The Whitechapel Gallery's pioneering Education programme Archive Adventures enables children in the London borough of Tower Hamlets to articulate and record their own experiences of life in East London, adding their voices to an exciting, evolving, online history

The story of London's East End is extremely rich and diverse. Protest and celebration, industry and poverty, war and immigration have all left their mark on this fascinating area.

From the arrival of the Romans in 43AD, East London has been a place of settlement and refuge for centuries. Irish immigrants came looking for work in the 1600s, while French Huguenots in the 1700s and European Jews in the 1900s came fleeing religious persecution. The area was also the site for London's first Chinatown and more recently, Bengali and Somali communities have made it their home.

The Whitechapel Gallery is at the heart of East London, home to over 160 galleries and thousands of artists. Since 1901, the Gallery has been providing a platform for Britain's most significant artists from Gilbert & George to Lucien Freud, Peter Doig and Mark Wallinger and has also premiered key international artists such as Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Frida Kahlo and Nan Goldin.

The Archive Adventure's timeline explores some of the many events, exhibitions and people that have contributed to the diverse history of Tower Hamlets and the Whitechapel Gallery.

Our Archive Adventure begins in 1884 with the opening of Toynbee Hall whose founders were instrumental in the creation of the Whitechapel Gallery. The Gallery's exhibition programme always looks to reflect the international outlook of its surrounding area and in turn, introduce contemporary art from around the world and help shape and inform culture.

Through Archive Adventures pupils will cover the following elements from the National Curriculum for Art and Design, History, ICT, Citizenship and English.

Art and Design

• Exploring and developing ideas

• Investigating and making art, craft and design

• Evaluating and developing work

• Knowledge and understanding

Breadth of Study

During the project, pupils will be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through:

• exploring their school and local area history as a starting point for practical work

• collaborating with others, in two and three dimensions and on different scales

• using a range of materials and processes, including ICT and digital media

• investigating art, and history in the locality during visits to museums, on the internet and through the work of practicing artists an historians.

History

• Chronological understanding

• Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past

• Historical interpretation

• Historical enquiry

• Organisation and communication

Breadth of Study

During the project, pupils will be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through the history of the school and it's local community. The main focus of the project relates to a local history study, investigating how an aspect in the local area has changed over a long period of time, or how the locality was affected by a significant event, development or by the work of an individual. Depending on the school's history, elements from other historical periods may be referenced.

Citizenship

• Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities

• Preparing to play an active role as citizens

• Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people

ICT

• Finding things out

• Developing ideas and making things happen

• Exchanging and sharing information

• Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses

English

• Speaking: To speak with confidence in a range of contexts, adapting their speech for a range of purposes and audiences.

• Listening: To listen, understand and respond appropriately to others.

• Group discussion and interaction: To talk effectively as members of a group.

Download Teachers Notes

Click here to download the accompanying Teachers Notes.