From the Alfred Wallace to the Classroom

English

English will provide umbrella cover for the entire project. It is appropriate, then, that we begin with this area. The work here will commence with the basic story and continue as the children learn new skills and knowledge. Where desired, the teacher may adapt the materials for teaching through Irish.

Research Skills

• using a dictionary/encyclopaedia/glossary to find the definitions of new words used in the text
• learning how to list and classify new facts
• knowing how to create an accurate filing system
• employing reference books/notes to gather new or further information
• using pictures and photographs as a means of enhancing the text
• researching other famous scientists to provide a useful context for the Wallace story
• creating a time-line with related summaries
• abstracting material from The Malay Archipelago and My Life

Writing Exercises

(a) Functional writing

• describing creatures from illustrations
• listing different types according to species
• comparing and contrasting exercises
• formulating and answering questions
• keeping a daily/weekly log
• writing an ongoing account of the class work

(b) Creative writing

• composing a poem or sea-song
• writing short stories based on exciting aspects of the trip
• fictional newspaper accounts
• the story as told from different perspectives
• compiling a radio/television report

(c) Expressing opinions

• an account of each child's participation in the project
• answering a survey about what they learned

Geography

• Indonesia - general facts about the country
• The peoples of Indonesia/Population/Population density
• The Moluccas
• Natural resources/industry/problems
• Modern cities in Indonesia
• Colonial past - linked in with history
• Indonesia and Ireland
• Climate
• Geology/Volcanoes/Earthquakes
• Natural history
• Seas and sea-travel/sea-life
• Map work
• Latitude and Longitude
• Conservation
• Pollution/Environmental protection/UN conference in Brazil
• Contribution of the voyage of Alfred Wallace in 1854-62 to modern science
• Contribution of Tim Severin and the crew of the Alfred Wallace

The above aspects will be integrated throughout with other curricular areas where appropriate.

History

(a) Great Voyages and the Adventures of Tim Severin

• St. Brendan the Navigator
• The Sindbad Voyage and many others

(b) Great Voyages and Science

• Exploring the Pacific - Captain Cook and the Endeavour
• Charles Darwin and H.M.S. Beagle
• Alfred Russel Wallace and his experiences with praus
• Building the modern prau, the Alfred Wallace
• The contribution the modern voyage will make
• The ancient skills of handling a sailing craft

(c) Wallace's voyage in the context of 19th century science and exploration

• Wallace's Amazonian adventures as a prelude to this trip
• The life and work of a self-taught scientist (detail necessary)
• How scientists learn about the distant past
• Charles Darwin and his work on natural selection etc.
• Wallace's "flash of inspiration" and letter to Darwin
• Wallace's writings about his adventures
• The impact of Wallace's discoveries
• Science in Ireland around that time/famous scientists

Nature Study/Environmental Awareness

• Explanation of terms relevant to this story:
• Zoology
• Geology
• Botany/Flora and Fauna
• Anthropology
• Classification etc.
• Environments very different to our own
• Coral reefs and attendant marine life
• Creatures and their environments around the world
• The Wallace Line/Biological diversity in the Malay Archipelago
• Tarsiers
• Birds of Paradise
• Maleo Birds
• Mias/Orang Utan
• Crocodiles
• Pythons
• Hornbills
• Butterflies
• The collection of specimens - why and how?
• Extinction - purpose served by the modern voyage
• The tropical rainforest
• Danger in the jungle
• Survival of the fittest/adaptation to surroundings
• Formulation of the theory of natural selection
• Tourism and its impact on the environment

Science

• A short history of scientific exploration (link with history)
• Cataloguing species
• Naturally-powered boats
• Model boat building
• Creating an earthquake detector
• Vulcanology
• Building a class coral reef
• Making a model volcano
• The effect of currents at sea
• Sails and wind-power
• Cleaning sea water for drinking
• A healthy diet aboard ship
• Creating one's own fossils
• Making detailed observations of a local natural habitat
• The creatures of my immediate environment
• Pollution - the causes and ways of avoiding pollution
• Wallace's contribution to scientific knowledge

Arts & Crafts

• Designing a large map to plot Tim Severin's progress
• Create an appropriate flag for the Alfred Wallace
• Batik work - traditional Indonesian craft
• Making a bookmark linked to the story
• Carve some wood along designs suggested in The Malay Archipelago
• Pattern work
• Make a mobile using intricate butterfly-wing designs
• Clay modelling
• Make a scale model of the region
• Decorate a calendar of the voyage
• Write and illustrate a storyboard for the trip
• Frieze work based on both voyages

Drama

• Write and perform a mini-drama of the voyage
• Dramatise the natives' reactions on meeting Wallace
• Role-play
• Monologues
• Dialogues
• Mime
• One-to-one interviews
• Language exploration - explore words associated with story and act out particular scenes
• Daily/weekly TV reports on the voyage

Maths

• Time
• Measuring speed and distance at sea
• Average speed
• Measurements of depth
• Imperial vs. metric methods of measurement
• Scale - designing a prau to scale
• Creating an appropriate time line
• Latitude and Longitude
• Time zones and time difference
• Graph-making

Technology

• Communications in Wallace's time
• Navigation by satellite
• Safety equipment
• Ship-to-shore contact
• Keeping the equipment operational aboard an exposed vessel

Guide for Teachers