Lesson Plan: February 16-19
Growth of a Nation: The Industrial Revolution (7 instructional days)
Unit Overview: Units will examine the concept of sectionalism as students investigate the
events that shaped the growth of the United States from 1820 to 1850. In this unit, students
will research and evaluate the impact of science and technology on the economic development
of the North, South and the West.
Unit Objective: Students will:
• research and evaluate the impact of science and technology on the economic development of
the United States by the development of an advertisement and the completion of a writing
reflection.
Unit Question: How did the Industrial Revolution impact the lives of Americans living in
different areas of the United States?
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: Growth of Sectionalism (1 day)
Review the ideas of nationalism and sectionalism with images. Share and discuss the definitions
of both terms.
Engage
Using text pgs. 302-305b, complete the Guided Reading packet to examine the similarities and
differences between the North (Webster), the South (Calhoun) and the West (Clay and his
American System). Share and discuss student responses.
Process
Reflection: How did Clay's American System affect relationships between the North, the South
and the West?
Teacher Note: Prior to beginning the learning experiences for the Industrial Revolution,
Jackson, Manifest Destiny and Reforms, provide each student with the Sectionalism graphic
organizer. It should be printed on 8x14 paper. This graphic organizer will be used throughout
the remaining learning experiences in this module.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: Industrial Revolution (5 days)
Ask students to interpret the following quote:
"Necessity is the mother of invention." Plato, Greek author & philosopher (427 BCE - 347 BCE)
Ideas to discuss include: What does the word necessity mean? What is the relationship
between necessity and invention?
Next, ask students to identify three modern-day inventions, and the problems that led to their
creation. Ask students to consider how these inventions impact our lives today, and what would
our lives be like if these inventions did not exist.
View the video Living History: Living During the Industrial Revolution. This Discovery Education
video is approximately 20 minutes long. It is suggested that you stop at each sub-section and
discuss the video content (such as "Interchangeable Parts”).
Talking point to discuss should include:
What was the Industrial Revolution, and how did it begin in the U.S.? (It was the process in
which machines replaced hand tools, steam, and other sources of power replaced human and
animal power. British mechanic Samuel Slater came to the U.S. and helped American
businessmen build successful factories.)
What were the benefits of interchangeable parts? (Identical, machine-made parts would make
replacement of broken factory machine parts easier and cost-effective.)
What were the advantages and disadvantages of being a "mill girl?" (Advantages: economic
freedom. room and board, stable employment; Disadvantages: long hours, low wages, unsafe
conditions)
Last, compare and contrast these videos from the Boots Mill Museum at the Lowell National
Historical Park videos. Students should be able to understand the importance of moving from
hand-made to factory made goods.
Engage
Part 1 - Background Information
As a class, read text pgs. 390-395 to highlight the effects of the factory system (child labor, long
hours) and urbanization (pros and cons).
Talking points to discuss:
What was daily life like in early factories? (People had to work long hours in unsafe
conditions, and children and women received lower pay than men.)
What were the effects of the Industrial Revolution? (Individuals left home to work in factories;
urbanization began, as people left rural areas to work in the factories; cities became crowded
and unsanitary conditions developed; factory-made goods increased in demand; prices for
factory-made goods were cheaper than hand-made goods.)
Part 2 – Innovations (Text pgs. 384-405)
The following is a multi-day activity. By providing groups with the necessary research materials
up front, the time to complete the product can be reduced.
Place students in groups of 2-3. Assign each group one of the major innovations of the
Industrial Revolution (the cotton gin, interchangeable parts, the factory system,
turnpikes/roads, the Erie Canal, the steamboat, the telegraph, the steel plow, the mechanical
reaper, and railroads). These groups will become the expert on the innovation. Provide
students with research material such as library books, maps, atlases, encyclopedias and/or
information [primary source documents, drawings and patents of invention] printed from
Internet websites. Each group will complete a brainstorm worksheet about their assigned
innovation. When expert groups have completed their research, they will present their research
by posting their project on Padlet.
Process
With their group members, students will complete the relationship handout. Students must be
able to explain their selections for part 1 and answer the questions in part 2. Share and discuss
handout results as a class.
Exit ticket: How did new inventions, transportation improvements, and new forms of
communication change American society in the mid-1800s? Students need to justify their
answers using facts from the learning experiences.
Sectionalism graphic organizer notes: Students should complete the boxes about the
contributions of Eli Whitney, Robert Fulton, and Samuel Slater to the Industrial Revolution. The
information from their Inventions chart could help them complete the boxes. As a class, discuss
student descriptions to check for accuracy and understanding.