Week 2: Day Five

Final Interviews

Today we conducted our final interviews, you can see some of them here.

Week 2: Day Four

Acton Depot

Today we visited Acton Depot where they keep a lot of the old trains and other equipment and fix them up.

Vicki showed us round and we saw a maze of old tube station signs and maps.

Bob Bird, the curator, showed us how the '38 train worked and we learnt how to open and close the doors safely and we used the train whistle.

We also conducted some interviews, one was with Ollie who told us about how someone tried to commit suicide by jumping in front of his train. Luckily, Ollie was able to stop in time. We also interviewed Anne who was the youngest female tube driver ever!

Week 2: Day Three

Special skills and interviews

This morning we were learning how to use the cameras and the microphone.

We learnt how to use the gun mic which looks like a gun wrapped in a bit of fluff so that it looks like a fox’s tail! We had to point the gun mic at the person who’s talking. It had to be close enough to pick up the sounds but also not in the camera’s way. It was really difficult to hold the microphone still for a long time. Also, we learnt how to adjust the cameras special settings to make the shot look perfect. For instance, white balance, iris, focus, framing as well as the level of sound.

When we were confident using the equipment we were ready to practice some interviews. We were interviewing Mr Ajiban, our teaching assistant, and Miss Scheinider, Gateway’s Deputy Head. While interviewing, Miss Scheinider told us that she once got stuck in the train and all the lights went out in the tunnel and she said it was really dark and scary. We interviewed Mr Harwood (teacher) afterwards and he said that he didn’t like going on the tube during the rush hours because everyone kept barging each other to get to a seat. Now Mr Harwood comes to school by bike.

We are looking forward to conducting more interviews at the Acton Train Depot tomorrow. We are all very very excited!

Week 2: Day Two

Research and Development

Today we learnt about the importance of cutaways in keeping our films visually interesting and about the rule of thirds to place our interviewees in the best place. We also got our hands on the cameras and worked our way through WIFFLE which is a way to remember the steps you need to go through before starting to film.

Then Peter Daniel from City of Westminster Archives talked to us about the history of the London tube with particular reference to where we live. We filled in worksheets to help us remember what we had learned. We then discussed the advantages and disadvantages of traditional and oral history. We finished the day by developing our questions for passengers and workers on the tube and we'll try these out tomorrow.

Week 2: Day One

A trip to the London Transport Museum

Exploring the Museum

Gateway Primary school spent the day at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. They took part in a drama project looking at different aspects of the history of the tube and after some research around the museum and much rehearsing they performed their plays to the whole group.

Performing

In the afternoon they watched a film about the first 100 years of the London Underground and then explored the museum on a fact hunt, looking for the answers to prepared questions.

Shillibeer's Omnibus, it's popularity led to the clogging up of London's streets and an underground train was thought to be needed.

On Shillibeer's Omnibus

Day Five

DAY 5

ACTON DEPOT & WRITING A BOOK

What did we do today?

 

Group 1 spent the morning practising their focusing and concentration skills. We meditated and relaxed ourselves for a whole day full of hard work. After this, we wrote some stories based on the London Underground and on what we learnt from our visitors on Day 4. We managed to finish off our creative writing pieces and we are also in the process of creating a rap. While we were doing this,

 
Group 2 spent the day at Acton Depot, where they interviewed several people there and looked around at the trains on site.

What did we learn?

We've learnt how to correct and identify mistakes in our written pieces. We were also able to build suspense and create interesting and imaginative yet factual stories. Furthermore, we learnt that we should always finish a task once we start it so we've been working hard to complete our written work.
Group 2 learnt a lot about how the tube trains actually work from Bob Bird the curator at Acton Depot.

What did we find most fun and interesting?

We found working together fun as a group as we were able to discuss facts. Sharing our ideas around the room and getting our points across was really helpful in developing our pieces and writing more things on top of our stories. 

At Acton Depot we got to open and close the doors of a real '38 tube stock train and interviewed two current tube workers.

Day Four

DAY 4

Interviews and Stories

Eugene and Ismay Small (above)

 What did we do?

Tom O'Riordan (above)

Today, we were visited by people who used to work in the London Underground. We were able to listen to their stories and experiences of their time while they worked. Most of them brought objects such as parts of uniform, train models and photographs taken when they were much younger. We also had the chance to ask our visitors questions about their time and what people used to do in the Underground. The visitors also asked us questions about

things such as our favourite tube line. Some of their stories were really interesting and funny, but some of them were really sad.

