About Heritage
Heritage
Research shows that students who know their heritage perfom better at school and have higher self-esteem. But where do teachers start in trying to make their pupils more aware of their heritage and the community they live in?
This theme on Planet looks into some of the ways that Planet can help you create lessons to reinforce cultural identity, from the wide range of multi-cultural resources to the excellent partner links we're developing.
You can also check out the Cultural Heritage & Achievement PDF, which contains links to some of the research studies.
Finally, don't forget to check out the Heritage page on the corporate site for details on how technology & heritage could boost student achievement.
In the ActivClassroom
There are many ways that Promethean Planet can facilitate the teaching of heritage, community and cultural awareness.
Within this short piece of editorial we take a look at a wide range of options, from learning about Black History from the themes section, to taking a trip to a Hindu temple with our wide range of resource packs.
Be sure to also check out the Elluminate section where you can learn about creating your own links with other schools to become part of an even wider, global community.
Resource Packs
What can a resource pack reveal that relates to heritage? Quite a bit, actually! The diverse range of resource packs on Planet covers various aspects of daily life, both past and present, that can be used to explore our heritage. Here are a few examples.
Food - Food makes up a huge part of our history, with many recipes and ingredients local to us. Take for example, salsa and tortillas from Mexico, brioche from France or bananas from Africa, all famous for their country of origin.
Culture - There are many resource packs on Planet that contain images of people, maps, clothing, monuments and scenery, specifically collated for that country, which indicate cultural differences between us.
History - What can resource packs tell us about our ancestors? Take, for example our resource pack on Native Americans. This pack features original drawings and paintings of Native Americans, plus some original maps and American-themed backgrounds to start your own discussions.
Events - So many events have shaped our future. It's important to learn about the causes and the people involved to see what impact they've had on modern day society. This resource pack from English Heritage shows the role that women played in World War II England, and their contribution to the war effort.
Politics - Our politicians and government shape the way we behave, but not all politics have run smoothly. This resource pack on African-American Civil Rights looks at key figures involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
Themed Lesson Ideas
Minimize your lesson preparation time with these creative ideas for teaching heritage. Our themes section contains a wide variety of teacher-submitted lessons and resource packs, all centered around a particular topic, or theme. We even provide ideas for using the software in your lessons (for example, how to use the screen recorder tool).
Below are some examples of themes that relate to your heritage lessons.
Planet Partners
The Planet team work with some great partner organizations to bring to you their excellent content, ready for use on your ActivBoard. Partner resources may include flipchart lessons or resource packs, all free to download, which enable you to bring in rich material to create your lesson.
A great example of finding out about heritage is the English Heritage NMR (National Monuments Record) partner section on Promethean Planet.
The National Monuments Record is the public archives division of English Heritage and is one of the largest publicly accessible archives in the UK and the biggest dedicated to the historic environment. The archives contain over 10 million documents, from photographs to plans and reports, and cover a range of topics, from archaeology to architecture.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center explores the slavery era of the Underground Railroad, challenging and inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom today.
The resources available use key objects from American history to explore the struggle against slavery, telling the story of the resistance to slavery, but also raising awareness of civil rights.
If you like these resources, please visit the Freedom Center (NURFC) partner section for more images and podcasts.
Flipcharts: See What Other Teachers are Teaching!
Wow! With thousands of resources available to download, where do you start? The flipcharts on Promethean Planet have all been submitted by other teachers from across the globe. It's an ideal opportunity to minimize your lesson preparation time and download something that's already been lovingly created by another teacher.
Here's a small selection of some of the flipcharts on Planet that have been created by teachers to help your students understand about different cultures, from Maori to Mexican, Chinese to Canadian. Just use the keyword search in the section to track down exactly what you're looking for.
ActivRoom: Bring Culture to the Classroom
One of the best ways to find out about other cultures is to experience it first-hand, but how do you do this when your classroom is separated by thousands of miles of land and oceans?
The Planet team are pleased to be partnering with Elluminate to provide members with their very own vRoom, a virtual online meeting space that you can use as a virtual classroom.
Your vRoom allows you to connect up to three users or ActivClassrooms via your ActivBoard and internet connection to communicate, exchange ideas and experiences, and share your desktop and flipcharts.
ActivInspire Resources
It's a good time-saving tip to remember that you actually have a huge image bank of resources already at your fingertips when you upgrade to ActivInspire.
Many of the resources feature a more multi-cultural and ethnically diverse range of images, such as the one above.
Research
Where Do I Start?
This section contains a selection of external links that will enable pupils to start tracing and understanding their own unique heritage.
Where Do I Start?
These links are a great starting point for anyone about to investigate their family genealogy.
Start Finding Your Family Tree
This article has been prepared with the assistance of Toni Grundstrom (georgelarson) and is a great starting point for anyone looking to research their family tree.
When you start your family genealogy research you will want to locate certain types of genealogy records such as birth and death, marriage and divorce, year of immigration, or occupation. There are billions of online family records to search to find matches for your family tree. Here are some ideas of where to access government genealogy records.
- Step 1 - Genealogy Records
- Step 2 - Specific or Unique Records
- Step 3 - Information from The Government
- Step 4 - Vital Statistics from Other Countries
- Step 5 - Free Genealogy Records Website
Learn More
This article 'Start Finding Your Family Tree' can be viewed in its entirety from this Planet PDF.