Suggested activities
Suggested Activities have been written for use with classes or community groups. These activities use the Decade of Centenaries timeline as a stimulus to explore the themes of ‘My History,’ First World War’ and ‘Industry and Welfare’. These activities can be used with any age group however KS3 curricular relevance has been included for more targeted learning experiences.
All activities
Theme 1: My History Activities
The timeline uses artefacts to illustrate a chronology of events in 40 years of Ulster’s history. This period of history becomes more immediate and relevant when retold from a personal perspective. The ‘My History’ activity uses the website to stimulate pupils/individuals to create their own personal interactive timeline of their life.
Investigating an ancestor’s personal experience can bring an historical event or period to life. The ‘Create Your Family Tree’ activity encourages the class/group to create their own individual family tree dating back to the 1885-1925 period and to build up a picture of an ancestor who lived during that turbulent period in Irish history.
Learning Areas: History
Theme 2: First World War Activities
First World War memorials are familiar landmarks that can provide a connection with the past. The ‘Bringing a soldier’s story to life’ activity involves selecting a soldier’s name from a memorial plaque and using archives to build up a picture of their life and their experience of First World War.
Passchendaele was described by many soldiers as the nadir of their war experience. The ‘Soldiers’ Experiences of Passchendaele’ activity explores how audio, photographs and paintings were used to depict the horrific conditions of Passchendaele and encourages the group to create their own artwork in response to primary evidence.
Lord Kitchener successfully used recruitment posters to encourage volunteers to join the war effort. The posters were skillfully designed to appeal to a range of motivations and were adapted for different regions within the United Kingdom. The ‘Recruitment Posters’ activity encourages analysis of the designs of Irish recruitment posters to reveal the motivations and attitudes towards recruitment in Ireland during the First World War.
Learning Areas: History, Art & Design
Theme 3: Industry and Welfare Activities
The cultivation of Linen in Ireland began around the 16th century. By the Victorian period, Ulster had become a linen producing powerhouse. Mills, bleach greens, flax fields and ponds could be found across the North East of the province. The ‘Exploring the Linen Industry in Ulster’ activity encourages research into linen heritage in the local area. The working and living conditions of Irish textile workers in the Victorian era are compared to those in modern factories in other parts of the world.
