ACTIVITIES Hidden Now Heard - the Invisible People of Old Sarum Activity Bags for KS2-3
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ENGLISH HERITAGE ACTIVITIES Hidden Now Heard - the invisible people of Old Sarum Activity bags for KS2-3 The Hidden Now Heard activity bags are aimed at KS2-3 groups visiting Old Sarum. The following notes summarise ways in which the bags can be used. Contents: How to use the bags………………..page1 Character timeline………………….page 7 Questionnaire………………………page 8 Photo plan…………………………..page 9 Character cards……………..……....page 10 History is the story of people and how individually or collectively they have shaped and changed the world around them. The Hidden Now Heard bags focus on 15 unique individuals who all had some part, either big or small, to play in the story of the site’s 4,100-year history. The core message of the resource is: “The story of Old Sarum is of the people who were the dwellers, visitors, makers and history shapers”. Through using the bags children will understand what changes have occurred at Old Sarum, who was involved, how people interacted with this place and what work they did. The bags offer opportunities to explore historical objects and understand them in context of both chronology and place, starting from the Iron Age and ending in the present. 1 ENGLISH HERITAGE ACTIVITIES Hidden Now Heard - the invisible people of Old Sarum Activity bags for KS2-3 The Hidden Now Heard bags will encourage learners to: • Explore features, investigate artefacts and discuss the history of Old Sarum • Investigate how one site has changed over 4,100 years • Organise and communicate historical information • Share and present what they have learned using drama and/or writing • Develop their own views about historical events and people • Think critically about historical evidence and how to present it • Understand historical events and places from different viewpoints • Think about how history is interpreted and represented • Understand different lifestyles in the past, specifically rich and poor There are 15 different bags, each containing information about a different character. Each character provides a snapshot of what was happening at the time they were at Old Sarum and how they fit in to the story of the site. Each bag contains: • a photo plan • a character card • an activity folder and • handling objects The bags cover three main periods: • Early: Iron Age to Vikings, 120BC-1003AD • Middle: Medieval, 1086-1260 • Modern: Victorian to the 21st century, 1830-2008 Each period is colour-coded. If your visit focuses on a specific curriculum area, you may wish to use just one period covered by the bags. Green bags: Early (Iron Age to Vikings, 120BC-1003AD) 1. Annan - an Iron Age girl 120 BC 2. Lucia - a Roman woman 215 AD 3. Aelfred - Anglo-Saxon money maker 1002 4. King Sweyn Forkbeard - Viking king of Denmark 1003 Black bags: Middle (Medieval, 1086-1260) 1. King William I - the Norman king 1086 2. William of Eu - prisoner 1096 3. Baldwin - stonemason 1100 4. Bishop Roger - bishop 1102 5. Robert - guard 1160 6. Queen Eleanor - wife of Henry II 1170 7. John – gong farmer 1260 2 ENGLISH HERITAGE ACTIVITIES Hidden Now Heard - the invisible people of Old Sarum Activity bags for KS2-3 Purple bags: Modern (Victorian to the 21st century, 1830-2008) 1. John Constable - artist 1830 2. William Hawley - archaeologist 1909 3. Elsie - ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) 1944 4. Susan - wildlife surveyor 2008 Note. Little is known about the site from its demise in the Middle Ages to the 19th century, therefore characters are absent from this period. The bags encourage investigation of important features of the site, such as the Iron Age earthworks and the remains of the medieval castle and cathedral. The bags explore two main areas of the site, these are: • Outer bailey. This includes the remains of the old cathedral and the banks and ditches of the Iron Age hill fort. Early and modern periods are explored in the outer bailey area. • Inner bailey. This includes the main castle buildings such as the keep, motte and courtyard house. This is the area over the bridge and up beyond the visitor centre. The middle period is explored in the inner bailey. Please refer to the teacher’s photo plan on page 9 for the location of each bag. Using the bags We recommend that teachers provide students with a brief orientation and introduction to the site before using the bags. This might entail: • a quick visit to the two main areas, the inner and outer baileys • observing the whole site from the highest point, the keep • using some of the starter activities in the Activities pages of the Old Sarum Teacher’s Kit, available