Transform your history classroom

ActiveHistory provides educational, award-winning interactive simulations, decision-making games, self-marking quizzes, high-quality worksheets and detailed lesson plans for the school history classroom. All resources have been designed by full-time history teacher Russel Tarr.

An ActiveHistory subscription provides everything you need to construct and deliver a History course from start to finish for the entire 11-18 age range!

These consist not just of lesson plans, worksheets and teacher notes, but also multimedia lectures and interactive games and historical simulations ideal for remote learning and self-study.

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World History teaching resources for the high school classroom: lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes and simulation games for KS3, IGCSE, IB and A-Level teachers.

A. Causes of the Industrial Revolution

1.	PowerPoint Introduction / Starter Quiz This Powerpoint presentation oulines why this is such an important subject to study, and provides an overview of the main changes of the period. It also gives an overview about how the topic will be investigated, and there is a worksheet quiz to accompany the presentation.
2.	Venn Diagram / PowerPoint Lesson What does it take to be a successful businessperson? As an introduction, students consider the careers of Bill Gates, Richard Branson and James Dyson (teachers can use this powerpoint as an aid). They compare the three men using a Venn Diagram and then each student considers whether they have what it takes to succeed in business.
3.	Crazy Victorian Inventions - a Quiz! Using this worksheet, students are given this presentation of 10 wacky inventions. They have to match each depicted invention with one of four possibilities. They should then try designing their own suitably nutty invention which can be later used as 'Horatio Ramsbottom's' invention in the newspaper report task that follows the computer simulation (see below).
4.	Interactive Game Horatio Ramsbottom: Victorian Entrepreneur Students take a series of decisions about how to run their new business. How should the workers be treated? What transport system should be used? Should they invest in the triangular trade and the Great Exhibition? Complete with a worksheet and follow-up tasks, this activity provides a thorough overview of the main factors affecting the Industrial Revolution. There is also a paper-based factual test that can be used to test how much students have learned., and a markscheme for the follow-up newspaper report task.
5.	Video worksheet: "Brunel" by Jeremy Clarkson \| Factual Test A worksheet to accompany the excellent documentary on Brunel by Jeremy Clarkson. I get students to play the Horatio Ramsbottom Game, then we watch this and complete the worksheet, then students choose whether to base their imaginary interview on Brunel or Ramsbottom. Based on their choice, they then complete either the Ramsbottom factual test or the Brunel factual test.
5.	Balloon Debate / Research Task Who was the most important person in the Industrial Revolution? Each student produces a single powerpoint slide (using this template) as a key figure from the industrial revolution period explaining why "they" deserve to be remembered as the most important character overall. The debate which follows is a great way of encouraging students to link and prioritise different types of achievements. Paper people project: Instructions for students \| Blogpost for teachers "Your task is to produce a ‘paper people’ chain which: Highlights at least FIVE key individuals within different categories we settled upon in our last lesson Includes an image of each key character (e.g. the ‘face’ of each paper person) Includes the name of each key character (e.g. across the ‘shoulders’ of the paper person) Includes detail about the achievements of these key individuals (e.g. in the ‘body’ area of a ‘paper person) Includes two key words to sum up the qualities of each person (e.g. in the ‘legs’ area) Establishes connections between these people (e.g. on the ‘arms’ area linking the paper people together) Merits / double merits / commendations will be awarded as appropriate to the work containing the most detail, the clearest links, and the most attractive presentation"
6.	Linking and Prioritising Factors What was the most important cause of the Industrial Revolution? [Part 1 \| Part 2] This lesson follows on well from the studies of individuals. Students consider the big changes - transport, agriculture, smelting and so on - and try to link them together in a meaningful way. Here are some samples produced by my own students: Olivia \| Hanif \| Grace
7.	Extension Activity Flash Jigsaw Exercise: Causes of the Industrial Revolution (based at www.classtools.net interactive whiteboard resources)

B. Effects of the Industrial Revolution

1.	Timeline Task: the Industrial Revolution Students are presented with a detailed timeline of information about the Industrial Revolution and a series of tasks encourages them to categorise and periodise them meaningfully. A good homework / extension acivity.
2.	Hexagons Activity: Impact of the Industrial Revolution This activity is approached through a 'Hexagons' approach which is outlined in detail here. Students cut up the hexagons and organise them in logical groups, with adjacent sides of hexagons indicating connections that are then explained around the diagram. The hexagons were created using the ClassTools.net Hexagons Generator.
3.	Crime and Punishment - Decision Making Game You be the Judge! Pass sentence on ten criminals from the nineteenth century, then compare your decisions to those actually made at the time!
4.	Children at Work Careers Advice: Victorian Style! An interactive, self-contained game designed to teach students about some of the worst jobs available to young people in Victorian Britain. Simply answer a series of questions about your personality and preferences, and get a full description of your perfect working-class job. A workheet is provided - a great way of spicing up a unit on the Industrial Revolution!
5.	Social Conditions - Interactive Database The Coalbrookdale Census of 1851 An innovative activity which develops skills of data handling with a simple but powerful interface. Complete with a comprehensive project pack that will keep students engaged for several hours' worth of lessons.

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Transform your history classroom

ActiveHistory provides educational, award-winning interactive simulations, decision-making games, self-marking quizzes, high-quality worksheets and detailed lesson plans for the school history classroom. All resources have been designed by full-time history teacher Russel Tarr.

An ActiveHistory subscription provides everything you need to construct and deliver a History course from start to finish for the entire 11-18 age range!

World History teaching resources for the high school classroom: lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes and simulation games for KS3, IGCSE, IB and A-Level teachers.

A. Causes of the Industrial Revolution

B. Effects of the Industrial Revolution

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