The Set-Up...
At the turn of the 1700's, Britain and the rest of the European countries were almost entirely funded by farms and the people who worked them. The process needed to make things like wheat and cotton were not only slow and very laborious, but it also didn't produce enough to allow for much population growth, because many of the people were barely getting enough to survive, let alone thrive. As the 18th century progressed, however, people in Britain began to think of new and innovative ways to better increase production and decrease cost. As a result, more food was available and the population exploded. It wasn't all good though, as overcrowding became a major issue in cities, leading to decreased quality of life.
As new methods of production began to appear, a need arose of where to put all these new machines, which led to factories appearing left and right in cities. Factories allowed the owners to put all of their machinery and workers into one small space that is easy to oversee and monitor its output. However, the factories took a huge toll on the individuals working in them.
Life was difficult for people working in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Long days and demanding physical labor often lasted from before sunrise, until well after sunset. To make matters worse, many of the workers were child laborers. They often worked sixteen hours a day or more, just to earn enough money to keep their families from starving. It is very difficult to imagine the kind of life these children lived, especially with the amount of luxury and excess that is found in today's advanced society, but you will explore their lives and the impact these sometimes horrific jobs had on the children who performed them.
In this WebQuest, you will discover the answer to the following questions:
What was daily life like for Child Laborers living during the Industrial Revolution?
What reforms needed to be made in order to change the situation?
What lasting effects did these jobs have on the children who performed them?
As new methods of production began to appear, a need arose of where to put all these new machines, which led to factories appearing left and right in cities. Factories allowed the owners to put all of their machinery and workers into one small space that is easy to oversee and monitor its output. However, the factories took a huge toll on the individuals working in them.
Life was difficult for people working in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Long days and demanding physical labor often lasted from before sunrise, until well after sunset. To make matters worse, many of the workers were child laborers. They often worked sixteen hours a day or more, just to earn enough money to keep their families from starving. It is very difficult to imagine the kind of life these children lived, especially with the amount of luxury and excess that is found in today's advanced society, but you will explore their lives and the impact these sometimes horrific jobs had on the children who performed them.
In this WebQuest, you will discover the answer to the following questions:
What was daily life like for Child Laborers living during the Industrial Revolution?
What reforms needed to be made in order to change the situation?
What lasting effects did these jobs have on the children who performed them?
So what are we doing today?
You are going to dive backwards in time to the middle of the 1700's, and take on the lives of a child from the time living in Britain. You all should know your groups of three by now, and now you need to know your roles. Decide who will be a Factory Worker, who will be a Miner, and who will be a Newsboy. Once you know your profession, you will individually do research on what children who did that job had to do on a daily basis, what the job's effect on the children was, and which one you think had the worst job considering all the factors you have researched.
Just like child laborers of the Industrial Revolution, you too will work hard and long on your job. However, instead of physical labor, you will use brain power to complete this task! Follow these steps to complete your quest...
Step 1: First, divide up the work! Each person in the group should have already been assigned a role. Your choices are: Textile Factory Worker, Miner, or Newsboy.
Step 2: Before working on your research portions, we will watch a BBC clip about Child Labor and its role in building what would become known as "Victorian England".
Step 3: Next, each person will spend time going to their individual role pages to gather research for their assigned role. When you begin your research, make sure you have paper to take notes on all the information you will find on the Internet sites I provide for you. Be sure to take decent and readable notes, because not only do you need to discuss with your other group members, I will check your notes for points on this activity as well.
Step 4: Once all of your group members have completed their research, you will meet to discuss your findings. Which role do you think had it the worst? Important! You need to listen to each other and give everyone a chance to talk about their role. Hear each role and thoroughly discuss the pros and cons to each profession before making a decision. If you disagree with each other, calmly discuss your side with your team mates, and if you can’t come to a decision, take a vote...majority rules! You have the entire period to do the second and third steps for this process, so make sure you do enough research to have a good background knowledge of the job.
Step 5: This part will be conducted on the second day of this activity. We will have a mini classroom debate about what the different aspects of each of these jobs where, what the effects were on the children, as well as which job we as a class feel was the worst and most difficult, so come prepared!
Just like child laborers of the Industrial Revolution, you too will work hard and long on your job. However, instead of physical labor, you will use brain power to complete this task! Follow these steps to complete your quest...
Step 1: First, divide up the work! Each person in the group should have already been assigned a role. Your choices are: Textile Factory Worker, Miner, or Newsboy.
Step 2: Before working on your research portions, we will watch a BBC clip about Child Labor and its role in building what would become known as "Victorian England".
Step 3: Next, each person will spend time going to their individual role pages to gather research for their assigned role. When you begin your research, make sure you have paper to take notes on all the information you will find on the Internet sites I provide for you. Be sure to take decent and readable notes, because not only do you need to discuss with your other group members, I will check your notes for points on this activity as well.
Step 4: Once all of your group members have completed their research, you will meet to discuss your findings. Which role do you think had it the worst? Important! You need to listen to each other and give everyone a chance to talk about their role. Hear each role and thoroughly discuss the pros and cons to each profession before making a decision. If you disagree with each other, calmly discuss your side with your team mates, and if you can’t come to a decision, take a vote...majority rules! You have the entire period to do the second and third steps for this process, so make sure you do enough research to have a good background knowledge of the job.
Step 5: This part will be conducted on the second day of this activity. We will have a mini classroom debate about what the different aspects of each of these jobs where, what the effects were on the children, as well as which job we as a class feel was the worst and most difficult, so come prepared!
The Research...
Some of these websites are larger websites, you don't necessarily need to read every word of each source. Just be sure to pull the important information from each source. If you have all the information from the sources I've given you, feel free to try to find more information with the remainder of the time you have to add more to your argument.
Factory Worker Websites
1. Child Slaves
2. Child Labor during the Industrial Revolution (skip to working conditions)
3. Child Labor and the British Industrial Revolution
4. Child labor in Factories
5. Child Labour in Britain (Use "Life in the Factory" and "Factory Workers" sections)
Miner Websites
1. Daily Life
2. Coal Mines in the Industrial Revolution
3. Of Men and Machines
4. The Usage of Children
5. Coal Mine Workers
Newsboy Websites
1. A Look Back
2. Newsies ( A prezi created about the lives of Newsies)
3. Newsies Strike!
4. Working Boys
Factory Worker Websites
1. Child Slaves
2. Child Labor during the Industrial Revolution (skip to working conditions)
3. Child Labor and the British Industrial Revolution
4. Child labor in Factories
5. Child Labour in Britain (Use "Life in the Factory" and "Factory Workers" sections)
Miner Websites
1. Daily Life
2. Coal Mines in the Industrial Revolution
3. Of Men and Machines
4. The Usage of Children
5. Coal Mine Workers
Newsboy Websites
1. A Look Back
2. Newsies ( A prezi created about the lives of Newsies)
3. Newsies Strike!
4. Working Boys
Where do our points come from?
Be sure to keep your notes that you take, because I will collect them after our debate. The points will be worth 5 points, and they are an all or nothing grade, so make sure not only is there enough information for you to use, but also that they are readable! I will also take notes on who is participating and give participation points based on that.
Conclusion!
Congratulations! You've completed the Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution Webquest, and now should have not only a much better understanding of what these "children" went through on a daily basis, but also a better appreciation for the quality of life you all have now because of their labors.