The Process

As you are an important Member of Parliament you can have an assistant join you in this quest for the answers. That is, you can work on your own or with a partner.

You will be able to view these pictures from History Place or from the book called Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children.

1.     To collate the information, you will need to record your thoughts about the pictures on the worksheet called A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words. Get an editable copy from Google Classroom.

2.     Fill out Fact Sheet: You are now ready to collect the documents of proof. You firstly need to find out specific facts about children of the Industrial Revolution. You and your assistant make a list of the following information using the Fact Sheet: How old were the children? How many hours did they work? What was their pay? What was their life expectancy? What was the incidence of injury? Where did they live?

3.     Make Interview Questions: In a local newspaper, there is an interview between the newspaper editor and an employer of child labour. The employer is defending his position of using child labour and explaining why it is undesirable to improve working conditions. You need to write or record this interview (7 to 10 questions using topics from the Fact Sheet) and add it to your growing list of evidence.

4.     Make an advertisement: Next you see in that same newspaper, an advertisement showing the evidence that the child labourers are being treated poorly. To document this information, reproduce the advertisement.

5.     Create a creative account: You want to hear from a child about his/her life in a company village. As the child can not read or write, you have your assistant record the account. The account can be recorded as a story, a poem, a song or a drawing.

6.     Create a survey: The account from the child is quite disturbing. In order to ensure that the account is accurate, you want to survey child labourers to determine the impact the working conditions have on them. Prepare a 10 question survey to gain a better sense of working conditions for children.

7.     Scroll: Now that you have successfully collected opinions and facts from all sides of the child labour issue, draw up your recommendations to Parliament, on a scroll (get an editable copy from Google Classroom), that contains a list of recommendations for laws dealing with child labour. Your list should explain what the recommendations are concerned with and why you feel it is necessary that they are adopted. Include any drawings or images that would support your opinions.

Resources

Websites

History Place – pictures

World Book – details of the Industrial Revolution and Child Labour

Fact Monster – the Nature and Effects of the Industrial Revolution

Spartacus – Child Labour – Life in the Factory, Supporters of Child Labour, Statistics

BBC- 7 Wonders of the Industrial World