New
New
Year 1

From sail to steam power

I can explain how Turner's painting 'The Fighting Temeraire' shows an important change in seafaring from sail power to steam power.

New
New
Year 1

From sail to steam power

I can explain how Turner's painting 'The Fighting Temeraire' shows an important change in seafaring from sail power to steam power.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 150 years ago, steam power was replacing sail power for ships.
  2. Wooden-hulled ships, which had been used for thousands of years, were being replaced by iron-hulled ones.
  3. JMW Turner's painting, The Fighting Temeraire, is symbolic of this process, showing the final journey of the Temeraire.
  4. The Temeraire, an old ship used in important battles, is being towed by a steam boat on its way to be broken up.
  5. It is unlikely that Turner witnessed this event, but he has imagined it to make the point that seafaring was changing.

Keywords

  • Steam power - something uses steam power when it uses a steam engine to heat water to create steam and movement

  • Witness - if someone is present at an event, they witness it

Common misconception

Some may think that the ship was called 'The Fighting Temeraire'.

'The Fighting Temeraire' was the name of Turner's painting, the ship was called HMS Temeraire.

Students could design their own banknote to show how seafaring has changed over time.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these ships was iron-hulled?
SS Sirius
SS Great Western
Correct answer: SS Great Britain
Q2.
What letters go before the name of a ship to tell us it is powered by steam?
Correct Answer: SS, ss
Q3.
Match the types of passengers to the correct description.
Correct Answer:first-class passengers,people who paid more for a luxurious cabin and 4 meals a day

people who paid more for a luxurious cabin and 4 meals a day

Correct Answer:steerage passengers,people who could not afford a cabin or meals on board

people who could not afford a cabin or meals on board

Q4.
What sort of journeys was the SS Great Britain designed for?
Correct answer: long ocean voyages
short river trips
Q5.
Passengers only had fresh food in the first half of a journey on board the SS Great Britain to New York. Why?
Correct answer: It spoiled quickly.
People ate too much.
They didn't take enough food.
Q6.
Choose the word that completes the sentence. The SS Great Britain was the steamship in the world when it was built.
smallest
Correct answer: biggest
slowest

6 Questions

Q1.
JMW Turner was a...
sailor
Correct answer: painter
writer
Q2.
Match the words to the meanings.
Correct Answer:canoe,a simple early boat

a simple early boat

Correct Answer:longboat,a boat used by the Vikings

a boat used by the Vikings

Correct Answer:junk,a boat used by Chinese seafarers

a boat used by Chinese seafarers

Correct Answer:steamship,a boat invented 150 years ago

a boat invented 150 years ago

Q3.
HMS Temeraire was the name of a...
Correct answer: ship
car
dog
Q4.
JMW Turner’s painting ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ was on a...
coin
ship
Correct answer: banknote
Q5.
150 years ago, steam power became more important than sail power.
Correct answer: True
False
Q6.
150 years ago, steamship hulls began to be made with...
Correct Answer: iron, metal

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