Manchester Guardian Assignment
Social Studies 9
Mr. Duce
Part of understanding the Industrial Revolution is understanding the dramatic effects it
had on society. As part of studying the Industrial Revolution, I want you to imagine
yourself into the time period, and imagine what it would have been like to live through
the Industrial Revolution in Britain. To do that, I am asking you to write, in groups, a
newspaper from that time period.
Your task as a group will be to write one edition of the Manchester Guardian. Each
member of your newspaper staff should write one news article and an editorial. Articles
should be 250-300 words in length. The newspaper should include the editorials, and at
least five (5) news articles. The date of the newspaper should be September 23, 1839.
Once everyone has written his or her articles, you will assemble them into a single
document, using a newsletter 4column format.
You should agree, as a group, what your articles will be about. Your collection of
articles should provide a good, comprehensive overview of the effects of the Industrial
Revolution on British society—its political, economic, social, and intellectual effects.
In addition to a newspaper article, each person will also submit an accompanying paper
answering the following question:
“In what ways was Great Britain an industrial society by 1840? To what extent and in
what ways was life in early 19th century Great Britain affected by the Industrial
Revolution? Consider political, economic, and social factors.”
Your paper should be at least 500 words. It should be organized, and it should draw on
the facts of the actual history to support your claims. It should demonstrate the effect the
Industrial Revolution had on British society in the areas of politics, economy and society.
Steps
1. As a group, brainstorm all the effects the Industrial Revolution had on British society
and politics.
2. As a group, use your list of effects to come up with a list of articles to write. Assign
articles to people in your group.
3. On your own, write your assigned articles and your paper.
4. Once everyone has written her or her article, meet as a group again and assemble your
articles and editorials into a newspaper.
Due Date: To Be Announced. On this day you will need to submit your article, and one
copy of your group’s newspaper.
Grading: This assignment will be graded as follows:
Group grade: 10 points
Article: 25 points
Editorial: 25 points
Paper: 40 points
TOTAL: 100 points
Criteria for grading
Group grade:
1. Knowledge of British society and effects of industrial revolution: Does your
selection of articles show a good understanding of the effects of the Industrial Revolution
on British society?
2. Comprehensiveness of stories: Does your selection of articles provide a good overview
of the effects of the Industrial Revolution? Do the stories give accounts of a variety of
effects of the Industrial Revolution on British life? Have you discussed political,
economic, social, and intellectual effects?
3. Quality of presentation: Is your newspaper well-executed? Is it graphically pleasing?
Do you use graphics to add variety and visual interest to your layout?
4. Creativity: Has your group been creative in assembling the newspaper, both in
imagining what sort of articles to write, and in other things included (e.g., pictures,
advertisements, etc.)
Article and Editorial:
1. Knowledge of British society and effects of industrial revolution. Does your writing
show a good understanding of how the Industrial Revolution affected British life?
2. Quality of writing—Is the work free from spelling and punctuation errors? Is the
writing clear? Is it graceful?
3. Creativity. Do I hear a lively, creative mind behind the writing?