INNOVATIVE ROMAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES PROVE A HIT WITH TEACHERS

Teachers are finding it easier than ever to give children an interactive experience of life in Roman Britain, thanks to a unique new teaching resource inspired by Wroxeter Roman City and the new Roman Town House which has been built there.
 
A trip to Roman site can bring the subject alive like nothing else, especially when supported by the landmark new resource - a ten minute film created by students for younger students following the primary curriculum.

'If These Walls Could Talk' was partly filmed at Wroxeter Roman City as a Find Your Talent project in which secondary school students had an exceptional learning experience themselves working with English Heritage, primary schools, Birmingham University, professional actors, re-enactors, scriptwriters and a media company.

Featuring a talking wall, humorous encounters and computer animation, the film goes back in time through Wroxeter's walls to re-create Roman life as it was and compare it with life for today's young people. It's an entertaining and inspiring introduction for Key Stage 2 and 3 learners studying the Romans anywhere in the country, but especially if planning a trip to Wroxeter's extensive Roman remains and reconstructed Roman town house.

The recently built Roman Town House has contributed to record visitor numbers at the site following its opening. "Roman history is fantastically colourful which is why it is such a popular subject amongst teachers, but explaining just how advanced Roman settlements were can be quite tricky, even when you have excellent archaeological remains, like the ones at Hadrian's Wall or Wroxeter," comments English Heritage's regional education manager, David Sheldon.

"Children can see the layout of homes, shops and the bathhouse, but much like seeing the foundations of a modern home, this gives you little idea of what the buildings would have looked like.  Our new Town House changes that - for the first time at Wroxeter, teachers can walk their students through a recreated house, looking at the mosaic flooring, servants' quarters, bedroom and bath-house.  It is only when they see the size of this individual house that they start to grasp just how significant this Roman city would have been - it adds scale, grandeur and colour to the experience."

Katie Meiklejohn, teacher at Ercall Wood Technical College in Telford, took a group of Key Stage 3 gifted and talented pupils and Key Stage 2 primary students around the Town House.  "I watched the Channel Four programme following the house being built, so I found the visit very exciting, but for the children, this was a new experience - seeing, living and breathing life in Roman Britain.  It engages the children in a fantastic way, encouraging them to want to learn more, which is what makes is such a great educational resource."

Education groups can visit Wroxeter Roman City and Town House completely free of charge for self-guided visits, or participate in one of Wroxeter's Discovery Visits, a series of half- or full-day workshops and tours that give visitors a chance to meet a Roman soldier or businessman and learn much more about the city's heyday. Discovery Visits cost £90 for a half day or £180 for a full day for a class of up to 30 children.

Wroxeter Roman City also has two education rooms, providing safe storage for bags, a classroom to consolidate the children's learning and a dry area for eating packed lunched should the weather be inclement.

Teachers can also download a popular English Heritage booklet on the Romans from TES Online - Using Roman Sites - a teachers' guide.