New Zealand Maritime Museum visit supports classroom learning
Posted on August 22, 2022
The grey and wintry skies could not dampen the excitement and enthusiasm of the Junior and Senior Immersion ESOL students who travelled to the New Zealand Maritime Museum last week.
At the Learning Centre the students were given a preview of the activities they would be involved in by the museum teachers.
The focus for senior ESOL students was to study the effects of pollutants, such as nappies, plastic bottles and bags, cans and cigarette butts on sea life. It was shocking and incomprehensible that a single nappy will take 450 years to disintegrate.
After browsing the artefacts in the museum, they were taken out to the pontoons to study about marine life and an appreciation of the mauri in and around Waitemata Harbour. The students were excited to see the big and small fish that darted around to get to the food. It was also exciting but ear-shattering when the canon was let off at 12 noon. After lunch the students watched a short documentary on the arrival of the Maori to New Zealand.
The second group of senior ESOL students along with 9ESL enjoyed a talk on immigration to New Zealand in the past and explored the section dedicated to immigration. The students were able to compare their own experiences of arriving in a new country with those in the past. From the poor conditions when travelling, the time it took and what they were able to bring with them. They especially enjoyed the rolling floor in the mock up of the sleeping and living quarters of a ship. The trip enhanced their knowledge and will support their classroom learning for Term 3.
The teachers at the museum shared their knowledge and prepared very engaging activities for our students. The interactive activities in the museum were particularly popular.
