Saskia Lacey - The History of Victorian Innovations: Equivalent Fractions

Birkenhead Parks grand opening.1717page0017page0017.xhtmlElectric Light Electricity is used every day. It powers machines. In the winter, it heats peoples homes. In the summer, it keeps people cool. It is as easy as a flick of a switch. Victorians lived in a different world. They did not have electricity. People used fire to keep their homes warm. Oil lamps had been used to light homes since the 1780s. An oil lamp lights a sewing room in 1887.1818page0018page0018.xhtmlThis changed in 1880. William Armstrong was the first person to have electric light in his home. He was a famous engineer. He was also a friend of Joseph Swan, who patented the light bulb in England. Armstrong wanted his home to be unique. So, working with Swan, he put in electric lamps. People were amazed! Though Armstrong was the first, he was not the last. More people added electric lamps to their homes. Soon, it became the norm! Cragside, the home of Sir William Armstrong Sir William Armstrong let's lamp lamp1919page0019page0019.xhtmlThe Hall Orchestra plays a concert at its current home, Bridgewater Hall, in Manchester. Charles Hall2020page0020page0020.xhtmlThe Hall Orchestra A symphony orchestra is ready to play for a hushed crowd. The musicians take the stage. Flutes are raised to lips. Trumpets shine. Drummers have sticks at the ready. Players rest their bows on violin strings. Though common today, this scene was not common for the Victorians. Charles Hall founded Great Britains first permanent orchestra in 1858. He paid for the first few concerts himself. He was also the conductor. People loved it! The musicians played perfectly. A choir even sang along. Each concert took place at the Free Trade Hall building. The Hall Orchestra is still famous. The choir still sings, too. Now, recordings are made of the orchestras music. They travel and perform all over the world. Thousands of people go to their shows each year. Free Trade Hall in Manchester is now a hotel.2121page0021page0021.xhtmlSports The sport goes by different names. Some say football. Others say soccer. Whatever the name, it is popular all over the world. The modern form of this sport grew out of the Victorian era. Early games were not organized. Some games were played by whole towns. People played in streets and fields. But soon, rules evolved. People agreed that the ball should always be the same size and shape. Students started playing at school. In 1863, the first league began. People loved to play. But they liked watching other people play, too. The first professional games started in 1885. England and Scotland played in 1872. It was the first international match. These countries are still rivals today! A goal is scored as schoolboys cheer.2222page0022page0022.xhtmllet's Athletes compete in a Victorian soccer match. Player 1 Player 2 Player 32323page0023page0023.xhtmlWomen protest in London for the right to vote.2424page0024page0024.xhtmlNew Rights The new era also brought changes to society. People began to change their way of thinking. They wanted more rights. Womens Rights In the nineteenth century, women did not have many rights. For example, when a woman married, all of her land became her husband's. This changed in Victorian times. For the first time, women could own land in England. Women sought other changes, too. They fought for the right to vote. They held meetings. They listened to speakers. They asked government leaders for voting rights. This early work would pay off later. In 1918, some British women won the right to vote. They had to be over 30 years old. They also had to own land. The rest of the women in Great Britain did not win the right to vote until 1928. Women in the United States won the right to vote in 1920.2525page0025page0025.xhtmlChildrens Rights Charles Dickens was a famous author of the Victorian era. He wrote the story A Christmas Carol. Dickens had a hard childhood. Like many children of his time, he did not go to school. Instead, he worked a job in a factory. His job was to glue labels on bottles. Charles Dickens Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit are two characters in Dickenss A Christmas Carol.2626page0026page0026.xhtmlMany factory owners hired children as workers. They worked for less money and could crawl under machines to reach places adults couldnt. The work was dirty and loud. The hours were long, and there were no breaks. People began fighting for childrens rights. They knew children were being mistreated. In 1880, Great Britain passed a new law. Instead of working, children had to go to school. Over the next 20 years, things started to change. Young workers wait to enter a coal mine in Derbyshire, England. A young girl works in the mines of Englands Black Country, which got its name from all of the soot produced by the industry.2727page0027page0027.xhtmlAge of Improvement The Victorian era was not perfect, but it was unique. It was a time of