Autumn term 2012 Preparation and follow up ideas

Transcription

1 Autumn term 2012 Preparation and follow up ideas

2 Contents Introduction A sense of place Patterns and Light Symbols of worship Edwardtide Pilgrimage Henry s Wives Remembering WW1 Parliament week: Joint tour Parliament Week: Have your say! Who should be King? National Treasure Chest Victorian Christmas 11 th -13 th September 17 th, 19 th & 20 th September 2 nd - 4 th October 9 th -11 th October 16 th -18 th October 23 rd - 25 th October 5 th - 8 th & 15 th - 16 th November 19 th & 20 th November 21 st - 23 rd November 26 th, 28 th & 29 th November 3 rd - 6 th December 11 th - 13 th & 18 th - 20 th December Guided tours are also available on most Mondays and Fridays during term time. Please see the Westminster Abbey website for background information about the history of Westminster Abbey:

3 Introduction The visit to Westminster Abbey should be the centre-piece for a well-planned unit of study for groups. We suggest that teachers spend time preparing their students for the visit and also follow it up with further work. Many of the themes that we offer are quite specific in order to break the Abbey down into manageable chunks, so it is important that all students are aware of basic information. Key points that all students visiting should know: 1. Westminster Abbey is first and foremost a church. This means that it is a Christian place of worship where acts of worship are conducted every day. It is an Anglican church. 2. Everyone is welcome to visit the Abbey as a tourist and as a worshipper no matter what they personally believe. We ask people to be respectful of our Christian traditions but do not assume that anyone who comes here has a faith. 3. The Abbey has a particularly close relationship with the monarchy, and is a Royal Peculiar which means it stands outside the jurisdiction of bishops and is directly responsible to the monarch as the Head of the Church of England. 4. The Abbey is the Coronation Church, where all the Kings and Queens of England and Britain who have been crowned have had their coronation since It contains the graves and memorials of about 3000 people, many of whom are famous figures from British history. In addition to these points, teachers might like to ensure that their students are familiar with key concepts of the Christian faith. God Supreme Being. In Christianity, we think of God as the Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christians believe in one God, but the three persons of the Trinity have different roles and attributes. Jesus Second person of the Trinity. Fully-God and Fully-Man. Jesus was God made flesh, born in Bethlehem about 2000 years ago. Christians believe that Jesus spent at least three years of his adult life teaching before being arrested and crucified. They also believe that three days later he rose from the dead. Forty days after that he ascended to Heaven where he sits with God the Father. One day Jesus will return to judge humanity. Cross the Cross is the symbol of the Christian faith because Jesus was put to death on a cross. Church This refers both to the physical building and also to the body of people who believe in Christianity. Heaven Where God lives. Traditionally, it was thought to be physically above us but now up is used as a metaphor to express the idea that it is beyond our everyday experience. Hell traditionally a place of punishment for those who have done evil. Christians today disagree about what Hell is like. Weblinks - Contains information about fundamental beliefs - ideas for teaching and links to online resources - links to a wide range of resources

4 Summer Term 2012 Preparation and Follow up Ideas A sense of place 11 th -13 th September Join us on this sensory exploration of the Abbey and Gardens. Pupils will experience the Abbey through all their senses and leave knowing more about how the Abbey smells, sounds and feels. This session will be adapted to meet pupils needs. Find out more about the history of Westminster Abbey using the website. Look at the pictures on the website to become familiar with what you will see inside. Key points on the tour are the: High Altar Tomb of the Unknown Warrior Cloisters Henry VII s Lady Chapel After your visit create a map of your tour using the pictures from the website to see what you can remember from the visit. Patterns and Light 17 th, 19 th & 20 th September This visit explores the many mathematical and repeating patterns in the Abbey. From the stunning Rose windows, to the beautiful medieval floor tiles of the Chapter House, pupils will visit key areas to see how geometric shapes are everywhere. They will spend time drawing shapes in the Abbey and Cloisters and will work on a piece of art to take back to school. Look at pictures of Rose Windows from other churches around the world, examine the stories told in the windows. Design your own window to tell a story. People build beautiful churches to reflect the beauty of God s creation. Go outside and look around for shapes and colours that you saw inside Westminster Abbey. Symbols of Worship 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th October Westminster Abbey is first and foremost a place of worship which uses the rich tradition of Christian symbolism developed over many centuries. Students will explore the Abbey considering some of the key symbolic objects, actions, words and images used here. The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion will be considered in depth, and pupils will have the opportunity to visit the Shrine of Edward the Confessor, not normally open to the public. Write a biography of Edward the Confessor or draw a frieze telling the story of his life, just like the one inside the Abbey. Find out more at

