The Learning Team, The Manchester Museum

Darwin’s Beagle Voyage – Outreach Workshop

Posted by: vicky07 on: December 9, 2009

Image, Vicky at our recent Darwin Educator Preview Evening

Hello all, this term has seen the launch of our new primary outreach session, ‘Darwin’s Beagle Voyage’. The interactive museum staff led session has been developed as part of The Manchester Museum’s celebration of our Darwin Extravaganza.

The 90 minute cross curricular session involves a variety of activities including specimen observation and analysis, group discussion and visualisation.  Pupils have the opportunity to develop thinking and key skills.

The session provides pupils with an introduction to Darwin, and focuses on his HMS Beagle Voyage of the world.  Pupils have the chance to see specimens (from the Museum’s collection) of some of the animals Darwin may have seen on his voyage.

They have the opportunity to observe and explore animals from a variety of habitats and to develop ideas of how they are adapted to their environment.

The session is linked to key areas of the National Curriculum particularly Science, Geography and History and provides pupils with a unique insight into aspects of the Museum’s collection. The sessions are targeted for Key Stage 2 pupils.

We have enjoyed taking this out to schools!  Pupils have relished the opportunity to get up close to animals they might never have seen before such as the Kiwi and the Platypus!

One teacher commented:
“The session really engaged the curious minds of our pupils.  Great session with friendly and engaging presenters.  Thank you.”

We will be taking the session out to 4 more schools before Christmas.

Physics and Frogs A Level Study Day

Posted by: Louise on: December 8, 2009

Image, Students on our recent Physics and Frogs A Level Day

We recently held our first ever Physics and Frogs A Level Study Days.  On these study days students get the unique opportunity to work alongside our Curator of Herpetology, Andrew Gray, and his research colleague from the Photon Science Institute, Dr Mark Dickinson.

The day kicked off with great talks firstly from Andrew, talking about his work abroad in animal conservation and giving a great overview of how and why The Manchester Museum has and looks after a living animal collection.  Andrew then talked about the  research he has been involved in before handing over to Mark who had the tough task of going over the physics behind these exciting scientific techniques.  Mark covered topics such as visible light, infra-red light and ultra-violet light before talking in-depth about how the techniques work and the sort of data they provide.

Image, Students using the Infra-red cameras

Following lunch, the afternoon was spent in Mark’s Lab where the pupils used Hi-tech spectrometers, Infra-red cameras, thermal imaging and Optical Coherence Tomography equipment (OCT).  Andrew posted up a great OCT image of skin which you can see here.

Students really engaged with being able to carry out the research by themselves, with our supervision, and they all took the opportunity to handle the frogs and have their picture taken. 

After the practical work, Andrew took all the students back over to The Museum and provided a hands-on tour of the vivarium and the other animals in his care.

I really hope that the students got as much out of the day as we did developing and delivering it, it’s a real privilege to be able to work with live animals and to work with such cutting edge equipment, so thanks to all involved!

Image, An infra-red photo showing a student and a frog

Image, The entrance to The Manchester Museum

Bradley Primary

Brooklands Primary

Byrchall High

Claremont Primary

Greenbank Prep School

Highfield Primary

Lower Place Primary

Manchester High School

New Moston Primary

Padfield Community Primary

Rosedale Primary

Rusholme Sure Start

St Annes Lydgate Primary

St James CE Primary

St Paul’s Primary

We hope all these Schools had a very enjoyable trip. If you were part of one of these visits, please feel free to comment below and let us know how your trip went.

There are 2 opportunities coming up for early years practitioners to explore learning opportunities for young children and families in museums and galleries and to share good practice. Please see details below. Please note that these events are funded by Renaissance NW and are free – so book your places early!

These half day  sharing events and designed to provide opportunities for:

  • Networking with other EY  and FL practitioners and museum and gallery staff over lunch 12-12.50
  • Sharing best practice – through case studies presented by  early years practitioners
  • Exploring learning opportunities for young children on galleries in the museum or gallery where training event is held.
  • Museums and galleries being seen to be excellent places to help practitioners meet the EYFS ‘targets’

 Who is it for?

Early years practitioners in all settings – schools, private day nurseries, children’s centres, family learning practitioners and Museum and gallery staff.

Dates and Venues (NB the same session is being run twice):
Wednesday 27 January 2010 at Bolton Museum and Art Gallery

http://www.boltonmuseums.org.uk/visiting/find_bolton_museum/

 And repeated on
Wednesday 10 March 2010     at Manchester Museum
http://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/yourvisit/travel/

 Please Email

Elaine.bates@manchester.ac.uk to reserve your place – bookings are on a first come basis

How The Museum Works…

Posted by: Louise on: November 30, 2009

Here in the Secondary and Post-16 Team we have been receiving a number of interesting and exciting enquries.

