For the first four weeks of Term Three, Class 7 have been exploring the wonderful Age of Discovery. We used the biographies of individuals such as Marco Polo, Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus, and many others to structure our journey of learning. Stories of individuals achieving such feats prove to be deeply engaging for thirteen-to fourteen-year-olds about to embark on their own journey through adolescence. We began the Main Lesson with our drawing of a Portuguese carrack, then moved on to learning a Viking Song, for which the students composed a ‘second verse’.

Amongst other activities, students created a script for a dialogue between Columbus and a sailor – where Columbus was using Marco Polo’s book to convince his comrade to accompany him in 1492. They also designed a recruitment poster for the first voyage and either designed a cartoon or a ‘freezeframe’ photo interpretation of the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Ivett organised a special treat in the final week – for the college skeleton to be dressed in a costume of the Inca Goddess/Queen co-founder of the Inca Empire, Mama Ocllo. Overall, it was four weeks of stories of adventure, hardship, courage and daring, as Class 7 became immersed in the experiences of the great pioneers of European maritime exploration.  

Mary-Jo Masmanian
Class 7 Teacher