Title: Thatcham RE Trails- Teachers notes

Theme- Memorials
Subject:
RE and History / Class/Year:
Foundation/KS1 and KS2 / Cross curriculum links.
Art, English and DT
Learning Intention
To find out the historical and religious significance of memorials and the place they hold in today’s society.
Introduction
  • What do we mean by Memorial?
  • Why do we have memorials?
  • What memorials do you know about in your own or other people’s lives?
  • Do you know of any memorials around Thatcham?
Main Teaching
  • Look at memorials around Thatcham using the Thatcham Trail.
  • What are these remembering? Why do they remember these people or events?
  • Key memorials; Queen’s coronation (clock tower by the doctors on A4)
War memorial in doctors car park
Broadway memorial
Royal British legion plaque in St Mary’s Church
Graves and tombs in St Mary’s Church
Other Churches around Thatcham
  • Study some of these in depth looking at the key historical events, the people and time that is being remembered.
Questions for reflection.
  • Do you think memorials have a purpose today?
  • Are they still important and of relevance today or not? Why?
  • Do we need to remember events from the past?
  • Why do religion’s/churches have memorials? Does it help that faith community?
  • What difference to the people of Thatcham does it make to have memorials?
  • Do you think it would makeany difference if they were not there?
  • What memorials do you think we will have in the future? What might they remember? What might they look like?

Extension work:
Explain why the memorials of Thatcham are important to the town’s community.
Interview significant members of the community about memorials and what they mean to them.
Make a poster of different memorials around Thatcham. Explain their historical and religious significance.
Draw or make rubbings of the different memorials. Highlighting key features or words.
Research the history of the Queen’ coronation, the world wars, other significant people or families connected to Thatcham.
Make a new memorial to remember and event from the 21st century. Either digitally, drawn or as a 3D structure.