The Industrial Revolution
Driving Question: How did the Industrial Revolution begin and spread to new regions of the world?
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain and soon transformed the world. Fueled by coal and steam, new machines changed how people worked, produced goods, and built cities. In this lesson, you’ll explore how and why industrialization started where it did, how it spread to other regions, and how it reshaped economies, societies, and environments along the way.
Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate how the Industrial Revolution changed human communities and societies during this era.
- Analyze images to assess how industrialization impacted communities and production and distribution.
Vocab Terms:
Did you know: The world’s first traffic light was installed in London in 1868. It included gas lamps and was operated manually by a police officer. It was removed after it exploded and killed the operator. So, remind your students that the next time they’re stuck at a red light, they should be thankful that at least they don’t explode anymore.
In this quick opener, use a painting from 200 years before the Industrial Revolution as you imagine life in a preindustrial world.
Note: The Urbanization Game is intended as teacher-led, collaborative activity. If you’re pressed for time, students can easily complete this activity on their own or with a partner.
Be sure to reference the Lesson Guide. There, you’ll find links to download the Game Narratives and a Game Template. You’ll also need large sheets of paper and black markers.
The Urbanization Game is an OER Project teacher favorite. One teacher discusses a recent OER Urban Game redesign, while others discuss the urban game genre more generally in these community posts.
If you’ve ever spent time in a city, you know that they’re bursting with, well, everything! Loads of buildings, people, cultures—all in one place. This game will help you explore how cities have changed our landscape—both physically and culturally.
This is a good place to push past the oversimple “Britain had coal” explanation for industrialization. You may want to keep a running list of factors (coal, wages, labor pool, wool, finance, empire, geography, for example) so students see industrialization as a convergence of conditions. Truly the right place at the right time.
Coal helped propel England to the forefront of industrialization. It also propelled the steam engine. These resources will help you understand how and where the Industrial Revolution started.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
Chunking: Divide a reading into chunks, either by paragraph or section. After they’ve read each chunk, have students write a one-sentence summary of what they read. For even more support, incorporate guiding questions into the article so that students know where to look for the answers.
Industrialization didn’t stay in Britain. These materials examine how it spread to new regions and transformed economies, environments, and societies on a global scale.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
Images of the Industrial Revolution
Historians make a lot of claims about the Industrial Revolution. It’s time for you to practice making your own claims as you consider why industrialization started in Britain before it spread around the world.
Check out how railroads and clean water systems helped carry industrialization into new places while reshaping cities, health, and human connections along the way.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
