to let DS do school project on Jack the Ripper?

[soupforbrains]

DS is 10. he is bright, loves reading and is a huge history buff.

Summer homework project is "Choose a famous Victorian to learn about and present what you learn in a creative way".

DS wants to do Jack the Ripper, DS is already aware of Jack the Ripper from the Horrible Histories books and some other kids books/shows which have discussed great unsolved mysteries.

I think this is a fun idea, and together we have discussed presenting the finding on a big board like and investigation/crime board. Obviously there will be some glossing over of the details and clearly we're not about to stick crime scene photos up. We've also discussed looking into the living conditions in the east end of london at the time to give more social history learning to it than just the crimes.

I'm not an idiot and I know that this idea is perhaps a bit risky but so long as we do it in an age appropriate and not over gory manner would IBU to let son do this. Additionally would any teachers out there consider it to be interesting and a bit different from the no doubt countless Isambard Kingdom Brunels which turn up, or a step too far?

Branestawm I think perhaps I should have clarified earlier.

when the project says 'present in a creative way' I don't think that it means present it to the class. I think it means as in a crime board, or a model of the beagle or a Wanted poster etc as opposed to just a page of writing. the instructions stipulates no powerpoint presentations and no posters though as apparently they've been done to death. I only haven't mentioned this sooner because I am not 100% certain that end projects won't be shared with class. but I'd say I'm 95%.

soupforbrains your presentation ideas for Burke and Hare/ Dr. Knox sound really good

when the project says 'present in a creative way' I don't think that it means present it to the class.

Then there's absolutely no reason for him not to look at whoever he wants. All the pearl clutching came from people worrying about the sensitive souls that would be exposed to the presentation and would then move heaven and earth to google inappropriate crime scene pictures. But apparently, they won't see or know anything about your son's project - so let him run with it.

You're checking his sources and your aware of what he's doing, and he knows he can come to you if he sees something he's not ready for, because you're aware of what he's doing - he doesn't have to hide it.
The teacher won't think anything of it.

Nothing will stifle his love of learning like telling him he can't look into and research the things he's actually interested in and that he has to look at things that have been 'approved' instead. That's when learning turns into a chore instead of a joy.

Can you imagine:

DS: I have to do this project and I'm really interested in this unsolved gruesome murder mystery, can I look into it with your help?
Op: Hmm, that's not very appropriate, how about we learn about this nice man who built a bridge instead?

Also, other reasons I think JtR would be interesting as a piece: it's the earliest surviving criminal profile done by the police and they pioneered its use on the JtR case. It was also one of the first cases to be covered in such a big way by the media.

Not only that, but the team investigating the JtR murders were the first to suggest taking photos of the corpse to preserve it for posterity - granted, they did it because they thought JtR's image would be preserved on the retinas of his victims, but it's still fascinating.

You could really do a whole thing on JtR without really going into detail on the crimes. Another thing - fingerprinting wasn't used but it was suggested in an article at the time as a possible means to find JtR. The article led to a scientist doing the first scientific appraisals of fingerprinting and, 10 years later, the Met caught their first murderers using that technology.

LOL at your role-played chat pretzel

I've messaged some of the other school parents to check on the presentation aspect but I'm also still going to take your suggestiong to him I think the Poo guy (as I'm afraid Bazalgette is going to be known) and particularly Burke,Hare&Knox might present something he's even more insterested in doing (because he doesn't know so much already so there will be more discovery to be had in this project)

Some ideas here...

eskify.com/10-unsolved-victorian-mysteries/

Burke and Hare were not Victorian, they did their body snatching between 1827 and 1828, Victoria came to the throne in 1837.

do it I took my son in june on a jack the ripper tour round Shoreditch he loved it has always been fascinated by this story and it was his 10 th birthday as well

It's a bit League of Gentlemen for 10 year olds to be doing a JTR project.

It's a shame about Burke and Hare (10 measly years!) Dr Knox was Victorian though. Surely as long as the person was alive during the Victorian era then their whole life is fair game?

After all, Queen Victoria herself existed before the Victorian era - would a presentation on her life only be able to start on the day she was crowned?

ah damn those dates! (but thanks for pointing out this obvious flaw) chemenger

Surely as long as the person was alive during the Victorian era then their whole life is fair game?
Before Victoria came to the throne was the Georgian Era, a whole different project. To me a project on a prominent Victorian has to be based on someone whose achievements were largely during the Victorian era. There were plenty of people who were born in the Victorian Era who did great things outside that period. If we're including people whose lifespan included part of Victoria's reign then Churchill and Alfred Hitchcock are possibles.

Go for it. It's a really interesting topic, and unless kids have changed since I was one - they love a good gory thing...that's why we had horrible histories!

I do wonder about some of the hypothetical children people get worked up about here. Sure, some kids are sensitive to this kind of thing, but the majority aren't bothered by blood, guts, horror and crime. Horrible Histories is the most popular non-fiction book series for kids for a reason. Why do you think the London dungeons are still open after 30 years? Kids love it!

I got my love of history (even though I'm an English teacher) through reading about things like the Black Death, the Salem Witch Trials and all that kind of stuff.

Anything that gets kids interested in history is a good thing, IMHO.

As a teacher who has taught this topic to Year 5 (by the sounds of it your son's year) I think it's in incredibly poor taste.

Jack The Ripper is not an 'age appropriate' person and his crimes shouldn't be glorified or 'glossed over'. He mutilated women's corpses, cutting their wombs out and disfiguring them etc.

There are many other Victorian's you could study who don't glamorise murder and mutilation.

I wouldn't allow it in my classroom, and I would probably dispose of it before sending it home too.

And just for clarity Burke was hanged and anatomised in 1828 (see his skeleton in the University of Edinburgh Museum), Hare was released after a not proven verdict and disappeared and Knox led quite an unexciting life and was never tried for any crime.

To those saying kids love a bit of gore - there you go

[Message from MNHQ] Image removed for being a bit graphic.

I'm going to bang on about John Snow and his pump a bit more (sorry!)

It satisfies the poo and death requirement, has mystery and detection and could be presented based around a map format.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ntYrtb4OFn4

chemenger yes part of why I liked the story of Burke and Hare when I was younger is that it has everything. There was the groundbreaking science and 'noble' cause, the desperation and opportunism, the turn darker and towards actual murder, the fact that they were in fact caught. and then the betrayal when Hare turned King's Witness and thus got a not guilty verdict, the poetic justice that having been found guilty and hanged Burke was dissected and displayed.

Ooooh serf I LOVE John Snow but I don't think we're talking about the same one....

Here are some body snatchers...

They're both good Actually all three.

This might be a good video to whet a ten year old's appetite (disclaimer - have only watched the first minute);

m.youtube.com/watch?v=lNjrAXGRda4

Harry Houdini might be a good one. Apols. if he's already been suggested.

To those saying kids love a bit of gore - there you go

Do you understand age appropriate?

My DD is a voracious reader and has read books including ones that discuss Jack the Ripper. She wanted to find out more so we dealt with it in a way that was appropriate for her age.

That didn't involve needing to see pics that were not age appropriate. We looked at images of Whitechapel and talked about poverty. We looked at images of the newspapers from the period. We looked at a pic of the letters.

Surprised as a teacher you're not disseminating there