5 Act out a Baptism or find out more about Holy Communion. Write a dictionary of symbols used in churches, draw pictures and use photographs to support your descriptions. Edwardtide 9 th, 10 th and 11 th October Rediscover the medieval art of story-telling! Listen to the stories of the life of one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, Edward the Confessor, and explore not only his final resting place but also the site of the coronation of his successor William the Conqueror. Pupils will consider the role of saints and pilgrimage in medieval life and visit the tomb of the master story-teller, Chaucer. In the Education Centre they will practise speaking stories that have their audience enthralled. Research St Edward s life, find out about some of the miracles he performed which led to people come as pilgrims to his tomb. Another good source is the Life of St. Edward the confessor by Aelred of Rievaulx Act out some of the stories or draw a storyboard. Pilgrimage 16 th, 17 th and 18 th October What was it like to be a pilgrim in medieval England? Pupils will form a small band of pilgrims visiting the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor. Brother William will show pupils around and help them picture what life was like here in medieval times. Students will also consider the importance of pilgrimage for Christians and those of other faiths today and make a pilgrim badge as a memento of their pilgrimage. The monks who lived at Westminster Abbey and looked after the relics and welcomed the pilgrims followed the rule of St Benedict. Find out about the monks day and the Rule of St Benedict here: Research pilgrimages people of all faiths go on. Write a travel leaflet about one of the pilgrimage sites. Henry s Wives 23 rd, 24 th & 25 th October What was Henry VIII really like to live with? Pupils meet Catherine Parr who recalls her life with the King and looks back over his previous marriages. Together they will consider the reasons why Henry married each of his wives and the impact that the marriages had on the nation. Pupils visit the Tudor parts of the Abbey and see the tombs of Anne of Cleves, Henry s parents and children.

6 Make a poster about each of Henry VIII s wives showing why Henry VIII married them and what impact they had on Henry s policies and why he got rid of some of them. Find out about the court of Henry VIII, draw and label a picture of what Tudor clothing looks like. Some fun quizzes: Remembering WWI 5 th 8 th & 15 th -16 th November The Grave of the Unknown Warrior is one of the most famous and poignant reminders of the Great War. Pupils can pay their respects and learn about the warrior. A WWI soldier will answer pupils questions about what life was like in the trenches. At the Poets Corner memorial, pupils will be introduced to the Poets of the First World War before they recycle a war poem using their senses and our poetry kitbag. For secondary pupils our unpick a sonnet activities demystify form and structure and engage pupils in the actual language choices made by soldier-poet, Wilfred Owen. Many resources are available online, including: During the session, KS2 pupils will begin to write a poem and this could be finished off in the classroom. Encourage pupils to send us their finished poems to read! Parliament Week: Joint tour 19 th, 20 th November Why did the Queen, our Head of State, take communion at her coronation? Why are there statues of saints in the Central Lobby of the Houses of Parliament? Discover the links between church and state in the United Kingdom at two of its most iconic buildings: The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Students can tour Parliament in the morning, learning about the development and operation of our parliamentary democracy. In the afternoon, they will visit the abbey to see where Parliament met in medieval times and to consider how the Christian faith has shaped the governance of our country. Parliament Week: Have Your Say! 21 st, 22 nd & 23 rd November If your pupils are keen to speak their mind, this is the session for them! Commemorated in the abbey are many who have spoken up for freedom. Our tour will focus on the links between Parliament and the Abbey: from the medieval Chapter House where the Commons used to meet in the 14 th century to the memorial to the Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, assassinated 200 years ago in the lobby of The Houses of Parliament. In the Education Centre pupils will play games designed to give them the confidence to speak and respond in the formal cut and thrust of a debate.

