‘Open Door, Explore’ Self-Programmed Wednesdays at

The Manchester Museum

Living Worlds Gallery – KS4

(Booking Essential)

This resource allows your students to create their own unique tour of our atmospheric Living Worlds gallery. It enables them to focus on the themes addressed in the gallery

and make their own connections and opinions based on the display. They will present them to the rest of the class to share their experiences in the gallery.

The atmospheric Living Worlds gallery showcases our stunning collection in original cases

which are organised into themes. The beautiful displays will inspire your students to examine their place in the natural world.

There are a number of prompt cards included in this resource pack. You will need to

print them, cut them out and give them to the students on the gallery.

Below is a guide for how this resource should be used in a 30 minute activity.

1. Before you enter the gallery, split your group of students into groups of 3.

2. When you first enter the gallery, hand out the prompt cards (one to each group)

and instruct your students that they will have approximately 7 minutes to create a

brief presentation based around the questions they have been given. Encourage

them to use the objects on display to link to other ideas they may have on the

themes and try to include the displays to animate their presentation.

3. The students then gather at the entrance to the gallery and one by one the

students feedback their presentations on the display cases they have used creating

a set of unique tour that the group follows round the gallery.

4. Once the tour finishes, if there is time, allow the students to explore the gallery

independently. Encourage them to think about some of the themes that we

covered in the tour whilst exploring the space.

Materials required for activity (not provided):

Question cards (attached to be printed off)

Pencil/pen

Clipboards

Have you remembered to book your ‘Open Door, Explore’ Self Programmed activities with our Bookings Officer on 0161 275 2630? You can also request to use our lunch room for your group. Risk Assessments are available on the website. Also, please check for any suggested materials that you may need to bring with you on the day.

Living Worlds Tour Prompt

Cards

Group 1: Using the displays, explore how different creatures are suited to different habitats. In your presentation:

Give three examples of animals or birds that you can see that well adapted to only ONE

habitat.

Describe the characteristics of these animals and how they enable it to survive.

What would happen to these animals if that habitat disappeared?

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Group 2: In your presentation:

Explain what this gallery tell you about people’s attitude to wild animals.

Do symbols tell you anything about peoples attitude?

Can you think of any other examples of symbols?

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Group 3: In your presentation:

State why you believe these objects have these been chosen to symbolise certain things.

Create a short story about one of the objects on display to explain why it was chosen as a

symbol?

What other images can you think of to show peace?

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Group 4: Discuss the effect of man-made and natural disasters. In your presentation:

Explain which you think are more shocking: man-made or natural disasters?

Provide other examples of man-made and natural disasters. Which are more devastating?

Which one do you think we can do something about?

Group 5: In your presentation:

What do these cases tell you about how humans view nature?

What makes things in nature scary? Provide other examples.

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Group 6: Explore what this gallery shows you about the natural world. In your presentation:

Explain why we collect or watch/record natural things.

Tell us what surprises you about British Wildlife.

Describe what threatens nature.

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Group 7: You have just arrived on Earth for the first time from another planet. This gallery is the only information you have about life on Earth. In your presentation:

Explain what this might tell you about life on Earth?

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Group 8: Explore what effect time has on the natural world. In your presentation:

Discuss what this gallery can tell you about how life has changed over time.

Describe what you think life will look like in 20,000 years.

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Group 9: In your presentation:

Discuss how changes in climate affects the natural world

Explain what effect this may have on how we use nature as a resource

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Group 10: Explore the way humans use the variety of life on earth In your presentation:

Explain what these cases tell you about the various ways humans use the natural world.

How might humans change variety of life?

What impact does the natural world have on the way we live?