Essential information
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Key Stage |
Key Stage 1
|
| Curriculum links |
History
|
| Session length | 75 minutes |
| Session times | Monday and Friday, 10.30–11.45, 12.45–14.00 |
| Capacity | 30 pupils per session |
| Price | £90 |
Session overview
There are two versions of this session available: Polar Explorers (Ernest Shackleton and modern polar scientist Prem Gill) or Journeys Around the World (Francis Drake and astronaut Helen Sharman).
Both versions follow the same format and comprise these three activities:
Introduction to exploration and objects
As a whole group, using images of items from the collection, learners investigate what an explorer is and what you might need for a successful expedition. They will be introduced to the two explorers and how we might compare them.
Gallery visit
Learners will visit the Polar Worlds or Tudor and Stuart Seafarers galleries to find the best objects for the explorers to take on their expeditions.
Object handling
In five groups, learners will look at a pair of objects that are replicas of those used by the explorers. They will compare and contrast the explorers by using investigative skills to decide whose object is whose and why.
Learning objectives
Learners will:
- Describe what exploration is
- Be able to describe two explorers
- Identify and compare aspects of the lives of explorers from different time periods
- Use objects to help learn about the past
Curriculum links
KS1 History
- The lives of significant individuals in the past… Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods
- Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past
Key words
Similar, different, compare, explorer
Suggested pre-visit knowledge and activities
No prior knowledge of the explorers is needed for this session and it works well towards the beginning of a topic on exploration. Some discussion on what an explorer is and what they do before you arrive is very useful.
Suggested post-visit knowledge and activities
The Stories from the Sea: Exploration resource contains a range of creative writing tasks that build on the session and a range of downloadable activities about museum objects relevant to either Tudor or Polar exploration.
Useful links
Stories from the Sea: Exploration resource
British Antarctic Survey - Polar Science for a Sustainable Planet (for Prem Gill)
Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge » Shackleton Online (for Ernest Shackleton objects)
National Space Centre Collections Online (for Helen Sharman objects)
Content guidance
This session is designed to be appropriate for KS1 and to allow them to engage with our galleries and handling objects. Historic explorers are not presented as heroes and we do not engage with any challenging aspects of their legacies. Please be aware that there are weapons in Tudor and Stuart Seafarers and taxidermy animals and stories that include death and hardship in the Polar Worlds gallery.