© BBC
CURIOUS CURATORS OF THE
DELERIUM ARCHIVE
ALL AGE GROUPS
© BBC
Curious Curators of the Delerium Archive
This unit known as Curious Curators of the Delerium Archive is formatted slightly
differently from the other units in the Teachers’ Pack and is aimed at students of all ages,
ranging from 5-14 years of age.
In this section, students will be inspired to be the curators of a museum about Guy Fawkes or
the organisers of an exhibition about the Gunpowder Plot.
A recurring feature of the gameplay within The Adventure Games: The Gunpowder Plot
is the discovery of Historical Objects. These historical artefacts and key objects are woven
throughout the game and are related either to the Gunpowder Plot itself or to life in the
seventeenth century. Each object is accompanied by a mini fact-file, which appears whenever
the object is found. Across the game there are a total of 42 objects to be collected. These
supporting resources are available to download from bbc.co.uk/teachers
These artefacts are an ideal way to engage students in historical enquiry. The facts and
information that accompany each one provide useful information and act as an ideal starting
point for further research.
There are three approaches outlined for using the Historical Objects within the classroom to
develop historical enquiry skills:
1. Individual student work
2. Group activity
3. Whole class project
These approaches can be carried out in conjunction with the other themes in this pack, namely,
The Plot, Childhood, Crime and Punishment and London Life in 1605, or carried out as an
independent, standalone project. Students could undertake one approach or a combination of
all three.
Students may want to draw on information from museums and displays they have visited in the
past. The approaches are appropriate for all age ranges.
Aims and Objectives
Students will develop their ability to assimilate information from a wide variety of source
material and develop their ability to research, analyse and evaluate historical data in order to
develop their own interpretations of the past.
Supporting Resources
Historical Objects, Characters and Environments are available to download from
bbc.co.uk/teachers
Downloading the game
Before starting this unit of work, the Gunpowder Plot Adventure Game should be
downloaded from bbc.co.uk/doctorwho
Instructions on how to do so are available in The Adventure Games help section. It is suitable
for both PC and Mac platforms.
© BBC
1. Individual student work: Time Historians
Learning Outcome
To develop the ability to assimilate a wide range of source material.
To begin to understand the context in which an object was created.
To begin to understand how objects are used by historians to study the past.
To enable students to begin to develop their own historical interpretations.
MAIN ACTIVITY
In this activity, students will carry out a personal research project based around a particular
object, or objects, from the game and present their findings to the rest of the class.
Having played the Gunpowder Plot Adventure Game, each student should choose one
historical object to research. They should prepare a presentation or a class talk where they
will be able to share their learning with the rest of the class. Students should be encouraged to
find out as much as they can about their particular object. Students should consider the
following key questions when compiling their project and presentation:
What was the object called?
How was the object used?
Who might use or own the object?
What other interesting information can be found?
How can I make my project and presentation interesting for my audience?
Younger students should be encouraged to make or draw some of the objects and use the
existing facts from the resource sheets to label them, while the older students should be
encouraged to carry out additional research about their chosen objects and cite their sources.
A Useful Websites document is available to download on bbc.co.uk/teachers
© BBC
FURTHER ACTIVITIES
Doctors’ Detectives (5-7 year olds)
The teacher gives each student an object to research; information about the objects can be
found by playing the game, as well as by looking at the Historical Objects fact-files and
researching online (see the Useful Websites document). Students then present information
about their object to the class, and accompany their presentation with a drawing or model.
After each presentation, the object could be placed in a Class Museum, eg a small table display
in the classroom. The presentations could be made over a number of weeks, giving the class
plenty of time to look at the objects. When the last object is added to the display, the class
could ‘go on a visit’ to the museum, look at all the objects and read the labels. As an added
challenge, the teacher may wish to rearrange the objects and facts and students can then
complete a mix and match activity, labelling them correctly, in order to review their
knowledge. To conclude, students complete an individual piece of writing called ‘Our Museum’,
which would outline what can be discovered at their museum and/or which object they liked
best. This activity could be extended to opening up the Class Museum to fellow students,
parents, members of staff and school governors, with each child standing by their object ready
to answer any questions from the visitors.
Deep Cover Time Agents (7-10 year olds)
The teacher gives each member of the class an object to research using the key questions
mentioned in the Main Activity above. Students will be given the task of finding out about how
and why an object was made, who created it, what it was used for etc. They then produce a
presentation on why these objects are important to historians and why they should therefore
be preserved in a museum for everyone to see. Students then play a version of BBC panel
shows, such as ‘Would I Lie to You?’ or ‘Call My Bluff’ as a way of reviewing their knowledge.
After these activities, students should rank the objects they have learnt about in order of
importance, with 1 being the most important object that illustrates life in the seventeenth
century. Students then select their Top 5 objects and speak for thirty seconds to explain their
choice. The class should then be given a ballot paper with all the objects researched by the
students, and they vote using a preferential voting system.
© BBC
TARDIS Media Team (10-14 year olds)
Each student selects 5-10 objects to research. Students then create an online museum tour or
trail, creating a webpage for each object. On each page, they need to explain why the object
featured is important to historians and why they think this object should be preserved in a
museum for everyone to see. These will include explaining how and why they were produced.
They must include an interactive task at the end of the tour, which will ensure that they can
review what they have learnt. After these activities, students should rank the objects they have
learnt about in order of importance, with 1 being the most important object that illustrates life
in the seventeenth century. Each student then selects their Top 5 objects and speaks for thirty
seconds to explain their choice. The class should then be given a ballot paper with all the
objects researched by the students, and they vote using a preferential voting system.
The Personal Project Planner Resource Sheet can be used to help the students record and
focus their research.
Resources
Resource Sheet 1: Personal Project Planner
Resource Sheet 2: Ballot paper
Resource Sheet 6a: Labels
Resource Sheet 6b: Labels
Message from the Doctor
Historical Objects: All
© BBC
2. Group Activity: Expert Groups
Learning Outcome
To develop the ability to assimilate a wide range of source material.
To begin to understand the context in which an object was created.
To begin to understand how objects are used by historians to study the past.
To enable students to begin to develop their own historical interpretations.
To develop their ability to look at history thematically.
MAIN ACTIVITY
In this activity, students work in groups to research objects related to an assigned theme. They
work cooperatively to create an informative and educational museum display and present their
findings to the rest of the class.
The class should be split into four groups for this activity. Each group should be assigned one
of the main themes covered in the Teachers' Pack:
The Plot
Childhood
Crime and Punishment
London Life in 1605
Students should play t
