Ideas for you
* Iron Town - Blaenavon and its part in the Industrial Revolution - is a 30-minute video for KS2 children. To get a copy contact the education department at the Big Pit National Mining Museum of Wales, Blaenavon, Torfaen, NP4 9XP.
Tel: 01495 790311.
* Find out about other World Heritage sites in the UK from www.UNESCO.org. Blaenavon has been listed in the industrial archaeology category. What other categories are there? Why do we have heritage sites? What are their purposes and aims?
* Research iron and coal then create giant wall displays showing: a) where iron comes from, how it is extracted from the ironstone, how it is made into steel and the ways we use it; b) what coal is, where it comes from, how it is mined. What alternative sources of energy are there?
* Blaenavon was a major driving force in the Industrial Revolution and the powerhouse of the British Empire. Create a booklet praising its importance as if you were a Victorian industrialist investing in its resources. Then write a similar booklet from the point of view of one of the workers. How different would they be?
* Children as young as seven and eight worked in the foundries and mines. Use the Children of the Revolution website to find out about their experiences. Ask pupils to imagine they were living in the Industrial Revolution and had to go out to work and to relate their feelings through role-play or hot-seating sessions. Find out about child labour in the Victorian age. When and why did it stop?
* Blaenavon became a new town in a short time. What were the special factors in its development? Compare it with a modern-day new town. What are the similarities - and the differences?
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