great change. People were amazed at the Great Exhibition. Huge machines took up entire rooms. But they were better and faster than ever before. Wonders from around the world awed visitors. People enjoyed more free time. Soccer took the world by storm. People went to hear the heart-pounding rhythms of orchestras. They relaxed in the first publicly funded parks. Many things changed for the better. Electric lights were used in homes. Women and children won more rights. Life changed for many. Victoria became queen when she was only 18 years old. By the time she died at the age of 81, Great Britain was a different world. She had ruled for over 60 years. How people thought, lived, and worked changed during her lifetime. The name Victoria will forever be used to describe an era of innovation. A Victorian soccer match is played under official rules.2828page0028page0028.xhtmlVisitors admire the Crystal Palace in Londons Hyde Park. The first steam locomotive was invented in 1804.2929page0029page0029.xhtmlProblem Solving Imagine it is 1851. You live in London, England. You are helping plan the Great Exhibition, and there is so much to do! The head architect has a few questions about the plans. Answer the questions using the floor plan models. 1. What fraction of each floorplan will showcase inventions? What fraction of each floorplan will showcase gardens? 2. Compare the Invention Halls in Floor Plans 1 and 2. Are they equivalent? Why or why not? 3. Compare the Gardens in Floor Plans 2 and 3. What do you notice?3030page0030page0030.xhtmlFloor Plan 1 Food Hall Invention Hall Floor Plan 2 Invention Hall Food Hall Invention Hall Gardens Floor Plan 3 Invention Hall Invention Hall Invention Hall Invention Hall Food Hall Gardens Gardens Information Booth3131page0031page0031.xhtmlGlossary architects people who design buildings conductor person who directs musicians engineer a person who designs and builds machines, structures, or products equivalent having the same number or value era a period of time exhibition an event at which objects are put out for people to look at exhibits objects or groups of objects that have been put in public spaces for people to look at fraction a number that shows how many equal parts are in a whole and how many of those parts are being described innovations new devices, ideas, or methods monarch a person who rules an empire or a kingdom parts pieces that make up a whole permanent lasting for a very long time rights things that people should be allowed to have and do symbols characters that convey information to the reader whole having all the parts; complete or full3232page0032page0032.xhtmlIndex A Christmas Carol, Albert, Prince, Armstrong, William, Birkenhead Park, children's rights, Crystal Palace, Dickens, Charles, electricity, Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, The, Hall, Charles, Hall Orchestra, Koh-i-Noor, machines, orchestra, parks, Paxton, Joseph soccer, Swan, Joseph, Victoria, Queen, women's rights,3333page0033page0033.xhtmlAnswer Key Let's Explore Math page 9 : 1. The wheel changed because at first it had 2 parts and now it has 4 parts. The wheel has stayed the same because it is still the same size and shape. 2. The size of the wheel does not change. It is just divided into more parts. page 11 : 1. 12 2. 24 (or 12) 3. 48 (or 12) 4. Yes, the fractions 12, 24, and 48 each have the same value. page 15 : 1. 34 > 14 2. Students should draw two same-sized plans showing 28 < 58. page 17 : 1. 26 < 46 (or 13 < 23) 2. Students should draw two same-sized lamps showing 23 > 13. page 21 : 1. 12 2. 34 3. 58 4. The soccer player who ran 34 of the way along the sideline ran the farthest because 34 is farthest to the right on the number line; 34 > 12 and 34 > 58. Problem Solving 1. Floor Plan 1 : 12 inventions, 0 gardens; Floor Plan 2 : 24 (or 12) inventions, 14 gardens; Floor Plan 3 : 48 (or 12) inventions, 28 (or 14) gardens 2. They are equivalent fractions. 12 and 24 each have the same value. 3. 14 of Floor Plan 2 will include gardens. 28 (or 14) of Floor Plan 3 will include gardens. These two fractions are equivalent as each floor plan includes the same amount of garden space.3434page0034page0034.xhtmlMath Talk 1. List three equivalent fractions. 2. In what situations would it be helpful to find equivalent fractions? 3. Besides drawing pictures, what other ways can you prove that two fractions are equivalent? 4. What is the relationship between fractions and division? 5. Equivalent fractions name the same number in different ways. Why do you think this is important? 6. How might you discuss parts of a whole without using fractions?3535page0035page0035.xhtmlThe History of Victorian Innovations Equivalent Fractions The year : 1838. The place : London. A young queen named Victoria is crowned. During her reign, Great Britain will transform. There will be new inventions and new ways of thinking. Learn about the Victorian era as you build your knowledge of equivalent fractions! Fractions36