We were recently contacted by Whalley Range High School for Girls who are working on a project where they have to design their own Museum and find out about all the different roles and jobs that are needed to make this happen.  Luckily Cat has spent a lot of the last term and a half working on sessions related to Travel and Tourism, and we had previously worked with a wide number of Museum staff on similar days, so we were able to pull together something that would fufil the needs of the students.

Image, The Herbarium during one of our Harry Potter days

We invited the school in and arranged for them to spend two hours here at The Manchester Museum.  We split them into two and the first group went with Cat to meet and quiz various members of staff and the other group came with me and a member of the Visitor Services Team who took them on a short tour of The Museum.  We also arranged for the touring group to meet Leander, our Curator of Botany (who also has a blog by the way), and visit his collection area behind the scenes.  The Herbarium is a great place to take visitors, the students loved it and it is one of the many magical places within The Museum.

We hope that the students left with a greater understanding of the many roles that are carried out in the Museum and with all the information they need to complete their projects. 

Thanks for getting in touch!

entrance-at-night

Image, The Manchester Museum by Night

Ashton Sixth Form

Acton Primary in Nantwich

Blessed Trinity College in Burnley

Briscoe Lane Primary

Charlesworth Primary in Glossop

Deeside College

Hale Prep

Holmefirth Junior & Infants in Holmefirth

Loreto High Chorlton

Lower Park Primary

Manchester Creative & Media Academy

Manchester Road Primary

Old Moat Primary

Partington Primary

Pownall Hall

Sir Ossley Primary

St Augustins Primary

St Bedes Prep

St Josephs Primary

St Oswalds Worleston CE Primary

St Wilfrieds Primary

Tameside College

Urmston Grammar School

Verdin High

Whalley Range High

Welsh College of Horticulture

We hope all these Schools had a very enjoyable trip. If you were part of one of these visits, please feel free to comment below and let us know how your trip went.

It was 150 years ago today…

Posted by: Neil on: November 25, 2009

I have The Beatles’  ’Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ rattling through my head right now, but, of course, they were only going for ‘It was 20 years ago today…’

What am I wittering on about, I can (quite justifiably) hear you cry?

 

It’s 24th November as I write this and I spent the morning with the wonderful year 6 class at St James CE Primary in Rusholme (the very same school who worked with us on the amazing “Museum of Me” project).

Image, the Museum's Darwin Extravaganza poster

In preparation for a visit to the Museum next week to explore the Charles Darwin: Evolution of a Scientist exhibition (more on this in a later post!), we were looking through the newspaper produced by the Museum to support the exhibition. It contains some fascinating information about Darwin’s life (and world events happening at the same time).

I was delighted when one of the class spotted that ‘On the Origin of Species’ was published exactly 150 years ago today.

See? We work with observant children here!

Primary Outreach Film

Posted by: Menaka on: November 23, 2009

Why not check out this short film all about our Primary Outreach sessions and the wonderful objects we can bring to your school.

museum-entrance1

Image, The entrance to The Manchester Museum

Alma Park Primary

Bankfoot Primary

Beechill School

Crablane Primary

Delph Primary

Halifax High

Horton St Michael

Hursthead Junior

Ladybridge Primary

Loreto High

Lower Park Primary

Mossfield Primary

Old Trafford Community School

Prospect Vale Primary

Roseacre Primary

Rosehill Primary

Sedberg School

Summerfield Primary

St Dunstans Primary

St Marys Primary

St Patricks High

Tyntesfield Primary

Withington Girls School

We hope all these Schools had a very enjoyable trip. If you were part of one of these visits, please feel free to comment below and let us know how your trip went.

Myth Makers and Tall Tales!

Posted by: Neil on: November 18, 2009

Sometimes we get the sort of feedback from teachers that we just have to boast about and share.

This was a recent comment from a teacher whose year 3 class had taken part in our half-day Tall Tales session:

“The experience so fired the children’s imaginations that half a day was too short. It was like opening a limitless treasure box.”

Very gratifying (and I’ll try not to have a smug grin!), but this also points to why we’ve made a change to our Tall Tales session for this year. The session now runs for a full day (Mondays only) to allow time for children to collect and develop their ideas for a new myth.

The session already included observational drawing of ancient Greek pots, drama and visiting parts of the Museum to discover what their character is hunting on their quest and the monsters they may encounter en route.

It  now also includes handling objects and elements of Talk for Writing to support children in beginning to craft their stories.

It’s a lovely session which links elements of the History curriculum and Literacy framework tightly – and I look forward to seeing many more schools joining us for this amazing experience of “opening a limitless treasure box”.

Contact our bookings administrator, Nora, to book a session.

Image, Odysseus and sirens

Image, Odysseus and sirens - The Manchester Museum helps children create their own myths with heroes and monsters

to book a session.

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