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Year 5 on a Voyage of Exploration and Discovery
Posted on: 04 Oct 2015 by Weston Green School
On Monday morning Year 5 pupils boarded the train at Thames Ditton station and found themselves transported back in time as they entered into the magnificent courtyards and state apartments at Hampton Court Palace where Monarchs and their Courts lived and where history was made. On their journey of discovery, entitled ‘Opening Up the World’, they learned that the Tudor period was indeed a time of exploration and discovery.
Hampton Court Palace is full of silk tapestries, costly spices and golden treasures Tudor Monarchs acquired from all around the world. A costumed presenter led the pupils on an exploration of the palace to help them understand how the world changed in Tudor times. The workshop involved a very informative tour of the palace courtyards and buildings, followed by a classroom session where pupils had the opportunity to study Tudor navigational maps to help them develop methods of enquiry to understand why the Tudors sought to explore and why they chose the routes they did, in the context of trade, profit and geopolitics. Activities included the use of objects and role play to develop pupils’ understanding of how the adventurous seafarers and merchants risked their lives to bring exotic wares to England.
This special visit to Hampton Court Palace helped support Year 5 pupils’ study of this period in our history, enabling them to understand more clearly concepts such as expansion, civilisation and empire.
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