Each of the Onsite Education Activities are available for schools to book as part of their Site visit. Simply indicate your preferences on the Online Booking Form. Costing is as follows;
1. One activity only:
The first activity booked will be at a cost of $5 per head with a minimum total cost of $100.
2. More than one activity;
Any additional activity will be at a cost of $3 per head with a minimum total cost of $60.
Each activity has Resource Material for use in the classroom before and after your Site visit. These are PDF files and can be downloaded from the Classroom Resources - On-site education activities page.
What's My Story?
Upper primary and secondary
Decipher a convict record and discover the person behind the number
Students study copies of the original handwritten conduct records of individual convicts who were transported to Van Dieman’s Land and who spent time at Port Arthur. Working like ‘detectives’ examining the evidence of the records and artefacts linked to the convicts, students make predictions and draw conclusions about Convict’s life, their character or trade.
’Your Job makes what you are’: Primary pre and post lesson plans. Understanding trades and jobs and writing a ‘Convict Biography’.
’Once a thief always a thief?’ : Secondary pre and post lesson plans. Learning what crimes they did and understanding if they reformed. Did time at Port Arthur prison alter their life’s pattern? Write extended biography of Convict’s life.
Activity duration: 50 minutes
Contact the Education Officer for further details.
Classroom Resources - On-site education activities
Brick Making
Lower primary to secondary
How did they do it? Make a quarter size convict brick to take home.
Students discuss briefly the nature of bricks from around the Port Arthur Historic Site and the variety of types. We will handle and look closely at original convict bricks and when students have gained a little knowledge about the processes involved they will have the chance to create their own brick to take home, complete with their thumbprints!
Activity duration is approximately 50 minutes
Available on weekdays only
Contact the Education Officer for further details.
Classroom Resources - On-site education activities
Hidden Secrets
Primary
Uncover the small things about Port Arthur which reveal so much...
Port Arthur is full of REALLY BIG things from the past to look at. These are really easy to see as you walk around. But, Port Arthur also HIDES some of its secrets....these are the small things that you cannot easily see...they may be small..but they are still able to tell us lots about the people who lived here.
Students get to walk the site and discover a side of Port Arthur which is often overlooked; kitchen rubbish left behind, a name scratched into stonework possibly by a soldier on duty. Little things which bring us closer to the people of Port Arthur and the life they once had. This tour also offers a valuable Heritage lesson about preserving and conserving the past for future generations.
Activity duration is approximately 50 mins.
Available weekdays only
Contact the Education Officer for further details.
Classroom Resources - On-site education activities
NOTE: All these activities are structured as a lesson, following set achievement objectives and come with pre and post activity lesson resources for use in the classroom.
New Activities
A range of new activities are being developed. Please Contact the Education Officer if you are interested in these or other activities that may become available.
Communication in past: Semaphore and Handwriting (Primary and Secondary)
Victorian dress: Dressing peg dolls, materials of past (Primary)
Oak tree: Learning about native and non native trees (Early years and Primary)
Archaeology: (Primary and Secondary)