Shropshire Routes to Roots

8. Resources for teachers

National Curriculum

The Exploring industrialisation theme has been written for people interested in researching the history of their area. However, the theme should also be accessible to, and provide resources for, pupils studying Key Stage 3, Unit 11: 'Industrial Changes: Action and Reaction'.

For younger age groups, the theme as it is presented online may be too complex. However, using the worksheets and approaches on this page, the information could be repackaged to provide resources for Key Stage 2, Unit 11: 'What was it like for children living in Victorian Britain?' and Key Stage 2, Unit 12: 'How did life change in our locality in Victorian times?'.

Worksheets for Key Stage Two

The following worksheets offer pre-prepared exercises to help Key Stage 2 pupils to study and analyse the source material. Although designed for a younger audience, the exercises could also be adapted for Key Stage 3 work. The pages are 'printer friendly', so they can be distributed in a paper form directly to the class.

• The census (Opens in a new window). Pupils use extracts from the 1851 Census, and work out the types of occupations in the area. The actual worksheet for this exercise is included in the Excel spreadsheet of the Wrockwardine Wood census.
• Maps (Opens in a new window). Pupils carry out a 'before' and 'after' exercise looking at two maps of Wrockwardine Wood. The two maps are available online, but can be downloaded for use without IT resources.
• Pictorial sources. (Opens in a new window). Pupils carry out a 'spot the difference' exercise looking at two sets of 'then' and 'now' pictures.
• Personal sources (Opens in a new window). Pupils analyse the extract from the Children's Employment Commission about the use of the girdle and chain in the form of a true/false exercise.

Approaches

Worksheets and activities are provided as a quick way of using the information in this theme for a school audience. However, you could develop your own approaches using the information here as a starting point. In particular, you may want to use:

• Any of the sources as given on the More online sources page.
• The most illuminating or interesting excerpts from these sources, which can be found as you browse through the theme. Of particular use may be the Diary of a Shropshire Man (Opens in a new window), since this contains pictures as well as text. The transcription from the Children's Employment Commission (Opens in a new window) offers a vivid portrait of working life for children.
• The glossary (Opens in a new window).
• Additional background information and images taken from the Industrial development: Shropshire's Industrial Heritage theme.
• The Industrial development Timeline (Opens in a new window), which provides a simple chronology of events in the Industrial Revolution.

Further information

As is the case with all external links on this website, these links will open in a new browser window.

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