Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven Introduction | Materials For Lesson 1 |
Twelve varied sources (written, statistical, visual) used in Lesson 1 | Child Labour and the Industrial Revolution | The Making of the English Working Class | Industrial Revolution Lesson Plans | Objectives for Interpretations for Use with Activity 7.5 | Bibliography

Feedback from trainees has shown that the teaching of historical interpretations can be one of the most challenging aspects of teaching history the trainee is likely to encounter. One reason for this is that this particular Key Element has so many different facets, which all interrelate and so it is easy to confuse your pupils with its complexity. There is an extensive discussion of the issues involved in Chapter 6 of Learning to Teach History in the Secondary School. In this chapter Yvonne Sinclair shows how the study of interpretations can be built upon a topic with which the pupils are familiar and also with some sources, which they have already studied. The pupils are being asked to apply that experience and knowledge to two very differing interpretations of the use of child labour in factories in the nineteenth century and make an evaluation.

The chapter website includes details of the sources for the lessons and the lesson plans. In addition, as elsewhere, the website is necessary for the completion of the activities. Readers may find the extended list of objectives for the learning of interpretations useful for planning lessons.

Resources to Download

Five visual sources used for Lesson One
Twelve varied sources (written, statistical, visual) used in Lesson 1
Lawrence Reed abridged source Child Labour and the Industrial Revolution. For use with the discussion pages 63–68
E.P. Thompson abridged extract The Making of the English Working Class. For use with activity 7.4, page 67.
Industrial Revolution lesson plans
Objectives for interpretations for use with a worksheet
Bibliography