at http://www.english- heritage.org.uk/content/publications/publicationsNew/education/old-sarum-teachers-kit/old- sarum-tk.pdf Before handing out bags to your students, spend a short time going through these teacher’s notes and the photo plan on page 9. Briefly explain to your group what they will find in each bag: a photo plan showing the location of the character, an illustrated character card, an activity folder, coloured pouches and handling items. Use one bag to demonstrate this. Please reinforce that pupils need to take care when handling items. They are to only handle small items over the groundsheets to avoid dropping or losing items in the grass. Students will also need to pack the contents of the bag away when they have finished using it. The bags can be used in a number of different ways. We offer some suggestions below. 3 ENGLISH HERITAGE ACTIVITIES Hidden Now Heard - the invisible people of Old Sarum Activity bags for KS2-3 Option 1: Presenting the past Duration: 60-75 minutes, including about 25 minutes for groups to find the character locations and work through activities. 1. The bags can be used in groups of two to three children, depending on class size. 2. There is a photo plan and instructions in each bag. Ask children to take out the photo plan and go and find their character’s location. Help and assistance may need to be given during this stage. 3. Once each group has found their character’s location, they then read through the character and activity cards, and use the costume items or handling objects to work through the activities. 4. Students can use the questionnaire on page 8 to help them think about the most important aspects of the character and the site, during the time their character was there. The questionnaire can be completed jointly by each group or individually. Please note that you will need to print your own copies of the questionnaire as copies are not available at Old Sarum. Note. Some children might not understand what Twitter is. Either it can be omitted from the questionnaire or a quick explanation can be provided. 5. After each group has fully explored the character, location and activities, gather the whole group together by the castle keep (or, if windy, at the remains of the vestry by the old cathedral in the outer bailey). This is marked on the teacher’s photo plan. 6. Each group then presents to the rest of the class what they have learnt about their person and the site in one to two minutes. This could be in the form of a small drama or re-enactment. You may wish to give students 5-10 minutes to prepare their presentations. Children can show objects found in the bags during their presentations. 7. Groups can present their characters in chronological order. Refer to the timeline on page 7, which lists the characters in chronological order. 8. Encourage the rest of the class to ask questions such as: • What was happening at Old Sarum when your character was there? • What secret does the person know? • Why is the site important to that person? • What’s the best thing about the person’s life? • Would you like to be that character and if so, why? • Why is it important to learn about these people? 9. If you have time, groups can explore more than one bag. 10. Please pack away the bags and return all items to their bags. If anything is missing or damaged please tell a member of staff. 4 ENGLISH HERITAGE ACTIVITIES Hidden Now Heard - the invisible people of Old Sarum Activity bags for KS2-3 Option 2: Time trail Duration: 60-70 minutes Pupils become the guides to the site, helping their peers understand the physical features and stories of the site. Teachers can use a smaller number of bags if they wish. For example, a class of 30 pupils could work with the medieval bags or a collection of eight to ten bags that cover all periods. 1. Carry out Steps 1-4 as in Option 1. 2. After each group has spent some time exploring their characters and carrying out their activities, the whole class meets up at a pre-arranged location. 3. The whole group then walks the site, stopping at the various character locations. 4. Each group takes it in turn to present the information relating to their character and their location to the rest of the class. 5. When all character locations have been visited, students can line up in chronological order. 6. Please pack away the bags and return all items to their bags. If anything is missing or damaged please tell a member of staff. Variation: dynamic timeline The trail is walked as above, but in chronological order to create a dynamic time line. Option 3: Change, contrasts and comparisons Duration: 60-70 minutes 1. Select 12 bags (four early, four middle and four modern) 2.