7 An extensive range of differentiated resources to support citizenship education in print, interactive whiteboard, video and games formats. As part of Parliament Week 2012, a new Create the Debate teachers pack is being produced in association with the UK Youth Parliament and supported by new online films from BBC Three s Free Speech show. For further details the Parliament Week team who will be in touch: parliamentweek@parliament.uk or keep an eye on the website: The official site of the British Prime Minister s Office. Pages on The Queen and the UK have useful summaries of the Queen s role in Parliament and the Church of England. Click on The Church in Parliament tab for more about the role of the Lords Spiritual in Parliament. parliament week.aspx Keep an eye on the The Hansard Society website for their plans for 2012 Parliament Week and guidance on how to run a Young People s Question Time. Charity promoting debating in schools and beyond. The Jewel Tower is one of only two buildings from the medieval Palace of Westminster to survive the fire of It displays a fascinating exhibition about the history of Parliament Parliament Past and Present. Who should be King? 26 th, 28 th & 29 th November It is April Edward IV has just died unexpectedly and his son is only a boy. As his coronation day approaches, it becomes clear that other people want the throne: Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Edward s brother; Henry, Duke of Buckingham, his cousin; Henry Tudor, in exile in France, and Lady Margaret Beaufort. And behind it all schemes Edward s beautiful widow, Elizabeth Woodville. Students will hear the arguments and decide who should be crowned. In the Abbey they will see the chair used for coronations since 1308 and stand in the spot where each new monarch is acclaimed. Split the class into groups and give each group a different potential king to research. Ask each group to make a propaganda poster showing why they should be king. Draw a family tree showing how all the potential kings had a claim to the throne. Eventually Henry Tudor became Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth, make your own Tudor rose to decorate the classroom National Treasure Chest 3 rd - 6 th December Bring out the poet in your pupils! Westminster Abbey is a national treasure and contains what the nation treasures. The Crown Jewels themselves were once stored in a chest like the one in the Pyx Chamber. Hear how they were once stolen and recovered. Discover how the Abbey remembers men

8 and women who have served God and their country. In the classroom, pupils create their own treasure chest as they use imagination, feeling and words to build a poem in which to put all that they most value. Check that pupils are familiar with the visual and musical effects of simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia. Lots of fun activities on the Teachit and TES Connect sites plus rhyme tennis, alliteration scattergories, key terms bingo. Use the Cole Porter song You re the Top! to encourage figurative thinking! Get started straight away with inspiration from the Olympic and Paralympic Games at Resources on poetry by the poets themselves. The Junior section has teaching ideas for poems from Gillian Clarke, Helen Taylor and Carol Ann Duffy. Hear poets reading their verse at English and Media Centre site: The theme for National Poetry Day on October 4th 2012 is STARS; resources and lesson plans available from September. Poetry Society site for young people with some writing prompts. A Victorian Christmas 11 th -13 th &18 th -20 th December Join staff from Westminster Abbey and the British Postal Museum and Archive in an interactive exploration of the Victorian Christmas. In the Abbey, find out how Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus and, by the grave of Charles Dickens, explore how the Victorians changed the celebration of Christmas at home. Pupils will make their own Christmas card, modelled on the very first sent by Henry Cole over 200 years ago. Read the Christmas story in the classroom. Make a nativity scene out of found materials. Find out about how Christmas is celebrated all over the world. Read excerpts from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to discover what Christmas would have been like for both rich and poor Victorians. Create a diorama of a rich and poor person s house out of shoe boxes, decorate half as a rich home and half as a poor home.