Sessions at Newport Roman Villa
Things to see at Newport Roman Villa
• An excellent example of a winged-corridor house from approximately 1800 years ago.
• One of the best preserved domestic bath suites in the country.
• An exhibition of objects discovered at Newport Villa and at other Island illustrating the way of life of the well-to-do farm owner.
• Several superb reconstructions based on the latest archaeological evidence.
• A re-created Roman kitchen in the education room that brings Roman food and cooking to life.
• A Roman-style garden that provides an insight into the wealth of new plants the Romans introduced to Britain.
Provision for educational groups (15-60 students)
Programmes are designed to support:
• Key Stage 2 visits in connection with QCA units ‘Why have people invaded Britain in the past? A Roman Case Study’ and ‘What can we learn about Roman settlement from remains in our locality?’
• Key Stage 3 visits in connection with a study of the Roman Empire as part of ‘A European study before 1914’.
Programmes can also be adapted to focus on other curriculum areas such as the 'Creative Curriculum'.
Educational visits can include:
• Villa tour (approx 30 mins)
Tours are free to groups of 20 or more. Pupils learn about the use of archaeological evidence and about aspects of life in Roman Britain. Museum staff use questioning techniques to promote learning.
• Photo-hunt (approx 30 mins)
Students take part in a photo-hunt, searching for items around the villa, identifying items and then sketching them.
• Education Room activities (approx one hour)
Museum staff will introduce and organise the rotation of activities (choose 3 from the options below). A member of your staff is required to supervise each group. Students will spend about 20 minutes on each activity. The room can accommodate up to 30 students. Groups of 30 plus can be split into two sections, so that one section has the tour and photo-hunt, while the other completes the rotation of activities in the education; the two sections then swap.
• Mosaic making (Key Stage 2)
Students study the mosaics at the villa and learn how they were made. They then complete design templates using replica tesserae pieces or design a missing middle panel, using inspiration from other pictures of other British designs and clues from the villa. It is handy to have a camera to record student’s designs as tesserae are re-used by each group.
• What did the villa owners wear? (Key Stage 2 or3)
A facilitator will give a short introduction on spinning and weaving, demonstrating how to use a spindle and the loom. Students can then try on replica clothing and spin and weave their own cloth.
• What's cooking? (Key Stage 2 or 3)
The education room includes a reconstructed kitchen, with a raised hearth, quern stone, replica food and cooking equipment. Students grind corn herbsand spices and to learn how food was prepared and cooked in Roman times. Fresh herbs can be picked from our herb garden. Students can also think about similarities and differences between Roman-British food and that of the present day.
• Material match-up (Key Stage 3)
Students will be given the opportunity to think like archaeologists, hypothesizing about what materials are made from and used for and learning about the difficulties involved in interpreting archaeological materials. They will be provided with a variety of villa materials, such as roof tiles and try to match with definitions provided and sketch each material. Time permitting they can also construct a Roman roof and create a Roman arch.
• Kitchen archaeology (Key Stage 3)
Students will investigate what the villa inhabitants ate and the pottery they used by looking at and interpreting archaeological material (original and replica material, including animal remains and pottery sherds). They will learn about foods and cooking practices used in Roman Briton and trading links with the wider Roman Empire.
• Roman bathing (Key Stage 3)
This activity will help students appreciate how Roman habits were adopted in Britain and how the villa remains, artefacts and other sources help us to understand their bathing customs. Students will study a box of replica beauty and hygiene artifacts, use some of the objects and try on replica clothing items which relate to bathing.
Free planning visits
Teachers are encouraged to make a preparatory visit. This is free of charge, and offers and opportunity to complete your own risk assessment. A risk assessment for the site has been produced by the LEA. This risk assessments is provided as “models” only to be adapted by schools for their own use and to meet individual school requirements. To view the form go to Eduwight.
Cost
| Type of visit | Length of visit required | Cost |
| Standard visit (museum entry, tour) | One hour – one hour thirty minutes | Students £1.75; group leaders free |
| Enhanced visit (museum entry, tour, photo-hunt and education room activities run by museum staff) | Two hours – two hours thirty minutes | Students £2.50; group leaders free |
• Please pay the admission charge by cash or cheque on arrival. Cheques should be made payable to the Isle of Wight Council. We do not have credit card facilities. Invoices can be sent by prior arrangement only.
• We have limited indoor facilities for lunch. The education room can be made available for groups of 30 or less if it is not being used by other groups. Grassed areas are available outside weather permitting.
• For more information about Newport Roman villa log onto www.iow.gov.uk/council/departments/museums or call 01983 523112.