Hearing the Industrial Revolution
Jonathan Riddle, Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, PA, Week 2
This learning activity was created for “The Richest Hills: Mining in the Far West, 1865–1920,”
sponsored by the Montana Historical Society and funded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for Schoolteachers.
Grade Level: 5-7
Subject: American History
Essential Questions: What new sounds did the Industrial Revolution bring about? What did the
Industrial Revolution sound like in our community? What in this region, if anything, caused it to
be a hustling and bustling place?
Common Core Standards:
RH. 6-8.3: Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies
(e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
RH. 6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps)
with other information in print and digital texts.
WHST 6-8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that
allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
WHST 6-8.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
Time needed: Two class periods plus five days to complete assignment to be before the two
class periods.
Description: The Industrial Revolution changed manufacturing from home-based making of
goods to factory-made goods. This not only changed lifestyles and the environment, but also how
communities sounded. After unit(s) on the Industrial Revolution students are assigned to make a
noise or set of noises that reflect how the Industrial Revolution sounded in their region or
community. The sound will ideally be produced by bringing items into school (if not possible, a
recording on a mobile device would be fine, but emphasis on making the sound(s) likely leads to
more critical thinking). Video record each student making their sound and describing it in under
a minute each.
Once all sounds are recorded, show the video (make clips into one video). Have student groups
(4 -6 per groups) then make a map of where in their community or regions these sounds would
have occurred. The footprint of the map could be your classroom or a common space. Discuss
their layout designs and collaboratively make a map of how the noises will be laid out for the
class recording (ideally mimicking your local community or region). Have students set up their
noise in the part of the mapped community or region most appropriate for their noise (example,
glass factory or rail yard). Record this audio and add to the video with historic Industrial
Revolution photos from the region. Share video digitally with classes and parent community.
Goal: For students to be able to better imagine the Industrial Revolution, the environments it
changed, and the environments it created.
Objectives: Students will

be able to identify a noise (or set of noises) from their region during the Industrial
Revolution and collectively create an audio “tour” of how their region sounded during
this bustling time.
Materials
Hearing the Industrial Revolution student worksheet (see below)
Hearing the Industrial Revolution rubric assessment (see below)
Digital recorder and access to movie making software
A few properly cited photographs from region highlighting the Industrial Revolution
Pre-Lesson Preparation
Students are assigned to make a noise or set of noises of how the Industrial Revolution sounded
in their region or community. The noise(s) would ideally be produced by bringing items into
school (if not possible, a recording on a mobile device would be fine, but emphasis the making
the noise(s) so not just a thoughtless ten millisecond internet search).
Procedure
Day One: Video record each student making their noise and describing it in under a minute each.
Prepare the video (make clips into one) using movie making software.
Day Two: Show the video and have students note the source of the noises. Student groups (4-6
per group) then make a map of where in their community or region these noises would have
occurred. The footprint for the map could be your
classroom or a common space.
Discuss the different layout designs and collaboratively
make a map of how the noises will be laid out for the class
recording (ideally mimicking your local community or
region). Have students set up their noise in the part of the
mapped community or region most appropriate for their
noise (example, glass factory or rail yard). Record this
scene focusing on the audio.
Add this audio to the end of the video with historic
Industrial Revolution photos from the region as the image
(think Ken Burns).
Share video digitally with classes and parent community.
Assessment: Final video and completion of rubric (see below)
Extension activities: Students could create an order for the sounds that would mimic a typical
day. For example the factory sounds would run the entire time, the train would come through and
the car would stop near the business district.
Student could choose to dress like someone that would be working in the location of the noise
created.
Have students provide a picture and proper citations for where their noise came from and partner
with the technology department to use a green screen so they can have it projected behind them
for the video.
Teacher could have general places where noise would have come from listed and assign these to
students (or they pick from a hat) (for example,a car, copper mine) so that a better cross section
of the times are included.
Could use a playing field or playground as the footprint of the map and instead of completing
with one class, arrange to have all of your classes involved to replicate the noisy, hustling times.
Hearing the Industrial Revolution student worksheet
Name ________________________
DUE : ______________________
As you have read about and discussed in class, the Industrial Revolution was a noisy, bustling
time period. Your assignment over the next five days is to come up with a typical noise from our
region and a way to mimic this noise or set of noises of how the Industrial Revolution sounded in
our region! A good place to start would be to determine what would have made noise due to the
Industrial Revolution and then get creative to “make” this noise. The noise(s) you make should
be produced by bringing items into school (if not possible, please see me) on _______________.
The noise(s) needs to be created, not just a noise found online search.
1. Describe your noise (What caused this noise?, Where in this region was this noise
created? How did this differ from the years before the Industrial Revolution?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Write a script that you can read to teach others about this noise for a class video we will
put together. Needs to be 40 - 60 seconds long.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
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3. List your sources
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______
Hearing the Industrial Revolution assessment
Student Name: ________________________________________
RH 6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (
e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised/lowered ).
Needs Specific
Improvement
●
Does not
recognize
changes
caused by
the
Industrial
Revolution
●
Contains
incorrect,
superfluous,
or out-ofsequence
steps
Approaching
●
Recognizes
changes
caused by
the
Industrial
Revolution
but misses
or
incorrectly
orders key
steps
Meets
●
●
Identifies
changes
caused by
the
Industrial
Revolution,
correctly
orders it,
and contains
no incorrect
or
superfluous
steps
Exceeds
●
●
Elaborates
historical
context for
development
of the
changes
Explains
how the
Industrial
Revolution
changed/mo
dified the
times
RH 6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps)
with other information in print and digital texts
Needs Specific
Improvement
●
Group does
not integrate
map of
region with
other
information
Approaching
● Group
integrates map
of region
information
with other
information
without analysis
Meets
Group
integrates
map of
region
information
with other
information
and texts
with
analysis
WHST 6-8.7, Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that
allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
●
Group
integrates
map of
region with
other
information
with
analysis
Exceeds
●
Needs Specific
Improvement
●
Does not
identify a
noise from
this region
Approaching
Needs Specific
Improvement
● Does not
identify and /or
describe the
source of the
noise(s)
● Noise not a
result of the
Industrial
Revolution
Approaching
● Noise is a result
of the Industrial
Revolution but
description
lacks clarity
●
Noise is
authentic
and credible
sources
listed
Exceeds
Noise is
authentic,
credible sources
listed and other
information and
texts listed with
analysis
WHST 6-8.9, Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
●
Noise is
authentic to
region,
source(s) is
not credible
Meets
Meets
● Noise is a result
of the Industrial
Revolution and
description is
accurate
Adapted from rubric from Michael Milton and Todd Whitte
http://eht.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage/11190807/1237605
●
Exceeds
● Noise is a result
of the Industrial
Revolution and
description is
accurate, and
explains how
the Industrial
Revolution
changed/modifie
d the times