Students recreate a Tudor Court Masque
KS 1 & 2 workshops
Workshops for key stage 1 and 2 pupils give them the opportunity to work with original historical documents connected with or even written by some of the famous historical people they learn about. Structured activities enable pupils to develop their key skills by reading, understanding and interpreting information from a variety of original documents. Activities are also designed to be creative and fun, to engage the pupils with the documents and encourage their interest in and enthusiasm for history.
Workshops last for 1 ½ hours at key stage 1,and for 2 hours at key stage 2. They can be booked either in the morning or in the afternoon. Specific start and finish times can usually be arranged to suit you. All workshops take place in the education room at The National Archives or in the museum, depending on the content of the workshop. The maximum number of pupils per workshop is 35. Most of the workshops are free of charge. All of the resources you will need are provided in the workshop.
Special events are available at set times through the year. A charge is usually made for these and special booking conditions apply.
To book a workshop use the booking form or contact the education officer
for more information.
For details about areas to eat lunch, coach parking etc, go to facilities.
For details of how to get here go to directions.
If you are too far away to visit, go to videoconference workshops for information about how to book a workshop in this format.
Workshops on offer
KS 1: Famous People - Horatio Nelson
This workshop begins with a short story about Nelson and his life at sea, told by the education officer. Pupils then make a study of the painting ´The Apotheosis of Nelson´. To help them look closely at the detail in the painting, and to understand the imagery and symbolism used, pupils ´recreate´ the picture using props and costume. By acting out the parts of each character in the painting, pupils learn what each figure represents about Nelson and how this can help us to understand why he was famous.
Pupils then draw their favourite character from the painting, and are given the opportunity to explain why they have chosen this character and the virtues/ qualities they represent about Nelson.
As a final activity, pupils are shown two letters with Nelson´s signature - one written with his right hand in 1793, and the other written with his left hand in 1798. They are given the opportunity to try and copy both of Nelson´s signatures, using a quill pen. The workshop concludes with a discussion about how Nelson has been remembered in the years since his death and how his fame has changed over the years. Pupils will also be encouraged to think about why people are remembered and what makes them famous today.
Available: any time of the year
Duration: 1 ½ hours
Cost: free of charge
Suitability: year 2, maximum number of pupils per workshop 30
QCA links: Unit 4: famous people
KS 1: The Great Fire of London
This workshop introduces pupils both to the National Archives and to some of the famous documents connected with the Great Fire of London, including the original hearth tax return for Pudding Lane with an entry for Thomas Farrinor, Baker and his oven!
The workshop is best booked at a time when pupils are near the end of their work on the Great Fire, as it aims to help them gain experience and an understanding of how historians work. The workshop begins with a recap of what the pupils know about the Great Fire. They are then asked to think about how they know this - how do we find out about an event that happened beyond living memory? How can they know that the story they have found out about the Great Fire is true?
Working in small groups, pupils investigate a different document in turn, including original maps of London before and after the fire, and the Hearth Tax return for Pudding Lane (the pupils work with copies, with the originals on display in the room). They will also meet with Samuel Pepys and listen to a short extract from his diary (Pepys is played by a costumed interpreter and his film footage is shown on the Smart Board in the education room). Pupils examine each document for evidence to see if it supports or disagrees with elements of the story of the Great Fire, recording their findings in their own detective workbook. Finally, the whole group comes together to decide whether or not the historians have got it right - is the story of the Great Fire true?
Finally, we look at ideas for rebuilding London after the fire. Pupils have an opportunity to try writing with a quill pen as they put together a shopping list for Sir Christopher Wren, as he sets out to buy the materials they think he will need to rebuild London.
Availability: Any time of the year
Duration: 1 ½ hours
Cost: Free of charge
Suitability: year 2, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA links: Unit 5: How do we know about the Great Fire of London?
KS 1: What is History
This workshop aims to introduce pupils to different types of documents and how they can be used to find out about the past. Working as 'History Detectives', pupils will get the opportunity to look at a range of documents from our collection, including maps, photographs and paintings. They will be introduced to the two Ws: What is the document? What does it tell us about the past? At the end of the session, pupils will have the opportunity to study Tudor handwriting, before attempting to copy it using a quill pen.
Available: any time of year
Duration: 1 ½ hours
Cost: free of charge
Suitability: Year 2
KS 2: Tudor imagery and Henry VIII
Hands on history in a Tudor costume workshop
The workshop begins with pupils examining a selection of original documents from the time of Henry VIII to work out what he was really like as a person and a king. Documents used include an illuminated portrait of Henry VIII as a young man, a document with his own signature on it, a description of the decorations used on jousting horses at tournaments.
The first activity involves pupils in having a go at reading original Tudor handwriting to work out what images were used on the jousting horses. Help is provided to enable the pupils to do this; they enjoy the challenge of working out what the words say and usually do very well - often better than their teachers! Pupils then get to place a copy of their image on a life size replica of a jousting horse to recreate what it would have looked like. Finally we discuss each image with the pupils: we get them to think about what the image meant in Tudor times, why Henry chose to use it on his horse and what it tells us about him as a king.
