Home education: Subjects to teach

History and Geography

In South Tyneside

There is history and geography all around us.

In South Tyneside, there's the Coast, and the River Tyne.

There's the transport system - Tyne tunnel(s), (the cyclists and pedestrians tunnels), the Metro system, road transport, and the Shields Ferry.

There are local museums and historic sites including:

There is history and geography in every street:

  • What are those square, bricked-up holes at the backs of houses?
  • How do sand-hills form?
  • What happened to the rock arch at Marsden?
  • What was Cassius Clay doing in South Shields in 1977?
  • What made people come here from Scandinavia? Rome? Normandy? Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Cornwall? The Yemen? Bangladesh? Eastern Europe?

What went on in:

  • Templetown (1805-1826)
  • St. Hilda's (1810-1940)
  • West Harton (1844-1969)
  • Boldon (1869-1982)
  • Marsden (1879-1968)
  • Whitburn (1879-1968)
  • Westoe (1909-1993)?

Outside of South Tyneside

There are a number of places you can go to in the north east to learn about history and geography:

  • Durham
  • Beamish
  • Newcastle Station
  • Newcastle Airport
  • Roman Wall

You can find relevant museums and galleries in:

  • Newcastle
  • North Shields
  • Gateshead
  • Sunderland

Things to do

  • Get a day ticket and travel the whole of the Metro system, from South Hylton to the Airport and South Shields to St James's Park (via Tynemouth)
  • Go to your local supermarket and find out which countries the food comes from
  • Find out the types of cars in your street and research where they were built
  • Ask people who lived through them about the Second World War or the Sixties

Try to plan ahead. For example the Romans in summer, transport in autumn, wars and conflicts in winter, and jobs and industry in spring.

Resources

  • Books - You can find books on history and geography in bookshops and libraries
  • Television - you can watch relevant documentaries on the television