Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

Teachers Notes

Resource created by the Preservative Party Project Mentors at Leeds Museums and Galleries and Professor Abigail Harrison Moore, University of Leeds.

 

This resource explores domestic energy change through the history of the design and development of the washing machine. Using objects from the Leeds Museums and Galleries Collection, students can examine how changes in energy supply, i.e. the move from wood and coal to gas and electricity in middle class homes from the 1870s onwards, led to the development of new washing technologies.

The design of washing machines and toy washing machines gives an interesting insight into changes in domestic work and in particular the work of women over time. Women in the home have rarely featured in the histories of energy, technology and industry, and yet the decisions and the work that they did had a huge impact on the change to gas and electricity to fuel the home. By looking at major energy change in the past; who was responsible for making decisions about energy supply in the home, and what was the impact of new technologies, provides a case study and a starting point for discussion and the development of activities and designing products which demonstrate a move towards more sustainable products.

 

Curriculum Links

  • KS2 & KS3 Design and Technology
  • KS2 & KS3 History
  • KS2 Science

 

Design and Technology KS2

Purpose of Study

  • Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

Evaluate

  • Understand how key events in design and technology have helped shape the world.

Technical knowledge

  • They need to understand and use mechanical systems for examples, gears, pulleys, levers.
  • Understand electrical systems in their products (bulbs, motors, buzzers).

Design and Technology KS3

Purpose of Study

  • Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

Subject content

  • They should work in a range of domestic and local contexts, (the home, leisure and culture).

Evaluate

  • Analyse the work of past and present professionals and others to develop and broaden their understanding.
  • Investigate new and emerging technologies.
  • Understand developments in design and technology, its impact on individuals, society and the environment and the responsibilities of designers, engineers and technologists.

 

History KS2

Purpose of study

    • Equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement.
    • History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies, and relationships between different groups as well as their own identity and challenges of their time.

Discussion points:

    • The process of change (energy change).
    • Challenges of their time (environment, sustainability).
    • Diversity of societies and relationships with own identity (who uses these machines in your house? Has this changed?).

Aims

  • Understand historical concepts, such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance and use them to make connections, draw contrast, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions.

 

  • Pupils should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity, difference and significance
  • They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
  • They should be taught about changes in an aspect of social history and a significant turning point in history (the turn to gas and electricity).

 

History KS3

Purpose of Study

  • Should inspire pupils curiosity to know more about the past.
  • Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement.
  • History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies, and relationships between different groups as well as their own identity and challenges of their time.

Discussion points: the process of change (energy change).

  • Challenges of their time (environment, sustainability).
  • Diversity of societies and relationships with own identity (who uses these machines in your house? Has this changed?).

Aims

  • Understand historical concepts, such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance and use them to make connections, draw contrast, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions.
  • Understand methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims and discern how and why contrasting interpretations have been constructed.

Content

  • Pupils should identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts and analyse trends within periods.
  • They should understand how different types of historical sources are used rigorously to make historical claims and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations have been constructed.
  • They should be taught about ‘Ideas, Political Power, Industry and Empire, Britain 1705-1901’, ‘Britain as the First Industrial nation-the impact on society’. ‘Challenges for Britain 1901 to the present day’- women’s suffrage, social, cultural and technological change in post-war British society.

 

Science KS2

  • Purpose of study: Enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them.
    • They should do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena.
  • Working scientifically
    • Ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them.
    • Identifying differences, similarities, or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes.

 

Learning Objectives

  • To develop an understanding of the people and work involved in the process of washing clothes.
  • To investigate how the marketing of historical toys contributed to the continuation of gender stereotypes.
  • To explore how energy change in the home both influenced and was influenced by the development of washing machines.
  • To understand how our knowledge of energy change in the past is constructed from a range of sources including museum objects.

 

Discussion Points:

  • How can revealing a wider diversity of people making energy changes in their homes help us all feel empowered in the future of energy change?
  • Whose history of energy is recorded and why?
    • Who has been left out of energy history?
  • How do we tell untold and undocumented energy histories?
  • Do we tell a different history of energy when we focus on domestic objects?
  • Who had/has the power to deliver energy change in the home?
  • Whose energy/labour is being used to make energy?
  • What can we do to effect energy change in our homes?

Critical Questions: 

  • How do you think people reacted when electric washing machines were introduced?
  • Do you think doing the laundry today saves more energy than it did in the early 1900's? Why/Why not? See the points below to help:
    • Before the invention of the washing machine, it was a process of up to two days to do the laundry.
    • Later 19th century- industrial laundries allowed women wealthy enough to send their washing out to be cleaned, freeing them from laundry day.
    • With the invention of the domestic washing machine, laundry became a chore that was done in the home once again.
  • In the 1920s, the average housewife spent about 11.5 hours per week on laundry and ironing. By 1965, that had dropped to just under 7 hours. In 2014, that average housewife (and her spouse) spent about 20 minutes a day on the task, or just over 1.5 hours per week.  (Reference: Capitalism Will Abolish Laundry Day)

 Questions Based on the Video

Watch the video to spark discussions on the points below:

  • Who do you think is being encouraged to do the laundry by toy washing machine in the video?
    • Draw an advertisement for a toy washing machine that could be sold today, who will you include on the label?
  • What is the same and what is different between early washing machines and modern washing machine? (Using the washing machine with the mangle). 
  • Do you think these early washing machines were labour saving?

 

Activities

  • Use a STEM kit to build a light powered by a hand crank . There are many kits available online or you may have the materials already in school. 
  •  Research project:
    • Pupils to research the link between the use of fossil fuels for energy generation and climate change. 
    • Then research the top 10 countries using fossil fuels and the 10 most likely countries to be affected by climate change from, for example flood. 
    • Map the results and discuss the results.
      • Is there overlap between the energy consumers and those most likely to be affected by climate change?
      • Whose responsibility is it to tackle climate change?
      • Why might governments in those countries using the most energy be reluctant to take action to cut their emissions?