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Technology of the Industrial Age

Driving Question: How did industrial innovations transform economic production over time?

The Industrial Revolution transformed every corner of the globe, reshaping networks, communities, and production and distribution. That transformation was largely due to the technological advancements of this period. This lesson focuses on the impacts of industrialization and, specifically, how those technological advancements affected people economically and socially.

Learning Objectives

  1. Describe how innovations made possible by the Industrial Revolution changed the movement of goods and people.
  2. Explain how technology shaped economic production over time.

Vocab Terms:

  • fossil fuel
  • infrastructure
  • innovation
  • locomotive
STEP 1

Opener: Technology of the Industrial Age

STEP 2

Innovations and Innovators of the Industrial Age

From the steam engine to the light bulb, the inventions that emerged from the minds of innovative thinkers during the Industrial Revolution changed our lives today.

STEP 3

The Railroad Journey and the Industrial Revolution: Crash Course World History #214

Railroads helped spread the Industrial Revolution—and in the process, changed our notions of time and space.

All aboard! Learn how a technology changed the way humans understood travel and work. They might not be a TARDIS, but trains transformed our ideas about time and space.

Key Ideas

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

Assembly Line Simulation

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in manufacturing? Well, now is your chance through this simulation activity. Find out firsthand the positive—and negative—effects of industrialization!

STEP 5

Closer: Technology of the Industrial Age

Making claims is the game, Industrialization is the name… of the topic in this exercise!

Extension Materials
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Explore what life was really like for kids during the Industrial Revolution; from children working as nailers, to the challenges of finding clean water, and washing clothes.
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The Life of Nailers

Children used to be seen and not heard. Where were they seen? If they were in Victorian Britain, it was likely they would be seen working as nailers.

The Life of Nailers External link

We often learn about the children who worked in the textile and mining industries of the Industrial Age, but the life of nailers in Victorian Britain can also tell us a great deal about child labor and how industrialists treated the working classes.

Key Ideas

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

Making Clean Water

Clean water is something many take for granted in the twenty-first century. In Britain during the Industrial Revolution, clean water was not a given. The steam engine would help change that.

Making Clean Water External link

You might take it for granted today, but clean water was a fantasy for most people during the Industrial Revolution. Everything from sewage to dead bodies polluted Britain’s water. Steam engines helped change all that.

Key Ideas

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

Victorian Washing Machines

What can washing machines tell us about class and gender roles in the Industrial Revolution? Quite a lot, actually!

Victorian Washing Machines External link

Washing clothes in Victorian Britain can tell us a lot about how people lived in this era. But learning about Victorian washing machines can also shed light on class and gender differences.

Key Ideas

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