Activity plans for teachers and students
Six short activities that use the workshop notes. They need only ordinary classroom and kitchen items.
Using these plans
- Who it is for. Teachers, parents, club leaders and self-learners. Plans can be shortened or stretched.
- Ages. Written for roughly ages 11 to 16. For younger learners, do more making and less reading; for older learners, add more source work.
- Curriculum links. The plans are not matched to any named programme. Match them to your own curriculum before use.
- Handouts. The glossary and the printable summary work well as handouts.
Safety first
- Hot water, dye baths and irons are only for adults or for children closely supervised by an adult.
- Use only alum as a mordant. Do not use copper, tin or chromium salts.
- Awls, knives and carving gouges are sharp: cut on a mat, away from the body, with the other hand behind the blade.
- Use pots and tools for dye that will never again be used for food, and wear gloves.
- Keep away from water and weirs unless an adult is with you. Never go close to fast or deep water alone.
- Wash hands after handling dyes, inks and mordants.
The six plans
Plan 1: Why here?
Goal. Learners explain why a place grew where it did.
You need. A modern map and an older map of a local town or village, tracing paper, coloured pencils.
Steps.
- Mark the river, roads, bridges and any mills on the modern map.
- Lay the older map beside it and circle three things that have changed.
- On a sheet headed “Why here?”, write three reasons for the town’s position and the evidence for each.
- Share and compare: which reasons do several learners agree on?
How to tell it worked. Learners can give a reason and name the map feature that supports it.
Plan 2: Source detective
Goal. Learners judge a source by asking who, when, why, for whom and what is missing.
You need. Three short sources about one local topic, such as a map, a directory entry and a newspaper cutting; judgment question sheets.
Steps.
- Give each group one source and the five judgment questions.
- Groups report what the source can tell and what it cannot.
- Set the three sources side by side: where do they agree, and where do they disagree?
- Write a two-sentence conclusion with a word showing how sure you are.
How to tell it worked. Learners separate what a source says from what they infer, and say how sure they are.
Plan 3: How much power in a stream?
Goal. Learners use a simple formula to compare mill sites.
You need. Calculators, a page of three imaginary sites with different flow and drop.
Steps.
- Read the formula in the water mills workshop: power is about 1000 times 9.8 times flow times head.
- Calculate the power for each site, then take 60 per cent for a good wheel.
- Rank the sites. What would you do to improve the poorest one?
- Look at an old map to find where a real mill might have stood.
How to tell it worked. Learners explain why a steep stream with a small flow can beat a flat river with a big one.
Plan 4: Make a pamphlet book
Goal. Learners fold and sew a three-hole pamphlet notebook.
You need. Paper, card, waxed thread, needles, awls, bone folders or spoons, cutting mats.
Steps.
- Test the grain of the paper by bending it both ways.
- Fold and nest the sheets inside the cover.
- Mark, pierce and sew following the steps in the workshop.
- Compare books: whose opens flat? What would you change?
How to tell it worked. The book opens flat and holds together when its pages are turned a few times.
Plan 5: Dye test strips
Goal. Learners compare dye sources and the effect of a mordant on wool or cotton.
You need. Dried marigold flowers, tea, undyed wool or cotton strips, alum, pots used only for dyeing, gloves, a hotplate with an adult.
Steps.
- Dye two strips in each bath: one with alum treatment and one without.
- Rinse and dry; pin the strips in a notebook with notes.
- Cover half of each strip and leave it in a bright window for several weeks.
- Compare the covered and exposed halves.
How to tell it worked. Learners can say which colour held best and give a reason based on what they saw.
Plan 6: Print a title page
Goal. Learners combine lettering with block printing to make a title page for their notebook.
You need. Practice paper, dip pens and ink, soft-cut blocks, gouges, brayers, ink, spoons.
Steps.
- Rule lines and practise a title in pen lettering.
- Design a small border or emblem, reversed, and carve it.
- Print the border and add the lettered title.
- Number the prints as an edition and display them.
How to tell it worked. The lettering is evenly spaced and the printed border is the right way round.
Independent projects
- Write a short history of one street, using at least two sources and a list of where they came from.
- Find a mill site on an old map and draw what you think the leat, weir and wheel looked like.
- Make a book for someone else and write a half-page about how it was made.
- Check one date from the notes against the sources list and report what you found.
A simple way to assess
| Skill | Starting | Secure | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facts | Names a few terms | Defines most terms in the workshop | Uses terms correctly in new situations |
| Evidence | Gives an opinion | Points to a fact in a source | Names the source and says how sure it is |
| Making | Follows the steps with help | Finishes a neat piece alone | Explains why each step matters and improves the next piece |
| Safety | Knows the rules | Follows them | Explains the reason for each rule |
Use the “Check yourself” questions at the end of each workshop as a quick quiz.
Basis of the facts
Where these facts come from. These are teaching suggestions, not historical claims. They use only facts stated in the workshop notes. Safety advice is general; follow local rules and any instructions that come with the materials you use.