Some of us went off to prepare and carry out official interviews and recorded our interviewees for our film.

                                                                                                                 

What did we learn?

Charles Horsey (above)

We learnt about people's experiences and a bit more about the history of the London Underground. This developed our general knowledge which improved our own writing and we also learnt that trains and travelling in the tube can be really dangerous and running the system is a very difficult and time-consuming job.

In terms of skills, we learnt that to write good stories and poetry you have to concentrate on your work. The skills we learnt to improve include concentration, focusing and learning to discuss as a group. We also learnt how to listen to people when they talk and when to start speaking and ask questions.

What was most fun?

Allen Tyrell (above)

We listened to the stories told by visitors which were really interesting and entertaining. It was great interviewing the people and recording them on camera. We also found looking at and touching real object and train models, brought in by some of our guests, really helpful at understanding the stories and history. Overall, it was really fun experience.

 

Day Three

Day 3

Writing and Filming


What did we do today?

Today, we were split into our reading and filming groups and were sent to different rooms. Group 1 (the filming group), went into the studio where they prepared for the interviews and learnt a few camera and audio skills. Group 2 (Writing group), on the other hand, began to develop some of our writng pieces from Day 2. During our first session, Michael brought us in some poetry about trains by John Betjamen and we read these poems as a group. After this, we began to continue with our story writing and started on our own London underground poetry.

What did we learn?

In Group 2, we learnt how to read, analyse and intepret poetry, in particular, the train poetry written by John Betjamen a famous English poet. In addition, we also learnt how to develop our reading and writing skills in order to improve our own stories and poetry pieces.

In Group 1, we learnt more on how to use film equipment and adjust these devices to correctly conduct our interviews. We also learnt about the procedures involved with film-making and carried out our own practice interviews.

What did we find most fun and interesting?

Discussing as part of a group was really fun and sharing ideas was really helpful at getting to understand poetry. Making up our own characters and stories was fun to do and took a lot of imagination. Also, using the film  eqiupment was really fun to use and practice with!



Day Two

ARCHIVE VISIT

Where did we go?

We visited The Camden Local History Archive Centre to gather round more facts and information about The London Underground. We compared the older underground to the present day underground system of 2013.

What did we do at the Archive Centre?

First we were taken around the exhibition where we looked at the images and read new facts about events during the time of the construction in the underground. After this,we were split into groups of six and were assigned to different areas of the archive centre.

Some of us were based in the reading rooms, some looked at the display boards, some observed the maps dating nearly 100 years ago while others looked at photographs and drawings. After 10 minutes at each section we switched areas with other groups and moved around the archive.

What did we learn from our visit?

We learnt new facts that we didn't learn from the museum visit. For example, we found out that there were no trains on Sundays and the underground fare used to cost 40p. Although it was a good system, not everyone supported the London Underground, which resulted in the bombing of one of the stations.

We also found out, as time passed, that the tube lines grew and the number or stations arond London increased.

What did we find fun and interesting about our visit to the archive?

Looking around the archive and exploring all areas was really fun and interesting. Comparing the older maps with the new maps helped us learn about the changes to London during the development of the Underground. Also, working in groups was really fun and allowed us to gather all types of ideas and opinions.

Day One

DAY 1: MUSEUM VISIT

Where did we go?

We went to The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden where we went to study the history of The London Underground for our film 'GOING UNDERGROUND'.

What did we do at the museum and what did we learn?

First, we watched and then performed dramas based on the history and stories from The London Underground. After that, we watched a 15 minute clip of the London Underground history and learnt about the purpose of the Underground during events such as the First and Second World Wars. We also compared the old steam trains from 150 years ago with our modern day electric trains and had the chance to actually sit in one of the old trains.

What did we find fun and interesting from our visit?

Learning new things that we didn't know before our visit to the London Transport Museum was really interesting and fun. Things we didn't previously know really helped us learn about life during the 150 years of London transport. We had fun searching the museum for the answers to questions we were given, which allowed us to explore the museum and read new facts. Exploring the museum was one of the best aspects of the visit and going on the buses and trains was a really good experience. All in all, it was a really fun visit and really helped us to gain more knowledge of the history of the London Underground.