Victorian Manchester
An online resource that supports this session at school is now available. Pupils will see their characters come to life through Actors talking heads and interact with them through games and activities. You may prefer to use this resource with your pupils after the visit.
Aims (Skills, Knowledge, Activity, Result)
- To develop investigative skills to discover the difference between rich and poor in Victorian Manchester
- To discover that mid-Victorian Manchester was very much shaped by the migration of people in and out of the city
- To study one artwork closely through role play to learn about different types of work in this era
- To stimulate empathy, understanding and reflection around issues relating to social status, housing and working roles
What happens in a session
The children are introduced to four characters from Ford Madox Brown’s ‘Work’. They each take on the role of one of these characters and remain in role throughout the session.
Armed with props, they set out to explore the gallery starting with the exterior of the building and the street outside. They start to experience that the character they are affects how they are treated and what they are allowed to do.
Using a variety of drama techniques, discussion and a tour of artworks they experience the affects of poor people moving from the country to the city and learn about the importance of different types of work.
What teachers are saying about the session
“The drama workshop was fantastic- one of the best days in my 41 years of teaching”
“Loved the use of interaction and drama – can’t wait to follow it up in class with the whiteboard resource”
Preparation
It would be helpful if pupils have some outline knowledge of the Victorian era and types of working and living conditions for rich and poor
Classes will be divided into four groups for this session so it would be very helpful if the class was accompanied by 4 adults and split into groups prior to arrival
For more information including booking, parking, facilities and a downloadable risk assessment, please go to plan your visit.
Follow-up:
- The online interactive based on Ford Madox Brown's painting Work contains further detail about the lives of the characters and includes quizzes and games
- There is a downloadable teacher resource pack with many suggestions for follow-up work across the curriculum
NC related themes
- This session is related to KS2 History, particularly:
- Chronological understanding
- Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past Historical enquiry
- Organisation and communication
QCA units
- What was it like for children living in Victorian Britain?
- How did life change in our locality in Victorian times
- It also supports elements of the English curriculum (especially drama, speaking and listening and writing) and citizenship.
Calling All Teachers!
This is a new format that we are trialling for Pre-Visit notes. We would love to get your feedback. Did you find this useful or is there anything that you think is missing that should be there? Please contact us:
