School Workshops
Ignite their curiosity, inspire their creativity and have them solve history's great mystery!
Qualified teacher-led workshops and visits
Combine the passion and excitement of an author with the engagement and energy of a teacher!
Author Amy Roskilly brings history to life with the same passion she was known for in the classroom. As a KS2 teacher and subject lead, she spent ten years mummifying oranges, sending semaphore signals across the playground and handling original WW1 artefacts. History was never meant to be delivered on a page or worksheet — it’s something to be lived, breathed and fully experienced. Now, Amy channels that drive into writing adventurous and factual historical mystery books for kids, where real-life history leaps off the page in exciting and unforgettable ways.
Amy will work with your school to create a workshop experience that encompasses your goals for the term and supports your learning aims. If literacy is your focus, then let’s discuss suspense writing, engaging all your student's senses to set the scene and acting their way through the plot. If history is your bag then lets get our detective hats on and explore the mystery as a detective would investigate a crime, we’ll follow the clues, weigh up the evidence and see if we can solve the mystery!
With our fully-resourced lesson packs, including complete plans and activity break-downs, you can continue your students’ learning and use your visit to launch an ongoing unit of work that will leave them with their own fully investigated, written and illustrated Clueless Club book chapter.
All workshops can be tailored to your schools' learning needs and timetable requirements so please get in touch to discuss how the Clueless Club could support your curriculum.
Please explore some of our workshops below and then get in touch for more information today!
Assemblies
An assembly with author Amy Roskilly. Spark your students’ curiosity as they join members of the Clueless Club on a mission to solve history’s greatest mystery: the missing crew and passengers of the Mary Celeste.
Amy will share the opening chapter of The Clueless Club Takes on the Mary Celeste, discuss some of the wild and outlandish theories that have been put forward over the years. The session allows for pupils to discuss and offer their own ideas.
Conclude the session with a Q & A about all things writing, books, history and mysteries!
Who: Author only
Recommended ages: Years 4/5/6
Suggested timings: 1 hour
Workshops
Investigation/History workshop
Introduce your students to the haunting mystery of the Mary Celeste through a dramatic reenactment before
exploring the clues and evidence left behind and drawing their own dramatic conclusions.
Key skills:
-
Critical thinking
-
Evaluating evidence
-
Reasoning
-
Constructing plausible conclusions
-
Presenting/defending ideas
-
Drawing evidence-based conclusions
Who: Author only
Recommended ages: Years 4/5/6
Suggested timings: Half day
Creative writing workshop
Bring the ghostly deck of the Mary Celeste to life with a drama starter before exploring the location with our senses and learning how to get your readers' spine tingling with suspense and atmosphere. There will be a chance to hear some examples as well as developing a plan and ideas for their own stories.
Key skills:
-
Dramatic expression
-
Descriptive writing
-
Scene setting
-
Building suspense
-
Creating atmosphere
Who: Author only
Recommended ages: Years 4/5/6
Suggested timings: Half day
A Book in a day workshop
Live and breathe the book The Clueless Club Takes on the Mary Celeste in a single day!
We'll kick off the day with an assembly, introducing the topic and sharing the opening chapter of the book to set the scene of the mystery.
Throughout the day, students will break off into groups to participate in two exciting workshops:
-
Creative Writing Workshop
Join the author of The Clueless Club for an immersive session full of suspense and mystery! Students will dive into the world of investigation and craft their own suspense-filled stories under the guidance of the author.
-
Art & Illustration Workshop
Get creative with The Clueless Club illustrator, Lauren, in a hands-on session exploring character design and book illustration. Students will learn illustration techniques and bring their own scenes to life on the page.
We'll conclude the day by coming back together for a final assembly, sharing some of the students' wild theories before discussing the possible solution as we share the final chapter of the book.
Busy brains, critical thinking and a strong imagination are essential for this interactive, whole-school workshop, exploring everything from sea monsters and alien abductions to water spouts and pirates.
Who: Joint author and illustrator visit
Recommended ages: Years 3/4/5/6
Suggested timings: Full day (to suit your timetable)