Exploring Our Past: From Stone Age Ireland to Ancient Civilizations · 3rd Year

Active learning ideas

Tom Crean: Irish Antarctic Hero

Active learning works especially well for Tom Crean’s story because his life was defined by action and endurance. Students understand abstract concepts like bravery and teamwork more deeply when they step into his boots through role play, problem-solving, and tactile exploration of artifacts. This approach brings his journey from Kerry to the ice shelf to life in a way that lectures and videos cannot.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Life, society, work and culture in the past
• NCCA: Primary - Story

• 25–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 35 min · Small Groups

Role Play: The Decision at the Ice

Students act out the moment Shackleton had to choose who would stay behind and who would go on the small boat to South Georgia. They must argue for their inclusion based on their 'skills' (e.g., navigator, cook, strong rower).

Analyze the character traits necessary to survive an Antarctic expedition.

Facilitation Tip

During the role play, assign roles based on actual expedition team roles so students grasp the hierarchy and community within the team.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are part of Tom Crean's expedition. What one piece of advice from his experiences would you share with a new team member joining today?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to cite specific traits or events from Crean's life.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Packing for the Pole

Groups are given a list of 20 items (e.g., chocolate, wool socks, a banjo, a compass). They can only take 10. They must justify their choices based on survival vs. morale.

Explain how Tom Crean's background prepared him for exploration.

Facilitation Tip

For the ‘Packing for the Pole’ activity, provide a mix of modern and period-appropriate items to prompt discussion about how limited resources shaped survival decisions.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, fictional scenario describing a modern-day survival challenge (e.g., a hiking group lost in a blizzard). Ask them to identify two character traits Tom Crean possessed that would be most helpful in this situation and briefly explain why.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Crean's Medals

Display images of the three Polar Medals Crean won. Students move around to read short snippets of the 'brave acts' associated with each medal and rank them in order of difficulty.

Justify why Tom Crean is remembered as a hero today.

Facilitation Tip

Set clear timings for the Gallery Walk to keep students focused on close observation and comparison of Crean’s medals and their significance.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence explaining how Tom Crean's background in Kerry might have prepared him for the Antarctic. Then, ask them to list one modern invention that would have made his expeditions significantly easier.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should frame Crean’s story as one of quiet leadership and adaptability rather than dramatic heroism alone. Avoid overemphasizing the danger as entertainment; instead, focus on the daily realities of exhaustion, isolation, and problem-solving. Research shows that students connect more deeply with historical figures when they see the ordinary skills and mindset that enabled extraordinary acts. Use Crean’s modesty as a teaching point about how real heroism often goes unnoticed in the moment.

By the end of these activities, students will be able to explain Crean’s role in the expeditions, identify the physical and emotional challenges of Antarctic exploration, and reflect on how personal background shapes resilience. They will also practice historical empathy by analyzing primary evidence and making thoughtful decisions based on limited information.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Role Play: The Decision at the Ice, watch for students who assume Crean was the expedition leader.

  Direct students to the expedition roles listed on the role cards and have them refer to historical records showing Crean’s rank as petty officer. Ask them to discuss how his actions, not his title, made him indispensable.

• During the Collaborative Investigation: Packing for the Pole, students may think Antarctica’s cold is similar to an Irish winter.

  Have students compare temperature data on a chart, then test tying knots with thick mittens to simulate dexterity challenges. Point out how even small tasks become monumental in extreme cold.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk