WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR CHILDREN WORKING IN THE
TEXTILE MILLS IN THE 1800S?
LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
To understand what life was like for the
children who worked in textile mills in the
1800s
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T H E C H I L D R E N W H O B U I L T V I C T O R I A N B R I T A I N ’
• What were the child workers known as in the 1800s?
• Why did children want to work in the factories?
• Why did the factory owners want orphans to work in their
factories?
• What did Thomas Burkes do to young, factory worker Charlotte
Smith when she tried to run away from his factory?
• In your own words, briefly describe how you think you would have
felt, if you worked in one of these factories? Why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87eVOpbcoVo
CARD SORT
Who said what?
Match the statements on the cards with the right
person:
Child worker
Factory owner
Overseer
Parent of child worker
THE VICTORIAN WORKERS’ SONG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNcfnuUrZ4c
EXTENSION TASK
Write a short letter to a parent, as if you were an
overseer in a textile mill. Explain why you treated
the children working in your factory so badly.