Essential information
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Key Stage |
Key Stage 2
|
| Curriculum links |
Careers education
Citizenship
Geography
History
Science
|
| Session length | 90 minutes |
| Session times | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 10.15-11.45, 12.30-14.00 |
| Capacity | 30 pupils per group |
| Price | Up to 30 pupils - £150. Limited bursaries are available |
Session overview
Enquiry question: How has global trade changed since 1869 and why was Cutty Sark so successful?
Dry dock
Learners are asked to consider global trade - the act of buying and selling goods to and from different places all over the world. Cutty Sark is a Victorian cargo ship - the faster a trade ship was, the more money it would make. Learners discover what made Cutty Sark so fast and where it went to collect cargo. Learners are put in the shoes of Cutty Sark’s captain and asked to gather information to plan a cargo journey.
Lower hold and Tween deck
Learners visit the ship to gather more information about Cutty Sark and its journeys around the globe. Where did it go? What did it collect? Which routes did it take and why?
Main deck
Learners take part in weather-measuring activities on the main deck to see if they have the sailor skills needed for a successful voyage.
Dry dock
Learners return to the dry dock and plan their cargo journeys.
Learning objectives
Learners will:
- Have a clear definition of trade
- Understand how scale of trade has increased and improved through time and how trade connects people from all over the world
- Use maps and globes to gain understanding that the natural resources, land mass, and climate of a country determine what types of food they export and import
- Take weather measurements using a range of scientific equipment
Curriculum links
KS2 History and Geography
- Develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding history, establishing clear narratives
- Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources
- Understand human geography
- Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied
Key words
Global trade, trade routes, cargo, Beaufort scale, anemometer, compass, Import, export
Suggested pre-visit knowledge and activities
This session works best for learners when they know how to use a compass. Teach/reinforce compass points with a simple memory phrase (e.g. Never Eat Shredded Wheat). This could be done by playing a game in the playground. Once confident, link this to wind direction (e.g. If the wind is blowing from the West, which way is it coming from?).
Remind learners that sailors depended on weather knowledge to plan voyages and accurate observation was essential for safe trade across the seas.
Suggested post-visit knowledge and activities
We encourage schools to compare Victorian-era global trade with how we trade goods around the world today. What has changed? What has stayed the same? Do we still trade with the same countries? How has technology changed trade? Is faster trade always better? Why or why not?