do get to choose. In this activity, explore different options to get a feel for what life was really like back then.

STEP 2

Building Cities

Teaching Tools

This blog post External link on the challenges and opportunities of urbanization is a great resource to help you prepare to teach this activity.

STEP 3

Why Britain?

Teaching Tools

Check out our Differentiation Guide Locked  for strategies to make videos like this more accessible and engaging for all learners.

Where did industrialization begin? Explore some of the factors—both within and outside Britain’s borders—that gave this county an advantage.

Origins of the Industrial Revolution External link

During the long nineteenth century, Britain had several advantages that allowed it to industrialize first. What were they? Travel to England to mine for answers.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 4

Claim Testing the Industrial Revolution

Teaching Tools

Teaching claim testing? This video offers a helpful overview of how we approach the skill.

Continue to explore the surprisingly complicated question of why industrialization began in Britain while you also expand your claim-testing skills.

STEP 5

Closer: Origins of the Industrial Revolution

Reflect on what you learned in this lesson with a quick summary. Here’s the trick: You have to summarize what you know using an image, a sentence, and a word!

Extension Materials
Checkmark Alert Banner
Use the materials below to develop your own writing skills by reviewing someone else’s writing, and deeper your understanding of how coal powered the Industrial Revolution.
...

Reviewing for Analysis and Evidence

...

Dig Deeper: Coal and the Industrial Revolution

Coal helped propel England to the forefront of industrialization. It also propelled the steam engine. This article will help you understand how and where the Industrial Revolution started.