Age group: KS3-4

How are Roman Art and Archaeology still relevant today? The main aim of the teaching pack is to encourage pupils to research ancient Roman wall painting and learn more about life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The Teaching and Learning resources stem from the Expanded Interiors project, a joint Fine Art and Archaeology project at Newcastle University. 

Explore the project website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/expandedinteriors/

Explore the teaching and learning resources: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/expandedinteriors/resources/learningandteachingresources/

Age group: KS3-4

This PowerPoint presentation uses a range of resources to introduce pupils to underwater archaeology, and its use – alongside historical documents – in studying the Transatlantic slave trade.

The material – which includes video, accessible via weblinks - can be broken down over several classroom sessions, and the PowerPoint contains a link to an external PDF with additional resources concerning the slave ship Henrietta Marie which could also be integrated into delivery of the session(s).

Download the PowerPoint here: Slave trade

Download a PDF version of the PowerPoint here: Slave trade pdf

Age group: KS3

The British Civil Wars took place in the middle of the 17th century.

This resource is packed full of activities and primary sources to help students learn about the British Civil Wars. Activities include:

• Source-based activities
• Videos
• Quizzes
• Interactive timeline
• Interactive games

Explore the resources here: www.britishcivilwars.ncl.ac.uk

Age group: KS3-4

Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) was an extraordinary woman. She was born into a wealthy family in the North East of England and chose to spend much of her life as a traveller, explorer and archaeologist. During and after WWI her extensive knowledge of the Middle East as well as Arabic language and culture led to her working for the British Government. She was a key figure in the discussions that led to the creation of the state of Iraq following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. Frequently she was the only woman contributing to decisions that shaped the political map of the Middle East. Towards the end of her life she devoted herself to the heritage of Iraq, setting up the National Museum in Baghdad and writing the country’s first antiquities laws. Her legacy as a diplomat, archaeologist and writer is still of great significance today, not least in the political situation in the Middle East.

Gertrude Bell has left extraordinary accounts of her numerous adventures in her books, but you can also look at her photos, letters and diaries to know more about this extraordinary woman!

• The Gertrude Bell research website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/gertrudebell/
• The Gertrude Bell teaching and learning resources: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/gertrudebell/schools/

Age group: KS3-4

This activity on 20th-century conflict helps students to appreciate that non-textual sources (artefacts) are an important source of information about the past.

Students work in groups and investigate four objects (a button cleaning plate; a small vase made from a recycled shell casing; a brooch; a 1914 'Princess Mary' tin) which might have been among the personal possessions of a soldier fighting in the trenches in WW1.

These artefacts can be borrowed from Newcastle University's Archaeology team: they box up into a very small container and we can post it out to schools, which can return it the same way.

Teachers working in the region can also pick up the loan box from the School of History Classics and Archaeology Office. The accompanying Power Point (on a data stick in the box) is self-explanatory but we send out more detailed teachers' notes with the artefact loan box. 

Contact: Dr. Jane Webster.

Age group: KS3-4

Alongside some background information on archaeology and its role in exploring WW1 and WW2, this pack contains all the materials you need to deliver three innovative, enquiry-based activities:

• Make a museum: investigating WW1 ‘Trench Art'
• Excavating and identifying WW1 soldiers buried at Fromelles
• War scene investigation: excavating a WW2 aircraft crash site

WW1 and WW2: 20^th century conflict website https://www.ncl.ac.uk/schools/resources/teacherstoolkit/articles/hss/archaeologyof20thcenturyconflict-teachingpack.html

Age group: KS3-4

This pack is designed for History teachers to use in their classroom. The lessons and resources contained within it focus upon the war memorial in Newcastle University’s Armstrong Building and the role played by Armstrong College during the Great War.

The teacher’s pack is made up of 4 lessons. Each lesson folder contains the following:

• A set of teacher’s notes giving an overview of the lesson, a list of the resources required, the learning objectives and a lesson outline.
• A PowerPoint presentation for use in the classroom.
• Printable worksheets and resources for use in the lesson.

This short video explains the contents of the teacher's pack.

Discover more and download the resources here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/schools/resources/teacherstoolkit/articles/hss/studyingwwiwarmemorialsteachersresourcepack.html

Age group: KS3-4

The We Made Ships website is an educational resource created by the Newcastle University Oral History Unit & Collective (OHUC). It brings together digitised historical sources about shipbuilding in the North East of England, including images and videos but particularly focussed on oral histories. It aims to increase understanding of the lived experience of shipbuilding and the loss of the shipbuilding industry. It was co-designed by a secondary school teacher, and includes subject resources for History, Drama, English and Geography.

Explore the We Made Ships website here: www.wemadeships.co.uk

Explore the resources here: www.wemadeships.co.uk/teacher-resources

Age group: KS3

Check out the Greek Family History website to develop your research on this topic. 

You can use the Greek Family History project to encourage your pupils to research their family's history and to create their family tree. Working on family history will encourage transgenerational communication and promote childrens' individual identity. It will also help with connecting their family history to local and national history, enhancing pupils’ understanding of the past.

The databases available on this webpage can also be used to research topics about local history (such as occupations on Mykonos and Hermoupolis in the 19th century, demographic characteristics of the Kythera population in the 18th and 19th centuries or the migration links between island populations, for example Mykonos and Hermoupolis or Chios and Hermoupolis).

To discover more on Greek Family history, click here.

Age group: 14-18 years (KS3, KS4).

Discover with your class how the study of bones can provide useful information on the ageing, sexing, diet and disease of people in the past.

This lab session is offered by Newcastle University and is held at the University campus. We use a (plastic) teaching skeleton alongside real human remains. A great session for students doing biology, history, or as a taster for Gifted & Talented youngsters.

The activity is free.

State schools can apply for funds to support the costs of bringing pupils to activities on campus: www.ncl.ac.uk/schools/on-campus-events/bursary/

Book via jane.webster@ncl.ac.uk

Age group: KS3

A series of resources to help prepare for your class’ visit to the Anglo-Saxons collection at the Great North Museum in Newcastle.

The Great North Museum resources webpage: https://greatnorthmuseum.org.uk/learning-resources

Age group: KS3

A series of short videos that will introduce you and your pupils to Roman small finds: why they are relevant in our understanding of the past and what they can tell us about Roman life.

Explore the videos here: Roman Finds Group Videos

Age group: KS3-4

Inscripta is an e-learning resource aimed at teaching students to transcribe, transliterate and translate Romano-British inscriptions. It features approximately fifty Latin inscriptions from the collection held in the Great North Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Explore the Inscripta website here: http://dh.ncl.ac.uk/Inscripta/

Age group: KS3-4

Visit the ClassicsNCL Outreach Hub to book talks and interactive workshops on the ancient world: www.classicsncl.blog

Age group: KS3-4

Discover more about the visit of martin Luther King to Newcastle in 1967 with a teaching pack that includes lesson plans, hand-outs, worksheets, music recordings and presentation slides for lessons across a broad spectrum of subjects, including History, RE, Geography, English, PHSE, Music, Drama, Art and even Chemistry. It also includes material for assemblies.

Visit Martin Luther King website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/martinlutherking/activities/mlkinuk/

Age group: KS3-4

Discover the learning and teaching resources developed by Newcastle University Library Archives.

• Archives Alive website: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/services/education-outreach/#archives_alive

Check out this fabulous opportunity for young learners in your area: the Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) offers opportunities for 8-16 year olds interested in archaeology, with a network of local clubs across the UK.

Click here to discover more and find a YAC in your area.