Welcome to Class 4 - Holker Hall!

What does Maafa mean? Maafa, the Swahili word for “great disaster” or “great tragedy,” is a term used to refer to the centuries-long enslavement of millions of Africans by white Europeans, North Americans, and others—and the lasting impacts on African Peoples and the descendants of those who were enslaved.

In the Maafa project, you will learn about Africa today and the ancient kingdoms that thrived on the continent for thousands of years. You will learn about the origins of the transatlantic slave trade in the 15th century and Britain’s involvement from the time of Elizabeth I, when John Hawkins became the first British slave trader. You will understand the structure of the transatlantic slave trade and the consequences of enslavement for enslaved people. You will also discover how the people of Britain benefited from the money and goods produced by the slave trade. You will learn about the causes and consequences of the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, the worldwide African diaspora and the European colonisation in Africa. You will explore the lives and actions of black people in 20th century Britain. You will understand how the Race Relations Act of 1965 became the first piece of British legislation to tackle racial discrimination and know that the Equality Act 2010 provides people with protection against racism and other forms of discrimination, today. You will also explore the lives of black people who have made significant contributions to Britain and will celebrate black culture in Britain today.

In the Sow, Grow and Farm project, you will learn about allotments in the United Kingdom and how the government encouraged people to have them to support food rationing during the Second World War. You will learn about food webs and animal life cycles, including how living things are dependent on one another within a habitat. You will investigate the different ways that plants reproduce and will dissect flowering plants to identify the different structures. You will have the opportunity to learn about farming in the United Kingdom and the techniques used in modern farming, including the challenges that farmers face. You will learn about the benefits of eating seasonally and about the pros and cons of importing food. You will also learn about world farming and how the different climate zones affect where different foods can be grown.

In the Groundbreaking Greeks project, you will learn about different periods of Greek history, exploring the earliest civilisations, the devastation of the Dark Age and the breakthroughs and developments of the Archaic and Classical periods. You will understand how the geography of Greece affected the development of city states and explore Athens, learning about the structure of the government and society. You will get to know some of the most significant Athenians and understand why Greek art, culture, architecture, philosophy, medicine and mathematics were so significant. You will learn about the leadership of Alexander the Great and discover how ancient Greece became part of the Roman Empire after the Hellenistic period. You will explore how the Romans respected and developed Greek ideas, making them their own and spreading them throughout the Roman Empire. To end the project, you will decide which was the ancient Greeks' greatest idea, and explore how the legacy of ancient Greece affects our lives today.