About the inquiry

This inquiry leads students through the political, social, geographic, and economic changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain between roughly the years of 1760 and 1840. By investigating the compelling question “How did the Industrial Revolution move people?” students consider the ways in which movement (e.g., people, goods, services) affects a person’s geographic location and daily life as well as the structure of society. Students examine the ways in which the Industrial Revolution influenced people to physically move, how it moved aspects of workers’ daily lives, and how it metaphorically moved people forward and backward by analyzing how it affected progress. In investigating historical, geographic, and economic evidence, students develop an interpretation of the positive and negative influences of the Industrial Revolution and the extent to which these influences affected people in the past and people today.

Compelling Question

Staging Question

Summative Performance Task

Argument: How did the Industrial Revolution move people? Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical sources while acknowledging competing views.

Extension: Students hold a classroom debate on how the Industrial Revolution moved people, ultimately coming to a conclusion on whether it moved society backward or forward.

Taking Informed Action

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