Introduction

Imagine you were just hired for a sales position (your salary being only a small commission received for each unit sold) and charged with the task of describing an exciting new product in a sales brochure. First you must familiarize yourself with the product: what it is supposed to do, how it works, and the advantages it will provide to the buyer. In the following WebQuest, you will use the internet resources provided to help you learn all about one specific invention of the Industrial Revolution.

The Quest

Pick an invention from a list of inventions from the Industrial Revolution before 1800 and figure out the main selling points and advantages of the new invention. Design a sales brochure, including at least one diagram or pictorial explanation of the invention, plus a brief statement about the inventor.

The Process and Resources

In this WebQuest you will be throughly examining one invention of the Industrial Revolution during the late 1700's. Each student needs to design a sales brochure on the computer and include some background on the inventor of the item, how the item works, the advantages or benefits the invention provides, and include at least one drawing of the invention, either hand-drawn on the printed page or created in a computer drawing program. Be sure any relevant parts of the invention are clearly labeled in the diagram (and mentioned in the text of the sales brochure). The brochure itself should be no longer than two full pages folded in half, which gives you a total of 8 pages to work with in your brochure. You must have a minimum of four pages in your brochure (one sheet of paper folded in half, resulting in four sides). For printing and assembling purposes, you may cut, turn, and/or staple the pages together. You will explore Webpages from people and organizations who are interested in Industrial Revolution inventions. Because these are real Webpages we're tapping into, not things made just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Feel free to use the online Webster dictionary or one in your classroom.

You'll begin by first reading a little background information on the Industrial Revolution. Next you will read about some of the inventions of the Industial Revolution and selecting one to examine more in-depth to be able to produce a sales brochure.

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

Use the Internet information linked below to read and examine some general information regarding the Industrial Revolution. Get a feel for the mood of society at the time, the excitement and/or anger and fear felt by the population.
Keep in mind you will be designing a sales brochure to try to convince folks to buy a new invention to improve their lives.

• The Industrial Revolution & the Railway System - This site presents two sides of the issue regarding the changes, both good and bad, brought about by the industrial revolution. Contains viewpoints from notable figures of the time such as Charles Dickens and Willaim Wordsworth.

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Individuals will explore infomation on inventions and inventors of the Industrial Revolution from before 1800. Please choose ONE inventor/invention from this list of five:
Samuel Crompton - Spinning Mule
James Hargreaves - Spinning Jenny
John Kay - Flying Shuttle
James Watt - first reliable Steam Engine
Eli Whitney - Cotton Gin


2. After deciding which inventor and invention you wish to cover, you will need to design a sales brochure for this invention on the computer. You might wish to read more on the society at that time to better gear your sales pitch to the audience. Remember to include a brief bio or some information on the inventor in the sales brochure (this can include other inventions he may be associated with). include how this particular invention works, its features, and the benefits to be gained by using the new invention.

3. At least one hand-drawn or computer-drawn (from Windows Paint or another similar program) diagram must be included. Label all relevant parts that may be of interest to the buyer. Be sure you mention specific parts or special features in the brochure that makes this particular invention unique and desirable. You may be creative in your use of color in the diagram. You may also include other pictures or diagrams as needed to make your sales pitch, including charts and/or graphs.

4. Last, be creative in your sales pitch (remember, you will only get paid in your job for each item sold so you must convince folks to buy the item from your wonderful brochure). Be sure to include your company name, and your name and contact information in case perspective buyers have any questions. You might even want to have a FAQ list !

role, job or perspective #1

Use the Internet information linked below to examine the inventors and their inventions specifically related to role, job or perspective #1:

• A Chronology of the Industrial Revolution - Site lists the inventors and their inventions in chronological order. Includes one link to some brief information about the inventor and another link about the invention. Please note the link for Eli Whitney is not active, use the link listed below. The link regarding the cotton gin itself is active.
• Eli Whitney Museum page - This home page contains links on the left side about the inventor Eli Whitney and his inventions

role, job or perspective #2

Use the Internet information linked below to explore further various aspect of the Industrial Revolution to get a feel for all the major changes shaping society

• Internet Modern History Sourcebook - This site is actually a collection of sites (links) on the Industrial Revolution: it contains a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts on aspects of the Industrial Revolution.
• Reference Resources: The Industrial Revolution - This site contains many links to information on all aspects of the Industrial Revolution

role, job or perspective #3

Use the Internet information linked below to see a picture or diagram of the invention, and learn how it works.

• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Cotton Gin Patent - See the original patent as submitted by Eli Whitney digitized here. along with some background history. Also includes images of an original letter written by Eli Whitney to the Congress concerning his cotton gin invention.
• Image of the Spinning Jenny
• Image of Watt's Steam Engine
• Flying Shuttle - Image only. Another link is given providing a description of how this invention works.
• Spinning Mule
• Flying Shuttle - Explanation of how the Flying shuttle works.

role, job or perspective #4

Re-examine the various viewpoints presented by notable figures of the time to understand how to slant your sales pitch and argue that the benefits of your invention outweight any criticism that could possible be raised regarding your invention.

• Opposing Voices - Articles and statements for and against the changes the Industrial Revolution is bringing to society and life

Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus

You have now hopefully learned about the Industrial Revolution and specific inventions and inventors of the time. Now come back to the larger WebQuest with expertise gained by searching. You must now start to assemble the various pieces of your brochure: Remember to include some background about the inventor of your choosen invention, even if it is only a brief one-line statement. Explain not only how your invention works, but how/why the buyer can benefit from this particular invention. List as many positive selling points that you can !

Phase 4 - Real World Feedback

You have learned a great deal by examining one invention, reading about its inventor and seeing the part this one item played in the Industrial Revolution as a whole. Your brochure should reflect this knowledge.

Your Contact is: the designated contact

Conclusion

So did you convince folks to buy the new invention ? Can you look foward to a nice-sized paycheck or are buyers flocking to another company with a better sales pitch ? Maybe they are not excited enough about the new invention at all ? Perhaps you best offer a free demo at the farm or homestead and or throw in a free bonus of some sort ! Now you should know a lot more about the invention, how it works, its intended use, and some background on the inventor. Great work, you should be proud of yourselves! Maybe you will even receive a promotion in the company and be put on salary instead of just having to make a living on sales commission! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of Industrial Revolution inventions could still be explored? Remember, learning never stops.