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The Lesson
Whole Class Teaching
Explain to the children that they will be studying the similarities and
differences between the lives of rich and poor children in Victorian times.
Show the painting of Queen Victoria and her children Victoria
Family Portrait.jpg
Q What can we tell about the children's lives from this photo?
Children may suggest that the family was rich, comfortable, well-clothed,
much-loved, clean, etc.
The teacher now opens and displays the file Victorias children.isf. Explain
to the children that this is a mind mapping program that allows us to
add notes in an organised manner. Demonstrate by clicking on one of the
bubbles e.g. Albert. A small icon appears at the top right of the bubble,
with a screen tip Show Note, click on this icon to display the additional
information about Albert/Bertie.
In order to close the note click on the grey square top left.
Demonstrate how to add a note for Helena. Click on Helena's bubble, then
right click and select add or edit note. Add the following notes:
Helena born Buckingham Palace 25 May 1846. Privately tutored.
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Main Activity
The teacher explains that the children are now going to use mind mapping
software e.g. Inspiration to create a visual diagram outlining their perception
of what life was like for poor children in Victorian England.
Open the file working children.isf. Read the labels in the diagram and
explain to the children that they are going to use a website to find information
about the lives of the poor children illustrated. They will then annotate
the mind map with their own notes. One note is already completed, piecers
and scavengers; children may add further information to this note.
Refer back to the teacher's example to draw children's attention to the
use of notes as opposed to sentences - the children must only use notes.
Using the following website www.lsstrafford.freeserve.co.uk/victorians.html
children research the working conditions of the children illustrated and
enter their notes on the mind map.
Children are expected to add a note to each illustration on the diagram
to include any information and inferences that they can draw from the
description or evidence e.g. no playtime, no family holidays etc.
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Plenary
Draw the children back together and compare the children's notes with
those made in the earlier example of Queen Victoria's children.
Q What similar experiences can you identify amongst the working children?
Children might suggest: long hours, tired, harsh/dangerous working conditions,
beatings etc.
Q How does their childhood compare with that of Queen Victoria's children?
Why use ICT
Demonstrating: Using ICT the teacher can effectively illustrate
procedures needed to create an effective mind map.
Accessing and analysing: ICT allows access to information on the Internet
that provides the teacher with a wealth of material to encourage children
to analyse and interrogate, in this case historical photographs and text.
The material can be easily manipulated by the children to provide information
sources for their mind map.
Presenting, re-presenting and communicating: The ability to create
a mind map from images selected from a variety of sources to meet the
specific learning objectives of a unit puts the teacher in far greater
control of the content than previously possible. In this case the mind
map provides the teacher with an easy to manage resource as a starting
point. The use of a data projector, allows the children to view the same
information simultaneously. Once the children have used mind mapping software
they could transfer these skills to almost any other context.
The Internet enables independent research and provides access to resources
that would not otherwise be available. The website gives first hand evidence
of children's working conditions which will motivate the children to further
explore the content.
ICT provides the children with a finished, "polished" product,
the mind map, complete with images which will be motivating to many.
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