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Decoding and Diving: new workshops at the Mary Rose

We are always looking for ways to tell new stories at the Mary Rose especially within our busy Learning Department, to ensure we continue providing award-winning educational provision to the thousands of pupils that visit every year. As part of this goal, we have developed two new workshops to offer to schools that explore two different aspects of the history of the Mary Rose.

The first workshop called ‘Decoding Diversity: Investigating the Crew of the Mary Rose’ asks pupils to become members of the museum team and investigate four members of the crew. Who were they? What jobs did they do? Where did they come from? The session explores they way in which historians and scientists put together different types of evidence to build up a picture of the past. It also utilises the amazing work done in connection with our ‘Many Faces’ exhibition and the accompanying Channel 4 documentary, introducing pupils to DNA and isotope science. We even give them a chance to exercise their artistic skills by creating a class picture of our ship’s dog Hatch, using his DNA results!

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Our second workshop has been created specifically to link with our incredibly popular ‘Dive the Mary Rose 4D’ film. The film tells the story of the raising of the Mary Rose, and celebrates the divers, archaeologists, and engineers who helped bring the ship to the surface. It is often a highlight for school visitors but previously we have had no way to link it to the curriculum. This new session, called ‘Diving the Mary Rose: 500 Years of Technology and Change’, tasks classes with activities that promote scientific and mathematical skills, such as building a basic pulley, or learning about the preservation of different materials. It also features cameos from our Deputy CEO, Dr Eleanor Schofield, and our Head of Research, Dr Alex Hildred, demonstrating some of the brilliant talent we have on the team here at the museum.

Whilst Henry VIII may no longer be on the primary school curriculum, the Mary Rose is still an important learning opportunity. Our unique blend of science and history represents a fantastic way to bring to life forgotten or unexpected aspects of our history. Both workshops give pupils the opportunity to test out their historical and scientific enquiry skills and get hands on with the Mary Rose.

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Experience inspiring educational visits to the Mary Rose

Our award-winning Learning Department provide expert-led sessions designed to enrich teaching and learning in both history and STEM subjects.

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