For the second activity, we have four replica sets of clothes for rich and poor Tudor boys and girls. Four pupils are chosen to try on the outfits, while the rest of the class learn to identify various items of clothing, what they were called and how they were made, and assist their classmates with getting dressed.
To finish we use our interactive whiteboard to play the Tudor Joust game from the Learning Curve, our website for schools, to help pupils to understand what the sport of jousting involved and why it was so popular with Henry VIII.
Availability: Any time of year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Free of charge
Suitability:years 4 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA links: History Unit 7 section 2: What was Henry VIII like as a person? Section 3: What did Henry VIII do all day?
KS 2: The Second World War: Propaganda
This workshop introduces pupils to the original artwork for propaganda posters produced during the Second World War.
The session starts with a discussion led by the Education Officer about the Second World War and the concept of ´total war´ - how this conflict affected both those away fighting, and those on the Home Front. The Education Officer then explains about the formation of the Ministry of Information, and talks to pupils about propaganda; what it was, the types of messages it conveyed, and how it was used to persuade people on the Home Front in Britain.
The class is then split into two for the first activity. One half of the room are given a selection of photographs taken from documents held in the archives, and are asked to write captions for each image from the point of view of a German newspaper. The other half of the room are also given a selection of photographs, and are asked to write captions from the perspective of a British newspaper reporting on the war´s events. When the groups feedback to each other, they discover that they were all given the same selection of photographs - an activity that emphasises the power of propaganda, and how governments were able to manipulate visual evidence through the tool of the written word.
Pupils then go on to study a selection of original Second World War propaganda posters. They are given a workbook to guide them through their study, and are asked to consider each poster in turn; both the images and the language they use, and the message each poster is attempting to convey. The Education Officer then leads a short feedback session on what the pupils have found out.
For the final part of the session, pupils design their own propaganda poster whilst listening to music from the wartime period.
Available: any time of the year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: free of charge
Suitability: years 5 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA link: history unit 9: what was it like for children in the Second World War?
KS2: Literacy and History: Victorian Child Criminals Poetry Workshop
This workshop introduces pupils to documents about Victorian child criminals and the background of Victorian crime and punishment. Working in groups, pupils study documents relating to a particular Victorian child who was sent to prison. The documents contain a photograph of each child, with details of their name, age, address, crime committed and punishment received.
For the first part of the workshop, pupils will feed back what they have found out about their child. They will look at additional documents relating to Victorian prisons to investigate what conditions and punishments were really like. The education officer delivering the workshop will lead a discussion on the social and economic background of these children´s lives, and Victorian attitudes to crime and punishment, to provide a context for understanding these cases.
For the second part of the workshop, pupils will learn to write a poem about their Victorian child criminal in the first person. The use of metaphors to help them describe their thoughts and feelings as this child will be explained and discussed. They will then use these ideas to write their own poem and demonstrate their empathy with their Victorian child and understanding of the period.
Availability: Any time of year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Free of charge
Suitability: years 5 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA link: National Literacy Strategy Poetry Y6 T1 Polished poems, personification and Shakespeare
KS 2: Geography & History: Maps
This workshop introduces pupils to some of the maps from our vast collection. The aim of the workshop is to give pupils an understanding of how and why an area changes over time, and to help them consider that maps can be created for a number of different purposes.
Pupils are shown a selection of maps from our collection, all of which were created at different times for very different purposes. The education officer leads a discussion about these, before introducing the children to four very different maps of London (Tudor, Georgian, Regency and Victorian).
Working in groups, pupils are given the opportunity to ´take a walk through time´ by studying each map in turn. They are asked to look out for different sites e.g. places of entertainment, religion, and work, as well as to consider the style of the map and the purpose for which it was created. Each pupil has a workbook to fill in with the results of their investigation. At the end of the activity, the education officers guides a feedback session on what the pupils have discovered, and how we can account for and explain the different changes that have marked London over time.
For the last part of the session, the Education Officer takes pupils through to the Collection & Care Department, so that they are able to see the original Tudor Map made by Ralph Agas in 1660.
Available: any time of the year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: free of charge
Suitability: years 3 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA links:
KS 2: What is History: Karel Richter Investigation
This workshop aims to develop pupils´ historical research skills, introducing concepts of reliability and usefulness. Just like the ´What is History´ workshop, this session starts with a discussion led by the education officer, considering what types of evidence a historian needs in order to find out about the past. Pupils are also asked to consider the types of questions a historian needs to ask when interrogating this evidence.
Pupils are then introduced to documents taken from secret Security Service files compiled during the Second World War. All of the documents relate to the German spy, Karel Richter, who was caught and executed in 1941. Documents include a letter written by Richter, newspaper cuttings about the case, his fake passport and Ration Book as well as photographs of the field where his parachute landed and images of the equipment that he was carrying.
Pupils work in groups, examining each set of documents in turn, to try and piece together why Karel Richter was executed. They are given workbooks to guide their investigation, and to help them develop their skills of historical questioning and research.
For the final part of the workshop, pupils are given the opportunity to feed back on their findings and time to ask the education officer any questions they would like about the documents they have been investigating.
