Local History Pack
In response to interest expressed in local history at every Key Stage, teachers can now order a pack of reproduced documents, laminated to last, which reflect the history of their school's local area from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Packs are produced in partnership with the Norfolk Heritage Centre and include any or all of the following (depending on availability) in part or in whole: trade directory entries, maps, census returns, parish burial register entries, school logbooks, sales particulars, probate inventories and photographs. It is intended that they serve as an initial springboard from which pupils can learn about their immediate environment in and out of the classroom. The cost is £9.95 per pack. Please ask for more details.
History Study Unit Packs
Resource packs are available at a cost of £14.95 each to link in with a growing number of History study units outlined by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Packs include a selection of reproduced documents, in full colour and laminated, and accompanying notes for teachers.
Study units covered so far are:
Seaside Holidays (Key Stage 1)
This pack sheds light on seaside holidays in Norfolk from the early 1900s to the early 21st century. The documents focus particularly on transport, clothing and leisure and enable pupils to develop an understanding of chronology.
Photograph of a young woman on holiday in Great Yarmouth, 1960
ref. Private Collection
Homes (Key Stage 1)
This pack sheds light on the wide variety of housing types from the 19th century to the present day. The documents provide images of both the interior and exterior of houses of differing status and wealth.
Row Number 74, Great Yarmouth, mid-nineteenth century
ref. Y/D 71/5
The Second World War (Key Stage 2)
This pack sheds light on the impact of The Second World War on the lives of children (and adults too) in Norfolk. The documents focus particularly on The Blitz and evacuation. They include a number of items extracted from a child's photograph album which tells the story of a whole class evacuation from St James' School in Upper Edmonton, London, to Aylsham.
The photograph shows Rampant Horse Street, Norwich, sometime in
1944 or 1945
ref. N/TC 57/37
The Victorian Child (Key Stage 2)
This pack sheds light on the differences in lifestyle between children from rich and poor families during the reign of Queen Victoria. Many of the documents show how the attitudes towards, and experiences of, children have changed.
The photograph shows an outing of the Norwich Sun Lane Methodist Chapel Sunday School, late 19th century, ref. FC 22/248/5
Twentieth-Century Conflicts (Key Stage 3)
This pack sheds light on three major conflicts of the twentieth century: The First and Second World Wars and The Cold War. They allow pupils to examine key ideas and themes and to compare and contrast wartime experiences of people in Norfolk.
Certificate awarded to women working in agriculture during the First World War, ref. PD 445/34-35
A Norfolk Market Town in 1900 (Key Stage 3)
This pack sheds light on social and economic life in a typical Market Town. Focusing on Diss, the documents range from 1850 right up to 1900, enabling the children to explore the development of the town in the Victorian period, ultimately providing a snapshot of the town as it was in 1900.
Plan of Diss and surrounding countryside, 1850, ref. MS 17613
Kett's Rebellion, 1549 (Not key stage specific)
The pack includes documents which reveal the build-up to the rebellion, and explain the events during the rebellion itself. The pack also looks into how the historical interpretation has changed in the 450 years after the rebellion, and encourages pupils to question why. The pack includes a free audio CD containing readings from some of the extracts used in the pack and contemporary music.
Kett's men beside the Market Cross as drawn by Colman Green, ref. MS 103
AS/A2 Level Study Sessions
Small groups of AS/A2 Level students are welcome to visit the NRO at the Archive Centre, free of charge, by arrangement. Study sessions can be tailored to meet the requirements of a particular syllabus. Visits afford students a unique opportunity to handle and interpret a selection of original documents; explore a local angle on national or even world history; and an introduction to using the public searchroom for personal study. A full guided tour of the NRO can also be arranged, offering students the chance to learn more about the work of the organisation and to ask questions about working with archive collections.
Contact
Students, teachers and tutors are invited to contact the Archive Education and Outreach Officer at the NRO about any of the above resources, to arrange a visit or to discuss other curriculum needs. A newsletter, 'It's about time', is published once a term and distributed, free of charge, to schools and colleges throughout the county. It provides up-to-date information about the NRO and its developing provision for schools and colleges. Copies are also available on request.
NRO Teacher's Working Group
To enable us to create the Study Unit Packs we have a small group of teachers who meet termly to discuss and finalise the selection of documents for the forthcoming packs. The group is also responsible for providing ideas for the topic of the next pack. We currently have one group for Key Stages 1 and 2, and are looking to set up a group for Key Stage 3. If you teach in a school in Norfolk and would like to join one of these groups please contact the Archive Education and Outreach Officer.
Archive Experiences
An archive experience day is also available. The session will start with an introduction to documents, looking at why documents are made and explaining different styles of document from rolls to large volumes, parchment to paper. Next, pupils play the 'indenture game' to find out how documents were made in the past. Pupils can put their new-found knowledge into use by having a go at making their very own paper using traditional materials. Finally, pupils will get a chance to design their own illuminated manuscripts using a quill to draw the outline. These activities can be provided as part of a day session at The Archive Centre, or as part of a more specified programme. Please contact the Education and Outreach Officer to arrange a programme suitable for your class.
Updated: 30 October 2007