Unit Outline
Topic: The Making of the Modern World – The Industrial
Revolution
Overview undertaken concurrent with both this depth study and the following depth study.
Key inquiry questions
 Explain the nature and significance of
the Industrial Revolution and how it
affected living and working conditions,
including within Australia.
 Compare and contrast the differences
between men, women and children
during the industrial revolution.
 How did the industrial revolution impact
on the world, including landscapes,
transport and communication?
 How did Britain contribute to the
Industrial Revolution, and how the
agricultural revolution impacted on the
populace, including life in Australia?
Outcomes
A student:
HT5-1: explains and assesses the historical
forces and factors that shaped the modern
world and Australia.
HT5-2: sequences and explains the significant
patterns of continuity and change in the
development of the modern world and
Australia.
HT5-4: explains and analyses the causes and
effects of events and developments in the
modern world and Australia.
HT5-6: uses relevant evidence from sources to
support historical narratives, explanations and
analyses of the modern world and Australia.
HT5-9: applies a range of relevant historical
terms and concepts when communicating an
understanding of the past
Stage Duration: 6 weeks
5 Detail: 11 lessons/hrs
Skills
 Read and understand historical texts.
 Sequence historical events to demonstrate the
relationship between different periods, people
and places.
 Use historical terms and concepts in appropriate
contexts
 Identify different types of sources.
 Identify the origin, content, context and purpose
of primary and secondary sources.
 Process and synthesise information from a range
of sources as evidence in an historical argument.
 Evaluate the reliability and usefulness of primary
and secondary sources for a specific historical
inquiry.
 Identify and analyse the reasons for different
perspectives in a particular historical context.
 Recognise that historians may interpret events
and developments differently.
 Interpret history through the actions, values,
attitudes and motives of people in the context of
the past.
 Ask and evaluate different kinds of questions
about the past to inform an historical inquiry.
 Plan historical research to suit the purpose of an
investigation.
 Identify, locate, select and organise information
from a variety of sources, using ICT and other
methods.
 Develop historical texts, particularly explanations
and historical arguments that use evidence from
a range of sources.
 Select and use a range of communication forms
(oral, graphic, written and digital) to communicate
effectively about the past for different audiences
and for different purposes.
Historical concepts
The following historical concepts are
integrated into the lesson sequences:
 Continuity and Change
 Cause and Effect
 Comprehension
 Perspectives
 Empathetic Understanding
 Significance
 Contestability
HT5-10: selects and uses appropriate oral,
written, visual and digital forms to communicate
effectively about the past for different
audiences
Rationale:
In my unit of work about ‘The Making of the Modern World’ the depth study 1 called ‘Making a Better World?’, the topic I chose was ‘The Industrial Revolution’. This unit of work

is designed around, and makes use of a historical inquiry-based learning approach. This approach requires students to question parts of history, which help invoke thinking and

creativity, as well as stimulate student’s curiosity and letting them have some control over their learning. The reason that this unit of work adopts this type of student-centred

approach is because it allows the students to control aspects of their learning, and improves overall on their academic levels [ CITATION Coo \l 1033 ].

The lessons and activities are designed around the curriculum and content from the NSW educational standards authority [ CITATION NES09 \l 1033 ], with a clear focus

on the standards required to teach effectively, which are provided by the Australian institute for Teaching and School Leadership [ CITATION AIT10 \l 1033 ]. The lessons
are designed so that students use their prior knowledge they have gained from each week, and apply that to each task so that they develop their critical inquiry skills. The

structure of the unit outline is sequential, and follow the same pattern from the NESA’s syllabus, so there is a constant flow of learning and teaching.

