Which inventions of the Industrial Revolution were the most significant?
A beautifully presented lesson for year 8 students on the key inventors and inventions of the Industrial Revolution.
The PowerPoint presents students with a series of problems that British society faced at the start of the 18th century because of the rapid growth in population. Each problem is associated with a striking black and white image to make the information engaging and memorable.
The Word document offers solutions to those problems in the form of cut-out cards in which inventors from the period describe their inventions. Students match the solutions to problems and record their decisions in their books.
They then complete a gapped text about the inventions of the Industrial Revolution using the list of key words provided.
A homework activity of writing a diary entry focusing on continuity and change is included in the PowerPoint.
This lesson is designed to be taught after students have studied population growth in the Industrial Revolution. The resource ‘Why did population grow during the Industrial Revolution?’ would be a suitable lesson for this.
An example of one of the solutions cards:
James Watt
- A few years ago, I was asked to repair a steam engine. It was a fascinating task − I discovered how to make it work much more efficiently and with less fuel.
- In 1781 I found a way of getting a steam engine to turn a wheel. Steam engines could now be used instead of water wheels in factories.
- Steam engines are much more powerful, and they could be really important for the future.
