The lesson plan template outlines a 1-hour lesson for 10th grade students on the Industrial Revolution in America. Students will examine whether the Industrial Revolution was beneficial or harmful to Americans through analyzing primary sources from the Library of Congress. They will be organized into groups to debate the central question from opposing perspectives, citing evidence from documents. To conclude, students will discuss how the lesson relates to today's technological revolution and complete a persuasive letter assessing the impact of the Industrial Revolution.

1. Lesson Plan Template
based on Understanding by Design by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins
Title of Lesson: The Industrial Revolution in America
Author: Eric A. Marszalek Grade Level: 10
School: Middletown High School Time Estimated: 1 Hour
Brief Overview Students will describe/examine/evaluate the impact of the 19th century
Industrial Revolution in the United States on Americans.
Historical Inquiry Was the Industrial Revolution of the mid-to-late 19th beneficial or harmful to
Question Americans?
Content Knowledge As a result of this lesson, students will know:
• The definition of the Industrial Revolution in the United States during the
19th and 20th centuries.
• How the industrialization of the United States affected Americans during
the time period.
Skills As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
• Ask relevant questions related to social studies/history to initiate, extend
or debate a point of view.
• Use evidence to develop an interpretation of a historical event.
• Evaluate primary and secondary interpretations of a historical event.
CT Standards S.S. 1.1.4 – Explain the changing nature of the U.S. economy.
Addressed S.S. 1.1.10 – Analyze the impact of technology and scientific discovery on
American society.
S.S. 2.4.11 – Ask relevant questions related to social studies/history to
initiate, extend or debate a point of view.
S.S. 3.1.1 – Use evidence to develop an interpretation of a historical event.
S.S. 3.1.2 – Evaluate primary and secondary interpretations of a historical
event.
Prior Knowledge • “The Industrial Revolution in the United States” – handout
Resources needed Library of Congress Resources
• “Child Labor in the Canning Industry of Maryland”
Hine, Lewis. Library of Congress collection.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/static/data/nclc/resources/images/canneries3.pdf
• “Growth of Cities in the United States”
Harper’s New Monthy Magazine Volume 7 Issue 38 July 1853 pp. 171-175
http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?
c=harp&cc=harp&idno=harp0007-2&node=harp0007-2%3A1&view=image&s
eq=181&size=175
• [Anti-trust cartoons]: Nursery Rhymes for Infant Industries, No. 15: 'O' is
the Oil Trust, a modern Bill Sikes; he defies the police, and does just as
he likes
Frederick Opper; Copyright W.R. Hearst 1901; Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs Division http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2005685052/
• The Ideal Home Town
The Westinghouse World: The Companies, the People, and the Places.
1

2. Library of Congress collection.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/papr/west/westpres.html
• Breaker boys, Woodward Coal Mines, Kingston, Pa.
Detroit Publishing Company c1900. Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/det1994007312/PP/
• Ford factory, first assembly line, Highland Avenue, Detroit, MI
American Landscape and Architectural Design, 1850-1920. Library of
Congress collection
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?
ammem/alad:@field(NUMBER+@band(mhsalad+220102))
• “With drops of blood. The history of the Industrial workers of the world
has been written”
An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other
Printed Ephemera http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?
ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+01805500))
• Western Union Telegram, Orville Wright to Bishop Milton Wright
announcing the first successful powered flight, December 17, 1903.
Words and Deeds in American History. Wright Brothers Papers. Library of
Congress collection. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?
ammem/mcc:@field(DOCID+@lit(mcc/061))
Other Resources
• “The Industrial Revolution in the United States” – handout
• “Industrial Revolution” Brainstorming Graphic Organizer - handout
• SAC Document Handout – Industrial Revolution
• SAC Capture Sheet – Industrial Revolution
• SAC Procedures – handout
Process of Lesson • Please see “Lesson Procedures” beginning on Page 3
Evaluation • Students will write a persuasive letter to an elected official advocating
one side of the argument and describing a plan of action to either further
the affects of the Industrial Revolution in America or reform it.
• Please see “Industrial Revolution Persuasive Letter” Task Sheet.
Possibilities for • The primary sources may be edited further.
Differentiation • The primary sources may include a word bank of various vocabulary
words.
• The teacher may model the analysis of a primary source similar to those
presented in the Document Handout.
• The teacher may include a narrative analysis of each of the primary
sources presented in the Document Handout.
• The teacher may assign groups that pair a struggling learner with a
stronger learner.
2

3. Lesson Procedures – Structured Academic Controversy – The Industrial Revolution in America
Central Question:
Was the Industrial Revolution of the mid-to-late 19th beneficial or harmful to Americans?
Actions of Teacher Intended Actions of Students
Introducing the
DO NOW – Using your prior Lesson
knowledge from last night’s handout,
What were the best parts of the (5 minutes) Students will respond to the warm up.
Industrial Revolution in America?
The worst parts?
Students will raise their hands to list
(5 minutes) the best and worst parts of the
Elicit responses to the warm up from Industrial Revolution in the U.S.
students. Create two Hub graphic
organizers on the whiteboard.
Lesson Activities
1. Introduce question to be examined: 1.
Was the Industrial Revolution of the
mid-to-late 19th beneficial or harmful
to Americans?
(5 minutes)
2. Review handouts to introduce 2. Students will get into assigned
structured academic controversy and groups
organize groups.
3. Circulate through room to view (20 minutes) 3. Students will analyze the
Capture Sheet progress to check for documents in pairs and find
understanding of the documents. documents to support their assigned
point of view.
4. Instruct students to present their (15 minutes) 4. Students will present their positions
position to their counterparts and vice to the other group citing evidence
versa from the document packet. The pair
not presenting will take notes on the
other group’s arguments.
5. Build consensus. As a group of (20 minutes) 5. Students should be debating with
four, instruct students to discuss their one another and citing the documents
findings and debate. (Check for as support for their positions.
understanding: are students debating Students are integrating multiple
and citing documents?) perspectives to deepen their
understanding of the topic question.
Concluding the
1. Class discussion: Sample the Lesson 1. Students will share their group’s
groups’ responses to the question. (5 minutes) conclusions.
What did they conclude?
3

4. 2. Connection Discussion – If we 2. Students will relate what they have
changed the controversy question to (10 minutes) discussed today to current day. Is the
the Technological Revolution of the Technological Revolution beneficial
late 20th-early 21st century what would or harmful to Americans? Students
your answer be? Why? Compare or will draw comparisons to history.
contrast today’s “revolution” with the
18th/19th century.
1. Explain homework assignment Assessment Students will evaluate the impact of
• I.R. Persuasive Letter the Industrial Revolution on
(5 minutes) Americans by trying to persuade an
2. Alternate homework assignment elected official to their position and
• T.R. SAC Primary Source plan of action. Students will provide
Research evidence from sources to support their
position.
4