Victorian Britain: Audioguide Programme for Primary Schools

Session Plan

A self-led two-hour programme for up to 3 classes
Available at KS1, lower KS2 and upper KS2 levels
We request a ratio of 1:5 for KS1 visits and 1:10 for KS2 visits. We recommend that you participate in the programme in groups of no more than 10 pupils.
Lunchroom provided.

Session Objectives

• By using Milestones' Audioguides, Victorian collections and hands-on activities, pupils are encouraged to discover different elements of the Victorian period.

Session Outline Plan

• Introduction to the museum, our collections and the style of the museum; discussion on where we gathered clues/historic evidence about the past
• Explanation of how to use our Audioguides
• Programme - mixture of Audioguide stops at objects/collections, hands-on activities, engaging with staff, observing demonstrations

Teachers can choose to look at a theme as below, or to build their own topic by choosing up to 6 objects/collections from across the themes. If you would like to introduce or round the topic off for your pupils, we recommend you choose the first object/collection from each theme.

Below are the themes you can choose from and the objects/collections they use. Each adult in your group will be given a map with numbers at the objects/collections. On the back of the map is a list of the themes and their numbers - these relate to the numbers on the front of the map and are the ones you will press into the Audioguides to hear narrative.

Houses and Homes: The Pantechnicon removal vehicle, The Gypsy Caravan, The Fire Station, 11 and 12 Jubilee Street, The Milliners.

Transport: The Governess Cart and Railway Station, The Tram, On Foot, Lawson's Safety Bicycle, 1903 Thornycroft Car.

People: Matchboy and Girl, The Sawmill, Agricultural Showground Salesman, Railway Station Mannequins, Limings Garage.

Streets: Street Furniture, The Co-op, Shepherds the Saddlers, Willis' the Jewellers, The Milliners.

Home Life: Kingdons the ironmongers, The Pantechnicon, 11 Jubilee Street - sitting room, 11 Jubilee Street - kitchen and yard.

Hands-on activities include:

The Viaduct Game - find out about the use of viaducts during the Victorian railway age and then build a large model viaduct.

Victorian Journeys - 5 pieces of luggage, 5 characters. From the list of people you have, whose luggage are you looking at and how can you tell?

Delivery - we have addresses in Milestones to deliver mail to

Picture Cards - 6 large photos of scenes from Milestones.

Taking it in turns to turn small photos over, can you find the correct four small pictures to make each large one?

Costumed Role-Play - we have replica child and adult sized Victorian costume in the marquee on the Agricultural Showground.

All activities are marked on the map you will be given and have green Group Leader instructions for adults with KS2 pupils and blue Group leader instructions for adults with KS1 pupils

Download audioguide scripts

• KS1 Victorian 55kb pdf
• Lower KS2 Victorian 56kb pdf
• Upper KS2 Victorian 63kb pdf
• Britain since 1930 155kb pdf
• Audioguide maps

Notes for Teachers and Adult Helpers

You will be visiting Milestones - Hampshire's living history museum to support a class of pupils participating in Victorian Britain, a two-hour programme which is part of the museum's award-winning Audioguide Programme for Primary Schools.

Milestones is a large, modern building which houses recreated streets and buildings from the Victorian period and the 1930s; you will be visiting the Victorian area.

The teacher organising the visit will give you a timetable for the day, as well a copy of the museum's Guidelines for Education Groups. They will also have given you a map with topics on the back to use with your group and their audioguides, and will have advised you which numbers on the map to use or which topics to look at. Each topic is made up of around 5 numbers on the map of the museum; the teacher in charge will have chosen a topic or around 5 numbers to make up their own topic. The numbers are on the map to show you where to go in the museum and are the numbers you will press on the Audioguides when you get there.

A facilitator will meet you on arrival and you will be able to leave your coats and bags somewhere convenient and use the toilets before you begin. The lunchroom you have has dedicated toilets and tea/coffee to have at lunchtime.

The facilitator will introduce the programme to the whole class together by talking about museums, collections and the programme you will be looking at. They will show you how to use the Audioguide wands (everyone will have one, unless the teacher in charge has asked for only Adult Helpers leading groups to have them) and then give them out.

You will be asked to listen to the introduction on the Audioguides with your group; this will ensure all the Audioguides are working properly.

You can then begin your visit to the museum - there is no order to visit anything in. There are also hands-on activities marked on the map you will have; we recommend you try to fit in at least 3 during your two hours. You can visit a number, look in a shop window, talk to a costumed interpreter, try a hands-on activity, visit another number and so on. You will be reminded of all this in your introduction.

Your programme lasts for 2 hours and has a 30 minute lunch break in it. When you have finished the programme you have what we call free time. You can visit any area of the museum you like during this time but please remember there may be another school using different resources in other parts of the building. During your introduction you will be reminded where clipboards, pencils and activity sheets and sketching paper are for you to use in free time.

There are three possible itineraries available for the audioguide programmes. We will try to accommodate you on the most convenient one for your group, but your time slot may depend on other schools that have made bookings on this day. Our bookings officer will advise you on this when you contact us to make your booking.

	Timetable 1
10am	Arrive at Milestones Coats and bags away, visit toilets
10.30am	Begin programme no later than 10.30am Introduction to Milestones, the programme and how to use the Audioguides
11.30pm	Lunch in the Education Suite Lunchroom Please leave Audioguides in their box in the museum and collect them afterwards Tea and coffee provided for adults
12 noon	Continue programme
1pm	End of programme and start of free time Please put Audioguides back in the box in the museum. Free time is the time between the end of your programme and the time you leave - you are welcome to explore other areas of the museum, but please remember there may be other schools visiting and using resources for their programme.

	Timetable 2
10.30am	Arrive at Milestones Coats and bags away, visit toilets
11am	Begin programme no later than 11am Introduction to Milestones, the programme and how to use the Audioguides
12.30pm	Lunch in the Education Suite Lunchroom Please leave Audioguides in their box in the museum and collect them afterwards Tea and coffee provided for adults - please wash cups etc and leave on the draining board
1pm	Continue programme
1.30pm	End of programme and start of free time Please put Audioguides back in the box in the museum Free time is the time between the end of your programme and the time you leave - you are welcome to explore other areas of the museum, but please remember there may be other schools visiting and using resources for their programme

	Timetable 3
11am	Arrive at Milestones Coats and bags away, visit toilets
11.30am	Begin programme no later than 11.30am Introduction to Milestones, the programme and how to use the Audioguides
1pm	Lunch in the Education Suite Lunchroom Please leave Audioguides in their box in the museum and collect them afterwards Tea and coffee provided for adults
1.30pm	Continue programme
2pm	End of programme and start of free time Please put Audioguides back in the box in the museum Free time is the time between the end of your programme and the time you leave - you are welcome to explore other areas of the museum, but please remember there may be other schools visiting and using resources for their programme

Please note: If you arrive significantly early or late we may have to adjust your programme to work around other groups who may be visiting the museum. This may also affect your access to the lunchroom on arrival.