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Year 9

The Industrial Revolution and change in Britain

I can evaluate the extent of change in peoples' lives during the Industrial Revolution.

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New
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Year 9

The Industrial Revolution and change in Britain

I can evaluate the extent of change in peoples' lives during the Industrial Revolution.

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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Industrial Revolution saw new inventions which significantly changed manufacturing.
  2. During the Industrial Revolution many people migrated to urban areas and industrial cities.
  3. During the Industrial Revolution there were calls for political change which led to the 1832 Great Reform Act.
  4. Historians debate the extent of change to ordinary peoples' lives that took place during the Industrial Revolution.

Keywords

  • Exploitative - if something is exploitative it involves treating others unfairly, in a way that helps make money for you but could harm others

  • Franchise - the franchise refers to the group of people who can vote in a country's elections

Common misconception

The Industrial Revolution affected all aspects of life in Britain equally.

The impact of the Industrial Revolution may be measured differently depending on which aspects of life historians focus their attention on.


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

At the end of learning cycle 2, ask students to rank the different aspects of life affected by the Industrial Revolution according to the extent of change experienced. This will emphasise the varied and unequal nature of changes which occurred.
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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.
Match each keyword with its correct definition.
Correct Answer:agricultural ,the work of growing crops and looking after animals
tick

the work of growing crops and looking after animals

Correct Answer:industrial,economic activity related to the manufacturing of goods
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economic activity related to the manufacturing of goods

Correct Answer:urban,related to towns and cities
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related to towns and cities

Correct Answer:rural,related to areas in the countryside
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related to areas in the countryside

Q2.
Write the missing word. During the Industrial Revolution, migration meant that a growing amount of Britain's population lived in areas.
Correct Answer: urban, Urban
Q3.
What did Richard Arkrwight invent?
crop rotation
land drainage techniques
steam engine
Correct answer: water frame
Q4.
Write the missing word. Overcrowding and unsanitary housing increased the spread of in industrial cities.
Correct Answer: disease, Disease, diseases, Diseases
Q5.
Which statement is most accurate?
The Great Reform Act abolished monarchy in Britain
The Great Reform Act abolished the property qualification in Britain
Correct answer: The Great Reform Act abolished rotten boroughs in Britain
The Great Reform Act abolished the House of Lords in Britain
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - steam engines first developed
2 - Bridgewater Canal built to supply Manchester with coal
3 - Peterloo Massacre
4 - Great Reform Act gives Manchester its own MPs

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. Death rates were higher in urban areas compared to areas during the Industrial Revolution.
Correct Answer: rural, Rural
Q2.
Write the missing word. The Great Reform Act extended the so more people could vote.
Correct Answer: franchise, Franchise
Q3.
Which of the following places was a rotten borough in the unreformed parliament before 1832?
Birmingham
Glasgow
Manchester
Correct answer: Old Sarum
Q4.
Which three of the following were features of the factory system?
Correct answer: use of machines
high wages for workers
manufacturing of goods within homes
Correct answer: employment of unskilled workers
Correct answer: manufacturing of goods never stopped
Q5.
The Great Reform Act did not introduce salaries for MPs. To what extent does this suggest politics changed during the Industrial Revolution?
significant change
moderate change
Correct answer: insignificant change
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - Agricultural Revolution increases food production
2 - Britain's population grows
3 - migration from rural areas to urban areas increases
4 - overcrowding becomes a more serious problem in industrial cities
5 - diseases like typhus become more common