Some of lessons in the weeks incorporate collaborative learning methods, and require the students to work with each other to answer the questions. Using the ICT resource, or

even looking at sources, the students are required to share the findings with one another and discuss their answers to demonstrate their understanding. This form of

collaborative work helps improve overall the students comprehension levels, as well as improve on their communication, and co-operation levels with each other.
 Unit Outline
Stage 5 Depth Study 1: Making a better world? – Topic 1a: No of lessons: 11 (6 Weeks, 2 periods per week).
The Industrial Revolution (1750-1914)
Historical Outcomes Skills Teaching and Resources/Activities
knowledge (Learn to) learning
(Learn about) strategies

The HT5-1 Outline the main Class - Brainstorming activity, students are to write down in their workbooks
Term 1 technological HT5-4 reasons why the brainstorming. ‘Industrial Revolution’, they are then introduced to concepts that are relevant
Week 1 innovations that Industrial Revolution from this period.
Lesson led to the began in Britain. Teacher led
1 Industrial Discussion. - Discussion of the main reason the Industrial Revolution began in Britain and the
Revolution, and impact it had on the populace. Students can look at passages of books written for this
other YouTube video. period, such as Mantux Paul’s book titled ‘The Industrial Revolution in the
conditions that Eighteenth Century’, which can be retrieved from:
influenced the https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.17004/page/n27
industrialisation
of Britain (the
agricultural - YouTube videos are presented to the class to give an overview of the Industrial
revolution, Revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhL5DCizj5c
access to raw HT5-2 Describe key features Collaborative - Students are presented YouTube videos explaining the origins of the agricultural
Term 1 materials, HT5-4 of the agricultural work. revolution that had started in Britain, such as: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Week 1 wealthy middle HT5-6 revolution in Britain, v=6QKIts2_yJ0
Lesson class, cheap including the Concept
2 labour, emergence of a cheap Mapping. - Group Resource activity: Students are split into groups of 4 and are given
transport labour force. the resource scaffold to work together on their chosen British colony.
system and YouTube video. These examples include:
expanding - India
empire) and of - Jamaica
Australia - British Guiana
- Malaysia
- Australia
- Canada
- Sri Lanka
- Students are presented articles written on the history of cheap labour, such as:
https://www.theglobalist.com/a-brief-history-of-cheap-labor/ . They are to write down
a summary of the articles presented, so that they can grasp this concept of how cheap
labour force impacted the country. It is also presented early on in the unit so that the
teacher can understand the literacy levels of the student. It can be differentiated to suit
high achieving students by adjusting the research to be independent so that we can
test their research ability.
Term 1 HT5-4 Locate the growth and Concept - Students watch the YouTube video provided so that they get an understanding of the
Week 2 HT5-6 extent of the British Mapping. population growth that happened in Britain, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Lesson Empire from 1750 to v=xLhNP0qp38Q.
1 1900.
- Students are provided a map of Britain and are tasked to identify and locate
the major cities of Britain, and mark its population increase. (Numeracy
component, teacher can mark the percentage increase for each major city)
www1.umassd.edu/ir/resources/societyandpopulation/s6.doc
Appendix (ICT resource that students use to complete their task)
 Group resource scaffold
Split into groups and wait for instruction from the teacher, so that they
assign you a country. After this is down write down your answers in the
provided spaces.
Country of Focus is:______________________

1. List the main exports that were being transferred from the selected
country:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
2. How were these goods being exported?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________

3. What impact did it have on Britain and on their own country?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
Bibliography

AITSL. (2010). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from Australian

Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited:

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/teach-documents/australian-professional-

standards-for-teachers.pdf

Cooper, T., Bailey, B., Briggs, K., & Holliday, J. (2017, August 09). Assessing Student

Openness to Inquiry-Based Learning in Precalculus. PRIMUS, 27(7), 736-753.

Launer, J. (2015). Collaborative Learning Groups. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 91(1078),

473-474.

NESA. (2015). Modern History Stage 5 Syllabus. Retrieved from NSW Education and Standards

Authority: http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/dd911de5-0d92-43c9-

9447-40e97c934b41/modern-history-stage-6-syllabus-2017.pdf?

MOD=AJPERES&CVID=