The golf
links lie so near the mill
that almost every day
The laboring children can look out
And watch the men at play.
-Sarah Norcliffe
Cleghorn
used
to be a fact'ry hand
when things
were movin' slow
When children
worked in cotton mills;
each mornin'
had to go.
Ev'ry mornin'
just at five
the whistle
blew on time
To get
those babies out of bed
at the
age of eight or nine.
Get out
of bed little sleepy head and get your bite to eat.
The fact'ry
whistle's callin' you;
There's
no more time to sleep.
The children
all grew up unlearned;
they never
went to school.
They never
learned to read or write;
they learned
to spin and spool.
Every time
I close my eyes
I see before
me still.
What textile
work was carried out
by Babies
in the Mill.
-Lyrics to "Babies in the
Mill" by Dorsey Dixon |
Industrial
Revolution
The
unit on the Industrial Revolution takes approximately 4 weeks to complete.
It is
implemented through History class and the reading of Kids
at Work. We introduce the lesson with our reading consultant
using Kids at Work to stimulate students interest in child labor.
Students working in groups are assigned one chapter and are directed to
create an interesting means to teach their chapter. Some ideas generated
are skits, poetry and informational posters.
Objective:
-
Students
will analyze the social implications of the Industrial Revolution through
their readings and research
-
Students
will master the use of primary sources and apply cause and effect analysis
to draw conclusions and form opinions
Activities:
Social
Studies:
-
Presentation
of chapter activity for Kids
at Work
-
Analyzing
primary source material using The World of Barilla Taylor
-
Day long
visit and classes in Lowell, MA, one of America's first factory towns.
Click here for information.
-
Viewing
of "Triangle Factory Fire" and "The Workers Remember"
-
Letters
home: students portray a young girl living and working in a factory town
-
Classroom
readings and discussions
-
Presentation
by Mark Macechern of the Torrington Historical Society on "Industrial Torrington"
Language
Arts:
-
Reading
of Lyddie
as a class novel.
-
Journal
responses to novel.
-
Lowell
vs. your town: How does the history of your community compare to that of
Lowell?
-
Exploring
Ideas questions. For example, "Read poem on children in mills by
Sara Norcliffe Cleghorn. Explain irony. What is ironic about
the last two lines of the poem?" [The poem is located in the left hand
column]
Math/Science:
-
Analyzing
a data table on the American textile mill industry
-
Researching
OSHA and finding out about safety devices
-
Lab investigation
on water wheels, which includes:
-
Toy pin
wheel
-
Large
sink
-
Finding
the revolutions per minute
-
Graphing
of data, such as how the speed of the wheel was affected by different streams
of water
Evaluation:
-
Comparative
essay using Barilla Taylor and Lyddie Worthen.
-
Group
evaluations, including evaluating individual performance in a group
-
Test essays
-
Journal
responses
Industrial
Revolution Links:
 If
you'd like to learn more about Lowell, MA, you can click here
for a look at the home page of one of the sites we visit, the Lowell National
Historical Park.
 Go
to Discovery Channel Online's site by clicking here,
and read their commentary on the tragedy of the Triangle Factory Fire.
 Lewis
Hine was hired in the 1900s by the National Child Labor Committee to take
photos of children in the workplace, and we use his photo journal, Kids
at Work, in the classroom. The picture at the top of this page
is his "Little Orphan Annie in a Pittsburgh Institution." Click
here
to see the New York Public Library's online Hine exhibit.
 OSHA,
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was a driving force
behind improving working conditions in the U.S. You can click here
to visit their modern web page.
 "You
have a voice...make it heard," states the front page for the AFL-CIO.
Visit their comprehensive site by clicking here,
and see how unions make a difference in the everyday life of America's
workers.
 Click
on the amazon.com graphic to browse other books on the Industrial Revolution.
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