Children playing on a slide outside a high rise tower block in a post-War housing development close to Brockwell Park in London. The photograph was taken in the 1950s or 1960s.
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Whiteboard Activity (Smart): Tower Blocks
Whiteboard Activity (Promethean): Tower Blocks
Worksheet: Living in a tower block
Worksheet: Design a playground
Teaching Idea
What can buildings tell us about life in Britain since 1948?
Ask pupils to study the photograph. Discuss their initial impressions of the photograph. Do they live somewhere similar? Ask them to think about what it is/would be like to live in a tower block, write a list of the pros and cons (using worksheet below). Bring in a photograph of a modern tower block to help them with their comparisons/judgements.
Ask pupils to imagine that they are one of the children playing in the photograph. Does it look like fun? Is it a nice place to play? This could be taken further to discuss why the playground was built there? Is there any grass or trees? Are these important? All of their ideas/discussion could be used to lead on to a design project to design either a tower block/housing or a new play ground. As a class or in groups children could start by creating a list of criteria (using the worksheets below), such as a playground must have......
There is a Whiteboard Activity to accompany this Teaching Idea
In groups the children could then draw their ideal playground and show it to the rest of the class. You could even have a competition and let the children vote for their favourite design.
Learning Aims and Outcomes
- Use sources to infer information about change since 1948
- Draw on their own experience to help generate ideas
Prior Knowledge
- No prior knowledge is required
Extended Learning and Useful Links
- The use of construction kits in designing a playgound or building would allow pupils to gain skills required as part of the D&T curriculum
- Link - The Estate