The Industrial Revolution - Making Cloth: the Start of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution - Making Cloth: The Start of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution - Making Cloth: The Start of the Industrial Revolution by ReadWorks

The Industrial Revolution got its start in the textile industry. Before the Industrial Revolution, making cloth was a very slow process. Cotton from cotton plants is puffy and full of seeds. First, the seeds had to be taken out, by hand. Next, the cotton had to be spun and stretched into thread, by hand. Finally, the thread was woven into cloth, by hand. Every step along the way required the full concentration of one person. Making cloth took a long time.

In 1764, the process of turning cotton into cloth began to change. The three main steps stayed the same. But people began to use machines instead of doing everything manually. The machines did each step faster and faster. Some of the machines were huge. They couldn't fit into a person's home. The first factories were built to house machines and the workers needed to run them.

Look at the timeline below. It describes the most important textile machines that were invented. Use it to answer the questions that follow.

1764: The spinning jenny was invented by James Hargreaves. This machine made it easier to make thread.

1769: Sir Richard Arkwright invented the water frame. Now weavers could keep up with all the thread that was being made. After the invention of the water frame, one weaver could weave the yarn from four spinners! The water frame was too big for homes. It only fit in factories. The process of making cloth was becoming industrialized.

1779: Samuel Crompton developed the spinning mule. His invention made thread stronger and faster than all other machines.

1785: The power loom was invented by Edmund Cartwright. This machine sped up the weaving process even further. Now weavers could use all the thread coming from the new spinning mule!

1793: Eli Whitney, an American, invented the cotton gin. The cotton gin removed the seeds from the cotton. Now, spinners had much more cotton to work with.

Definition noun 1. a building or set of buildings where products are made by machines.

That factory makes shoes.

Advanced Definition noun 1. a building or set of buildings where products are manufactured.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. It was made in a silk factory right here in Shanghai. 2. Skilled craftsmen who lost their jobs to machines weren't always able to find a new factory job. 3. Crayon wax is melted in pots at the factory. Colored powder called pigment is mixed into the wax. 4. People put plastic into bins. Workers take the plastic to a factory. The plastic is sorted. It is washed. 5. The insides of the walls are made from blue jeans, and some of the wood comes from an old toothpick factory! 6. The only thing that mattered, the only reality he knew, was the world in front of him and in his hands: elections in the islands of Indonesia, a heat wave in Senegal, and factory workers protesting in Rio.

ReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved. ReadWorks Vocabulary - industry industry in·dus·try

Definition noun 1. a number of companies that make a particular product.

The automobile industry employs thousands of people.

Advanced Definition noun 1. the activity or process of turning raw materials into finished goods, or a particular business that does this.

The state has little industry in the rural western areas.

Many new industries have been established in this region in recent years.

2. the group of companies, regarded collectively, that produce a similar product or service.

The automobile industry employs thousands of workers.

They invested heavily in the steel industry.

The cosmetics industry has shown high profits this year.

3. the tendency to work hard.

The volunteers were rewarded for their industry.

Spanish cognate industria: The Spanish word industria means industry.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. The city is a center of Chinese industry. 2. Japan is a nation jam-packed with art, culture, and industry. 3. The Industrial Revolution got its start in the textile industry. 4. As industry grew and more goods were produced, people's standard of living improved. 5. WR News: Your dad took your game to a family friend who works in the toy industry. 6. 87% of the city's water mains are cast iron, the water industry's material of choice until the mid-1960s. 7. Louis Pasteur was a famous French scientist. He developed several important inventions in medicine, chemistry, and industry. He was the first scientist to believe that life could come only from life.

Definition noun 1. cloth.

That factory makes textiles.

Advanced Definition noun 1. a woven or knitted fabric.

2. a fiber or yarn that can be woven or knitted.

adjective 1. woven or suitable for weaving.

2. of or pertaining to weaving or the manufacture of woven fabric.

the textile industry

Spanish cognate textil: The Spanish word textil means textile.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. The Industrial Revolution got its start in the textile industry. Before the Industrial Revolution, making cloth was a very slow process. 2. Arab traders brought products by foot across the Sahara desert to Ghana's markets, including textiles and tools. They were traded for gold and ivory. 3. The iron industry grew more than six fold during this period, and China continued to be an important figure in world trade, bringing iron, silk, porcelain, textiles and much more to its trading partners.

ReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved. The Industrial Revolution - Making Cloth: The Start of the Industrial Revolution - Comprehension Questions

Name: ______Date: ______1. Which of the following is the correct order to make clothes?

A. weave cloth, spin thread, remove seeds. B. remove seeds, weave cloth, spin thread. C. weave cloth, remove seeds, spin thread. D. remove seeds, spin thread, weave cloth.

2. The "Spinning Jenny"

A. was invented in 1779. B. made it easier to make thread. C. made thread stronger and faster than other machines did. D. was invented by Eli Whitney.

3. How did the water frame change how cloth was made?

A. One weaver could weave the yarn from four spinners. B. It removed the seeds from cotton. C. It was too big to fit in a house, which increased the need for factories. D. It increased the speed at which cotton was picked.

4. Which of the following happened last?

A. The power loom was invented. B. The "Spinning Jenny" was invented. C. One weaver could weave the yarn from four spinners. D. The "Spinning Mule" was invented.

5. Which invention removed the seeds from cotton?

A. the "Spinning Mule" B. the "Spinning Jenny" C. the cotton gin D. the water frame

ReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. The Industrial Revolution - Making Cloth: The Start of the Industrial Revolution - Comprehension Questions 6. What was the effect of all the textile inventions listed above?

7. What does the timeline of the textile inventions show about the improvement in the textile industry?

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

The industrial revolution allowed workers to use machines _____ of doing all of their work manually.

A. because B. instead C. first D. last