Available: any time of the year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: free of charge
Suitability: years 5 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA link: history unit 9: what was it like for children in the second world war? section 6: in what other ways might the war have affected people?
KS 2: What is History
This workshop aims to prepare Year 5/6 pupils for the study of history at secondary school. It will help pupils to understand that different types of sources can be used to find out about the past, and how historians can use these sources as evidence. It will also introduce pupils to the concepts of reliability and usefulness.
The workshop begins with a discussion led by the education officer, considering what types of evidence a historian needs in order to find out about the past, and where they might find this evidence. Pupils will then be asked to think about the types of questions a historian needs to ask when faced with different types of evidence - the education officer will guide pupils to consider the 4 W´s: who, what, why, and when - key questions about a document and its creation.
For the second part of the workshop, pupils work in groups looking at different types of documents, including a map of London created just after the Great Fire, a Victorian criminal register complete with photographs of child convicts, a Plea Roll taken from the reign of Henry VIII and propaganda posters used during the Second World War. Pupils are given no prior information about any of these documents, but have to use their questioning techniques as historians to try and determine what each document is, when it was made and how it can tell us about the past. Pupils are given a workbook to fill in with the results of their investigation
For the final part of the workshop, pupils are given the opportunity to feed back on their findings and time to ask the education officer any questions they would like about the documents they have been investigating.
Available: any time of the year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: free of charge
Suitability: years 5 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA link: Preparation for history at ks 3 history unit 1: introductory unit what´s it all about
KS 2: Art and History: Royal and personal seals
This workshop introduces pupils to some of the amazing ancient wax seals in our collection. The aim of the workshop is to give pupils an understanding of how seals were made, how and why they were used, and what the images used on them mean.
For the first activity, we look at royal seals from the time of Edward the Confessor up to the present day. Pupils identify different elements of the designs and compare how they have changed and developed over the last thousand years. Pupils also have a close look at some of the seals belonging to Tudor kings and queens to see what particular impression each one tried to create about themselves on their seal.
For the second activity, we look at personal seals that belonged to barons, knights, ladies, craftsmen, religious houses and ordinary people in medieval and Tudor times. Pupils work out why each person chose the design they did for their seal, and discuss how this can help us understand people in the past. Finally, pupils have a go at designing their own seal on paper using the knowledge and ideas they have gained during the workshop to create images that are appropriate to their life and interests.
Availability: Any time of year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Free of charge
Suitability: years 5 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA links: Art and Design Unit 1A: self portrait. Unit 9: visiting a museum, gallery or site
KS 2: Poor Victorian children
This workshop begins with pupils investigating a painting of people queuing for parish relief to establish a context for understanding the Victorian period and what life was like for poor people at this time.
For the main activity, pupils are divided up into groups. Each group is given a Victorian child from the 1840s to investigate. Their task is to research the life of that child using copies of original documents in our collection, with an opportunity to see the original documents on display in the room. The documents relate to Victorian child criminals, children in workhouses, mines and factories. Each group must select the documents they think provide the most useful and reliable evidence for telling us about their child, and prepare an exhibition and presentation that they will give to the rest of the class on the results of their research.
To finish, there will be an opportunity for two pupils to try on replica outfits that could have been worn by the Victorian children they have been researching.
Availability: Any time of year
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Free of charge
Suitability: years 5 - 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA links:History Unit 11 section 1: Who were the Victorians and when did they live?, Section 2: what was life like for a poor child in the 1840s?
KS2: Special Event with Hampton Court Palace: A Right Royal Joust
Each year, The National Archives and Hampton Court Palace join together for a very special event, a Right Royal Joust. Pupils begin the day at The National Archives researching original documents kept here on entertainments at the court of Henry VIII. One of the documents contains the script of an original Tudor Court Masque, a play written by John Skelton for Henry VIII and based on the Wars of the Roses. The pupils are divided into two groups. One group reads the play and acts out parts in it using masques. In the other group, pupils make some of the props and decorations that are needed for the performance. Two pupils are also required to represent the houses of York and Lancaster. They will start the performance with a mock joust to represent the Battle of Bosworth Field, which ended the Wars of the Roses.
After learning and rehearsing the play in the morning, we travel from The National Archives by your coach to Kingston Pier to catch a boat to Hampton Court Palace - just as Henry VIII would have travelled there! This is also your opportunity to eat lunch.
On arrival at Hampton Court Palace, pupils will have the opportunity to rehearse the Masque for the final time, before taking part in one of the palace's education workshops on an aspect of Henry VIII and life at Hampton Court. They will then be taken to the Great Hall, where they will perform the masque in its original setting - an amazing opportunity to bring a piece of history back to life.
Teachers TV Review: See a review of this event on Teachers TV
Availability: 2 - 13 March 2009
Duration: Start at The National Archives at 10:00. Formal activities finish at Hampton Court Palace at 14:45 after which you are free to remain in the palace until closing time.
Cost: To be confirmed
Suitability: Years 5 to 6, maximum number of pupils per workshop 35
QCA links: History Unit 7 section 3: what did Henry VIII do all day?
Forthcoming Workshops
Please contact an Education Officer for further information about the forthcoming workshops.
