Curriculum links

History

• Understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world and the nature of ancient civilisations.

English

• Pupils should be taught to speak clearly and convey ideas confidently using Standard English. They should learn to justify ideas with reasons.

Science

• Develop an understanding of methods of scientific enquiry so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. 

Fundamental British Values

Individual liberty

• Through the participative approach in the workshop individual liberty is promoted by enabling students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Mutual respect and tolerance

• Learning about the process of mummification, and ancient Egyptian religion, encourages students to be tolerant and respectful of others’ culture, beliefs and faith.

Democracy

• Children explore the social hierarchy of ancient Egypt – the existence of slaves, servants and pharaohs. They develop their ideas about democracy by beginning to understand how different people may have felt. 

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

Pupils will:

• develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of world history.
• understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world; the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.
• appreciate ancient Egyptians’ knowledge of the body and decay
• recognise mummification as a process involving several steps, exploring each of these steps in detail
• gain an insight into the anatomy of the body through assisting in the ‘mummification’ learn about how the person has a spiritual significance beyond death, and gain insights into the ancient Egyptian understanding of body and spirit.

Skills

Pupils will:

• have the opportunity to draw on and share their existing knowledge whilst also being encouraged to absorb and recall new information assimilated throughout the session.
• gain practice in working through an activity collaboratively and with consideration for their peers.
• improve their speaking and listening skills.

Concepts

Pupils will:

• be introduced to the work of an embalmer and appreciate mummification in its historical context. 
• appreciate that objects displayed and worked with in the museum are to be treated with respect.
• understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
• learn how concepts of afterlife inform practices around burial and the treatment of the body after death.

Attitudes

Pupils will:

• appreciate that the objects in museums are thousands of years old and have to be treated with respect.
• have a respect and appreciation for the mummies on display after learning the reasons for the process and the skill involved.
• see World Museum as a resource for historical research to help understand the ancient world.
• be confident in interpreting information about ancient Egyptian mummies.
• see the World Museum as an enjoyable and stimulating place to visit.

Practical information for virtual classrooms

To maximise opportunities for pupils to engage interactively during our live workshop, we ask teachers to conduct a straightforward activity with their class prior to the workshop. We will provide an appropriate ready-made lesson plan for this, with a variety of support resources such as art and crafts templates, images, subject information sheets and fact sheets about key museum artefacts. In addition, we will provide a self-led, post-workshop follow up activity. Across our pre, live and post activities, we have incorporated elements that will promote team work between pupils, encourage use of imagination and good wellbeing, for example; quizzes, role play, crafting, drawing, discussions and decoding puzzles.

We will be using Microsoft Teams as our delivery platform as it offers a secure and simple way for teachers to connect with us virtually. It works well on a variety of hardware, so all you will need is a laptop or computer with a built-in camera and microphone, a large display screen or projector, and access to a reliable internet connection. When you sign up you will be sent web links to enable you to join in our secure sessions.

Further information about how to access a workshop using Teams, and our safeguarding policy for the virtual classroom, can be found below. There will be help and support available online or over the phone for troubleshooting.

The unpredictable nature of the Covid-19 pandemic means that we may develop our offer for schools further, but we will do so very much keeping your needs in mind. Please check this page regularly for the latest updates.

How virtual classrooms work on Microsoft Teams 

• Once booked details of your chosen workshop will be sent to your school in advance of the scheduled date.
• An Office 365 calendar invite will be emailed to the teacher who was named at the time of the school booking as present during the workshop.
• It is not essential that your school is using Office 365 or Teams as functionality will be managed by National Museums Liverpool.
• The core requirements the school needs for the workshop are network/Wi-Fi access and laptop with camera and microphone. The teacher will also need to set up a projector or Smartboard in the classroom so that the whole class can see the presentation.
• For the workshop to succeed and be an interactive experience, your class needs to have completed the pre-workshop activity which we will send to you two weeks before the workshop.
• To ensure the smooth running of the workshop on the scheduled date, a mutually convenient time to test the link / URL for the Teams meeting will be arranged with the named representative at your school - please be available for this brief call.
• On the scheduled day of the workshop we ask that you access the Teams calendar link for the workshop 15 minutes before the starting time. This is to ensure that any unexpected connectivity issues can be addressed.
• In the unlikely event of the workshop needing to be rescheduled due to unexpected technical difficulties at National Museums Liverpool, the workshop will be rescheduled for the earliest possible alternative date by our Box Office contacting the school.
• During the workshop, our museum and gallery staff will lead the workshops, facilitate the activity and interact with the class. The teacher needs to be present with the class in school.
• An optional survey will be made available at the end of the workshop for the named school representative to complete. This information will assist us with meeting schools’ needs and your feedback will be kept confidential and can be completed anonymously if preferred.
• The Teams Chat facility will be available for teachers to message a member of staff from the museums or gallery. However, we will request that Chat isn’t used unless for an urgent message, to avoid causing distraction while the workshop is in progress

We hope that you will enjoy your virtual classroom at National Museums Liverpool. 

Safeguarding and code of conduct

National Museums Liverpool’s Safeguarding Policy remains in place and these guidelines have added detail to protect both our staff and participating schools during online engagement. We ask teachers to read them to help us provide a safe and optimal digital learning environment for pupils. 

When running a live workshop via an online platform our staff will: 

• Only use laptops or technology that belong to National Museums Liverpool
• Connect using secure, private network connections, not public Wi-Fi or other lines that could be compromised
• Provide a safe platform which only the booked group can access
• Log in using one of the special accounts created by National Museums Liverpool for school workshops and never using a personal account
• Have a waiting room/lobby to monitor who is joining.
• Only run a workshop if at least one teacher from the school is present with pupils
• Always have two museum staff present in every workshop
• Ensure that workshops are streamed from a museum or gallery classroom or delivery space that has good lighting, using a suitable background that does not show personal items belonging to the facilitator
• Dress professionally and act as suitable role models to young children
• Have enhanced DBS checks
• Ensure all our delivery teams are professionally trained and have extensive experience of delivering education programmes to the relevant key stages
• End the meeting for all at the end of the session

Our staff will not:

• Take into the workshop or use any personal mobile phones or devices
• Record any live workshops, nor consent to being recorded by schools
• Take or share any videos or photos of the workshops without prior agreed consent and the completion of parent consent forms
• Engage in inappropriate conversations with children or young people or share inappropriate personal information about themselves or others
• Discriminate favourably or unfavourably towards a child or young person
• Undermine fundamental British values including democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect
• Show disrespect towards pupils or teachers with different faiths, beliefs or from different cultures to our own
• Ask for or use full names
• Give personal contact details to children or young people or communicate outside of National Museums Liverpool using social media networks, email, or text

Managing behaviour: 

• Set clear expectations of behaviour at the start of the workshop and establish an agreed means for pupils to engage directly with the facilitator
• It remains the responsibility of the teacher to manage pupils’ conduct throughout the workshop
• All participants, including pupils, school and museum staff, will treat one another with respect, speaking with courtesy and abstaining from foul, abusive, racist or homophobic language or any inappropriate or suggestive comments
• If a student is misbehaving the facilitator will pause delivery until the situation is settled by the teacher
• If the group’s behaviour becomes disruptive, impeding delivery of content, the facilitator has the right to end the workshop

Terms and conditions

> Download the terms and conditions for virtual classrooms (pdf)