A GUIDE TO OUR FREE SCHOOLS PROGRAMME FOR 2017/18

SESSIONS FOR SCHOOLS A GUIDE TO OUR FREE SCHOOLS PROGRAMME FOR 2017/18 Designed to help teachers and education professionals incorporate heritage learning outside the classroom into the National Curriculum

SHARING PEOPLE'S STORIES OF AMERSHAM IN THE 20TH CENTURY WHO WE ARE Since it opened in 1991, Amersham Museum has thrived as a small, local, independent museum and is now working to develop a larger, more accessible museum. Situated in a listed medieval building on the High Street, the museum is fully accredited and is run as a charitable company. Located in the historic Buckinghamshire town of Amersham, the museum's collections reflect the town's history and development from Roman times to the present day. The museum has a wide ranging programme of activities for adults and families, including talks, walks, craft and research sessions. The museum has created a new permanent exhibition about the 20th century history of the town and a new, dedicated learning space, also focused on the area s 20th century story. At the heart of the interpretation are the stories told by local people and recorded in the museum s oral history collection. As part of the People s Story of Amersham in the 20th Century project we have developed five new sessions aimed at KS1 and KS2 focusing on different elements of 20th century life in Amersham. These are offered free with help from Heritage Lottery funding.

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL SESSIONS 5 NEW SESSIONS FOR 2017/18 Starting in 2017/18 we will be offering five new free schools sessions funded by HLF: We also have a number of other schools sessions available, for which there is a small charge: Traditional Toys Fossils and Fossil Hunters The Coming of the Railway WW2 and Refugees Art and Local Artists Life in the 16th Century Victorian Amersham Roman handling session Prehistory in the Chilterns Handling boxes for many of our topics are also available to borrow on request. All of our sessions can be delivered at the museum or in a school setting at no extra cost. To book any of our sessions, visit amershammuseum.org/schools-andresearch/ or complete the booking form at the end of this guide.

FOSSILS AND FOSSIL HUNTERS KS1-2 Topics Covered: Fossils, Mary Anning, Robin Reid, dinosaurs, local geology, drawing/art Curriculum Links: Science o Rocks compare different kinds of rocks; describe how fossils are formed (Yr 3) o Evolution & Inheritance find out about the work of palaeontologists (Yr 6) History o Local history, significant individuals (KS1) Art o Use a range of materials; use drawing, painting & sculpture to develop and share ideas (KS1) Session Options (80 mins): Discuss what fossils are and how they are made (30 mins) o Fossil demonstration o Local geology map ("Do you live in chalky, clay, or rocky geology?") o Fossil and rock handling session Dinosaur timeline (15 mins) Introduce fossil hunters (35 mins) o Compare Mary Anning to local fossil hunter Robin Reid o Look at some of Robin Reid s drawings o Draw/sculpt your own fossils/dinosaurs

THE COMING OF THE RAILWAY KS1-2 Topics Covered: Industrial revolution, steam power, Amersham-on-the-Hill history, map reading, current events, debate, HS2 Curriculum Links: Geography o Geographical skills & fieldwork (KS1) History o Local history study (KS2) o Changes within living memory; significant local historical events (KS1) Session Options (90 mins): For younger groups Discuss what steam trains are and how steam power works (15 mins) Pre-railway object handling (15 mins) Compare modern and historic maps of Amersham (20 mins) Map reading skills (keys, legends, contour lines) (40 mins) o Map-reading bingo For older groups Pre-railway object handling (15 mins) Compare modern and historic maps of Amersham (20 mins) Map reading skills (keys, legends, contour lines) (20 mins) o Map-reading bingo Talk about the Tyrwhitt-Drakes and their opposition to the historic railway, compare this to HS2 (35 mins) o HS2 debate for and against

WW2 AND REFUGEES KS1-2 Topics Covered: WW2, emigration, refugees, war, wartime Amersham, military hospital, creative writing Curriculum Links: History o Local historical events (KS1) o Local history study (KS2) English o Writing composition (KS1-2) Session Options (90 mins): Learn about rationing in Amersham during WW2 (45 mins) o Learn about how much food each person was allowed per week and 'Dig for Britain' o Using the food pyramid, try and plan a week s meals using standard rations Learn about life in Amersham during WW2, including that of refugees, using photos and handling objects (45 mins) o Write a short letter or postcard home from the perspective of a refugee to Amersham, taking into account what has been learnt about Amersham during WW2

ART AND LOCAL ARTISTS KS1-2 Topics Covered: Local history, painting, drawing, poetry, creative writing, local artists, architecture, photography, songwriting, dance Curriculum Links: Art and Design o Use a range of materials; use drawing, painting, and sculpture to develop and share ideas; to develop a wide range of art and design techniques; about the work of a range of artists (KS1) o Improve mastery of art and design techniques (KS2) English o Writing (Composition) (Years 1-6) Session Options (90-120 mins): Learn about the work of local Amersham artists (20 mins) o Caroline Richardson o George Ward o Roald Dahl o Val Biro Compare Car Richardson watercolours to old Amersham scenes (30 mins) o Short walk through town Create own works of art inspired by Amersham (30-50 mins) Show and tell session of artworks created (10-20 mins)

ROMAN TREASURES KS1-2 Topics Covered: Roman life, local villas, using artefacts as historical sources, Roman coins, Latin, Emperors, Archaeology and excavation Curriculum Links: History o The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain (KS2) Art and Design o Use a range of materials to design products; use drawing, painting, and sculpture to explore ideas; develop a wide range of art and design techniques; (KS1) Session Options (120 mins): Handling session with Roman objects and replicas from the museum collections (45 mins) o What are they? What would they have been used for? How was life different? o What can objects tell us about the past? Roman coins (45 mins) o Handling session with original and replica coins o Deciphering imagery and symbolism on coins o Design your own Roman coin o Making putty coins using replica coin dies This session will be subject to a charge of 2 per child.

BOOKING Contact name: School: Address: Contact phone number: Contact email: Preferred date and time of visit: Number of pupils: Adults: Age range/year group: Group details (including SEND or medical requirements): Session required: Comments: Please sent completed forms to georgina@amershammuseum.org

LONG-TERM PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES ARTIST-LED WORKSHOP PROJECTS As part of our Heritage Lottery Funded project we are able to offer schools the chance to work with the museum to deliver longer-term projects led by professional artists, such as actors, musicians, illustrators, or sculptors. These can be flexible to fit with your curriculum needs, but must have some link to local 20th century history. Example topics include: Nutrition and the history of sugar Homes throughout the ages World War 1 in Amersham Local business and industry To speak to us about longer-term project opportunities please contact our Learning Officer Georgina Barrett (georgina@amershammuseum.org).