Year 6
SHACKLETON DAY!
To conclude our “Scott Versus Shackleton” topic, Year 6 spent Monday and Tuesday fully immersing themselves in the Endurance expedition, led by Ernest Shackleton. The children learnt all about the mission and even had the chance to dress as 19th century Antarctic explorers. Read below to find out more about the fascinating activities Year 6 took part in this week:
Year 6 test the morale of the men!
The resolve of the men on the expedition was commendable and their faith in Ernest Shackleton never wavered. We wanted to find out more about the characters of the men on the expedition and how they managed to stay so resolute and never give up, even at the bleakest of times, (UNCRC article 6: Life, Survival and Development). We looked at key moments of the Endurance Expedition (GG 15: Life on Land) and rated from one to five what we felt the morale of the men would have been at each of these parts, plotting this on a line graph of the journey. We justified our answers, using our knowledge of the expedition to support the numbers that we gave (UNCRC article 13: Sharing Thoughts Freely).
Year 6 become Ernest Shackleton!
Ernest Shackleton is known for his exceptional leadership skills and his ability to motivate and lead his men, even during the toughest of times. We looked at the point in the expedition when the Endurance sank and the men realised that they were thousands of miles away from civilisation, with no way of calling for help (GG 15: Life on Land, UNCRC article 6: Life, Survival and Development). We thought about what Shackleton may have said to his men at this point to ensure that they kept going and did not give up hope. In groups, the children practised reading a section of motivational speech that Shackleton may have delivered to his men during this time. The children then acted these speeches out in their groups, thinking about tone and volume of voice and body language and trying to encompass the 'voice of Shackleton' (UNCRC article 31: Rest, Play, Culture, Arts).
Year 6 become Historians!
We watched a documentary (secondary source) about Shackleton's Endurance expedition to learn more about all the hardship the brave men faced on this expedition.
The documentary revealed how Shackleton's Captain (Frank Worsley) navigated the Endurance crew to Antartica. It showed the legendary survival story of Shackleton and his crew once the Endurance was crushed and the men were left without their ship (GG 15: Life on Land), through images of the ship with the men unloading their belongings (primary sources). As we watched, we discussed the significance of Worsley's seamanship and navigational skills and how this helped saved them all! (UNCRC article 13: Sharing Thoughts Freely)
Year 6 become Geographers.
In order to understand the distance between England and Antarctica, the children used Digimaps (an online mapping website) to plot the journey from Plymouth, making a stop at Buenos Airies to then continue the journey to Antarctica. Using the iPads, the children explored the website, using tools to mark, plot and measure the distances. Below are some images that show the children using the maps:
Year 6 become Musicians!
We wrote song lyrics detailing Shackleton’s failed Endurance Expedition and his attempt to lead his men back to safety (Article 31 of the UNCRC: Rest, Play, Culture, Arts). We used the tune 'We don't talk about Bruno,' from the Disney hit Encanto, and added our newly created lyrics.
Spitfires Class wrote the first verse, Lancasters Class wrote the second verse, Hurricanes Class wrote the third verse and Defiants Class wrote the fourth verse.
Year 6 does "Art Attack!"
One of the activities we undertook during our immersive Shackleton day was try to recreate the Endurance ship in a creative way. The catch... the children had to use PE equipment to make an artistic interpretation of Shackleton's vessel. (Article 31 of the UNCRC: Rest, Play, Culture, Arts)
The children were split into teams and told to work collectively to create a large-scale replica. The team work exhibited throughout the session was phenomenal. With the children needing minimum input from the teacher and taking charge of their own projects.
This activity was very much a case of: "Trust the process" as when other teachers walked through the hall you could see many quizzical faces. What seemed like unorganised mess turned into some creative masterpieces which all had an individual flair to them. We were so impressed with the art the children created.
RE - Hinduism.
In RE this week, Year 6 concluded our topic on Hinduism by looking in closer detail at a Mandir, the Hinduism place of worship (UNCRC article 14: Freedom of Thought and Religion). We looked at key features of a Mandir and recognised many of the Gods on display and features of the Mandir from our previous lessons. The children then made comparisons between the Mandir and other religious places of worship that we have studied so far (UNCRC article 2: No Discrimination).
"It was good to see the differences between the shrines in houses and Mandirs, where people perform Puja, as we have learnt about Puja in previous lessons. " Eliza, Spitfires.
"I can see that Mandirs can look really grand, as can Mosques. Another similarity is that you must take your shoes off before entering both the Mandir and the Mosque." Reuben, Lancasters
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