Preparing for the Romans in Britain Workshop                                   homepage

Town making session

1.    If you have an interactive whiteboard please have it set up so I can display my photos.

2.    Make sure the tables are arranged in groups of six seats (i.e. 3 tables in a rectangle), with one group of eight seats. Before I arrive, please cover the tables with plastic sheets, and put out the scissors, rulers and glue spreaders (1 per child).

3.    I will need four helpers (children and/or teachers) to help set out the materials for the town making during morning break.  Please arrange for us to have morning break from 10.15-10.30, so there is enough time to make the town (although we will still probably have to finish it off at the end of the day).

4.    Below is a sheet for you to assign the town activities to children based on their abilities. The sheet tells you how many children should be in each group.

5.    Please arrange for at least three assistants to help the children make the town. The activities are challenging and the more helpers you can get the better. I suggest asking parents to come in – in my experience parents always enjoy the activities and feel good about helping the class.

6.   Have plenty of space ready at the side of the room for the children’s artwork. A sign or other decoration will help give the impression of a museum display. The town is 90X60cm and so you will need a large space for it – perhaps outside the classroom.

7.    Please ensure the following items are present in the classroom on the day of the visit:

Table at front of room for my own use, under the whiteboard

1 ruler per child (with thin edges, not the thick wooden ones)

1 pair of scissors per child

1 glue spreader per child

1 small container for PVA glue per pair of children (Do not use school PVA unless it is quite strong, e.g. Brian Clegg. I will have my own glue.)

4 sharp pencils

Sheets or newspaper to cover the tables (please cover them in advance)

Paper towels

Art overalls 

4 paint brushes

Baskets/containers to put the waste card in when making the town (1 per table)

I will also need a carpet space for the children to sit on (when I show them the artefacts).

 

Roman Town Making: Assignment of Buildings to Children

Arranged by difficulty level, for a typical year 4

Quite easy

Number of children

 Names

Towers

2

 

 

Houses

4-12

  

 

 

Basilica

1

 

 

Shops

 

4

 

 

Moderate

 

 
Gateways

2  

Walls

4

 

 

Town planners

2

 

 

 

Difficult

 

 

Temple

2

 

 

 

Most difficult

 

 

Amphitheatre

2

 

 

Theatre

2

 

 

 

Small mosaics session

1. If you have an interactive whiteboard please have it set up so I can display my photos.

2. Please cover all the tables in advance (ideally with plastic sheets). Also make sure all children have an art shirt/overall.

3. Over lunch I will need an adult to weigh out the sand and glue to make the cement, as well as 4 children to help prepare the rest of the materials.

4. If possible I will need an adult to clean the mosaic materials at the end - the knives used for spreading and the buckets which contain the cement.

5. Please arrange for at least three assistants to help the children make the mosaics. The activities are challenging and the more helpers you can get the better. I suggest asking parents to come in – in my experience parents always enjoy the activities.

6. Have a space ready at the side of the room for the children’s artwork. A sign or other decoration will help give the impression of a museum display. The mosaics are 20cm squares.

 

Large mosaics session

1. If you have an interactive whiteboard please have it set up so I can display my photos.

2. Please cover all the tables in advance (ideally with plastic sheets). Also make sure all children have an art shirt/overall.

3. Over lunch I will need an adult to weigh out the sand and glue to make the cement, as well as 4 children to help prepare the rest of the materials. I will also need an adult to draw out the designs for the mosaics - I have a variety of templates based on original Roman mosaics. Designs include a fish, frog, a dog’s head, owl, and two other kinds of birds (see main web page for photos).

4. Please assign the children to groups of 4 (mixed ability). Each group will make a large mosaic - 35x50cm.

5. If possible I will need an adult to clean the mosaic materials at the end - the knives used for spreading and the buckets which contain the cement.

6. Please arrange for at least three assistants to help the children make the mosaics. The activities are challenging and the more helpers you can get the better. I suggest asking parents to come in – in my experience parents always enjoy the activities. Ideally we would have one adult per mosaic (not including myself).

7. Have a space ready at the side of the room for the children’s artwork. A sign or other decoration will help give the impression of a museum display. The mosaics are 35x50cm.

 

Metal art session - Foil

1. If you have an interactive whiteboard please have it set up so I can display my photos.

2. Please cover all the tables in advance (ideally with plastic sheets). Also make sure all children have an art shirt/overall.

3. If the metal art session is in the morning (if we are making mosaics as well) then please arrange for us to have morning break from 10.00-10.20. This is to give us time to make the two items of metal art. I will need 4 able children who are good with their hands to help me set up.

4. Children will make two items using metal foil which they will emboss. Please fill in the form below to assign children to this activity. The items are listed according to difficulty with pairs working on some of the most difficult items. For lower ability classes you may wish to avoid the difficult items. I will need to see this form on the day so please print it out.

5. As the foil is very easily damaged, if any children will struggle to trace neatly over lines with a pen you should assign them to the first category, making items using gold or silver card. The card is easier and quicker to work with, and less expensive, so they can make up to 3 items. This way we will avoid the disappointment of a poor outcome with the foil.

6. Please ensure you have plenty of space to store/display all the artwork the children will create.

7. Please ensure you have all the following resources in the classroom:

- 1 sharp pencil per child

- 1 pair scissors per child

- 1 glue spreader per child

- 1 pot for glue per 4 children (do not put any glue in these pots. I will bring my own.)

- paper towels

 

Metal Art Activity

Please assign children to the following activities based on their artistic skills. The second column gives the maximum number of children for that activity. Children will have their own items except for a few larger items which take a pair. Each child (or pair) will make two items, first one from silver foil and then one from gold foil.

If any children will struggle to trace neatly over lines (first with the paper template, then embossing on the foil) then it is best to put them in the first box below, using gold or silver card instead of foil. The foil is very easily damaged and these children might be disappointed by a poor result. They can make 4 items using the gold and silver card, as it is easier and quicker to work with.

Item, by difficulty level

Names

Easiest (gold and silver card)

 

Celtic metal art using gold card

(3 items: triskele, dolphins, cat)

 

 

 

 

Easy

 

Roman and Celtic metal art

(3 coins: wheat, dolphins, horse, triskele)

 

 

 

 

 

Medium

 

Roman and Celtic metal art (torc end, 4 coins: eagle, bull, Caesar, Celtic king)

 

 

 

Metal art session - Torcs

1. If you have an interactive whiteboard please have it set up so I can display my photos.

2. Please cover all the tables in advance (ideally with plastic sheets). Also make sure all children have an art shirt/overall.

3. If the metal art session is in the morning (i.e. if we are making mosaics as well) then please arrange for us to have morning break from 10.00-10.20. This is to give us time to make the two torcs. I will need 4 able children who are good with their hands to help me set up.

4. Children will work in pairs to make two torcs, by twisting wire, adding plasticine and painting. You may want to arrange children into mixed ability pairs for this.

5. Please ensure you have plenty of space to store/display all the artwork the children will create.

7. Please ensure you have all the following resources in the classroom:

- 1 sharp pencil per child

- 1 paint brush (large) per child

- 1 paint palette per 4 children

- lots of paper towels

- covers for tables

- painting shirts for each child