This week, students in Upper 3 were quiver-y with excitement during their combined History and Design interdisciplinary lesson. They studied the longbow from the middle ages and learned what an incredible weapon it was.
Students looked at how traditional bows were made from yew because of the structural properties of the heartwood and sapwood of this species of tree. They had to consider forces, trajectory and even how the musculoskeletal frame of archers changed as their bodies adapted to the huge draw weights of the longbow. After the theory lesson the girls then had the opportunity to actually try out a full size longbow with real arrows.
Students saw the return of the TH target shooting competition in which the girls had to try to hit a target which proved far more difficult than it seemed. However, more girls than ever managed to hit the target with some excellent archery skills on show. The girls also learned how a trebuchet worked and experimented with using different size counterweights to make the projectile go further. They also had the opportunity to study a siege tower by looking at our scale model with a working drawbridge. There was of course medieval mead (non-alcoholic) to sample.
Thanks go to the Design team once again, for hitting the bullseye with their interdisciplinary lessons.
