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Year 9

Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

I can explain the role of technological inventions in the Industrial Revolution.

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Year 9

Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

I can explain the role of technological inventions in the Industrial Revolution.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. New technological inventions fuelled the Industrial Revolution and made the production of goods more efficient.
  2. Canals and waterways were built to transport raw materials like coals to towns.
  3. Cotton mills were developed to produce cloth using steam and power.
  4. Inventions made production more efficient but also replaced many jobs.

Keywords

  • Industrial - economic activity related to the manufacturing and production of goods

  • Exploited - in this context, when resources are exploited this means they have been used by people for some benefit

  • Mill - a mill is a factory equipped with machinery for manufacturing

  • Textile worker - a textile worker is someone who is involved in the manufacturing of cloths and fabrics

  • Canal - a canal is an artificial waterway cut through land for the passage of boats

Common misconception

That the Industrial Revolution was only about the use of steam power.

Many key changes in the Industrial Revolution related to developments beyond the use of steam power, such as the exploitation of water power.


To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: Inventions of the Industrial Revolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ask students to study the image on slide 25. Ask what they notice about the location of the mill? Ask them to hypothesise why the mill was located where it was? You could also ask how big a change in working locations this represents.
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. The rapid improvements in the productivity of English farming in the 17th and 18th centuries are described as part of the Agricultural...
Correct Answer: Revolution, revolution
Q2.
Study the image. What type of agricultural improvement does it relate to?
An image in a quiz
crop rotation
drainage
enclosure
Correct answer: use of fertilisers
Q3.
Which type of agricultural improvement was Charles Townshend (also known as Turnip Townshend) associated with?
Correct answer: crop rotation
drainage
enclosure
use of fertilisers
Q4.
Write the missing word. In 1700, roughly 20% of English arable land was left...
Correct Answer: fallow, Fallow
Q5.
Which of the following consequences was most likely to occur after the drainage of the Fens?
decrease in the amount of arable land
increase in the proportion of land left fallow
Correct answer: increase in migration away from the Fens
decrease in profits of major landowners in the Fens
Q6.
Which outcome was more likely as a result of the Agricultural Revolution?
Correct answer: investments in other, non-agricultural, types of businesses rose
the population of Britain shrunk as a result of migration
common food items like bread became more expensive
Q2 "Elizabethan Street Scene, from 'A Book of Roxburghe Ballads'(woodcut) (b/w photo)", c.1660, A Book of Roxburghe Ballads, Bridgeman Images

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword with its correct definition.
Correct Answer:agriculture,work of growing crops and looking after animals for food
tick

work of growing crops and looking after animals for food

Correct Answer:industry,work involving the manufacturing of goods
tick

work involving the manufacturing of goods

Correct Answer:mill,a factory equipped with machinery for manufacturing
tick

a factory equipped with machinery for manufacturing

Correct Answer:canal,a manmade waterway cut through land for the passage of boats
tick

a manmade waterway cut through land for the passage of boats

Q2.
What geographical feature were most cotton mills built next to during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution?
beaches
cliffs
mountains
Correct answer: rivers
Q3.
Write the missing word. The industry was one of the first to begin adopting the inventions of the Industrial Revolution on a large scale.
Correct Answer: cotton, Cotton, textiles, Textiles
Q4.
What was the main purpose of the Bridgewater Canal?
Correct answer: transport coal to Manchester
transport tourists to Manchester
transport workers to Manchester
Q5.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following stages in the development of the cotton industry into chronological order.
1 - most cotton manufacturing took place in peoples own homes
2 - most cotton manufacturing took place in mills located next to rivers
3 - many cotton mills moved closer to large towns and cities like Manchester
Q6.
Which conclusion would historians be most justified in making about the impact of the Industrial Revolution on work in the cotton industry?
most workers gained more freedom over how they completed their work
Correct answer: many new groups of people were employed to operate machines
many workers in mills received higher wages than cotton workers were paid before
machines got rid of the need for workers in the cotton industry

Additional material

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