UK Museums Loans Network
Using Loans in the Classroom
Top Ten Activities
A museum loan brings a subject to life. To have the opportunity to touch a 3000 year old object which you can usually only read about and see in a book makes history both real and tangible. Loans can also be used effectively for many other Curriculum topics and skills.Here are ten suggested ways in which loans boxes can be used effectively in the classroom.
- Drama & Role Play
- Ask pupils to choose an object and mime what it was used for
- Ask a group of pupils to do a short play showing how a particular object
of group of objects would have been used. The rest of the class
have to guess what the object is
- Artwork
- Ask pupils to make a ‘technical’ drawing of a chosen artefact from the front, side and top, including accurate dimensions
- Ask pupils to sit back to back. One pupil then has the task of describing an object while the other has the task of drawing it.
- Ask pupils to draw a picture of the place that the object may have been found in
- Use objects as an inspiration for craft designs
- Sequencing
- If you have several loans, ask pupils to organise them according to age, material or use
- Put up a timeline in the classroom and ask pupils to indicate where a
particular object or objects would fit in by using photos, ribbons etc
- Creative Writing
- Ask pupils to write a creative story or news article about how an object or objects first came into the museum collections
- Ask pupils to empathise with the people who may have used particular
objects. As an example, WW2 artefacts (e.g. an identity card or child
’s gasmask) could be used as a stimulus for pupils to write a letter
about being an evacuee
- Constructing Questions
- Organise pupils in groups of 4 or 5. One pupil in the group chooses
a mystery object and the rest of the group have to try to
guess what the object is by asking questions using prompt cards with “What?”, “Who?”, “Why?” and “How?” etc
on them. The pupil who knows what the object is, can only
give
‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answers.
- Organise pupils in groups of 4 or 5. One pupil in the group chooses
a mystery object and the rest of the group have to try to
guess what the object is by asking questions using prompt cards with “What?”, “Who?”, “Why?” and “How?” etc
on them. The pupil who knows what the object is, can only
give
‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answers.
- Compare and Contrast
- Ask pupils to compare and contrast objects such as old or new,
real or replica, etc
- Ask pupils to compare and contrast objects such as old or new,
real or replica, etc
- Matching
- Ask pupils to match objects by use, age, texture, colour, size,
weight, the material that they are made from or any other criteria
- Ask pupils to match objects by use, age, texture, colour, size,
weight, the material that they are made from or any other criteria
- Geography
- Put a map of the world on a display board. Take photos or make
drawings of each loan and pin these to the map to indicate where objects
come from
- Put a map of the world on a display board. Take photos or make
drawings of each loan and pin these to the map to indicate where objects
come from
- Literacy
- Ask pupils to write an archaeologist’s report of objects in a loans box which could be used as labels in a museum exhibition
- Ask pupils to brainstorm five adjectives to describe the objects,
or five verbs to describe what it does
- Oral History
- If you have a loan from recent history (30s, 40s 50s) invite a family member/friend to visit the class as a ‘guest speaker’ to explain more about it
Download activities:
- Curious Curator (Acrobat PDF 46 KB)
- Mystery Object (Acrobat PDF 13 KB)
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery