COAL MINING WITH FOLK ARTS AND POETRY - a cross curricular resource for Primary Schools

This pack brings some background information about coal mining together with songs and poems that can be used in primary schools to explore and analyse the issues surrounding coal mining. It was created by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in partnership with the National Coal Mining Museum for England.

There is a wealth of folk music, song and dance associated with coal mining. The living conditions of mining families also feature in songs, as do tales of child labour and poverty. There are many songs about the different jobs and roles that people had, and sad laments about mining disasters that occurred. There is also the rapper dance tradition that grew from coal mining communities in the North East, and tunes that accompanied the dances.

The material presented in this pack has all been tried and tested with visitors to the National Coal Mining Museum for England, pupils at Flockton C of E (c) First School, Wakefield (thanks to the East Peak Industrial Heritage Support Programme), and also in The Full English school projects at St John with St Mark CofE Primary School, Bury and Shawlands Primary School, Barnsley.

All the material can be used to explore themes of local history, industrial revolution, child labour, poverty and social change. The material is aimed at primary age children and their teachers.

ACCOMPANYING AUDIO TRACKS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE AT http://efdss.org/efdss-education/resource-bank/resources-and-teaching-tools/coal-mining-with-folk-arts-and-poetry