NWT Heritage Fairs: Teachers Resources Manual
Heritage Fairs Teacher's Guide
Background for Teacher's Guide
Heritage Fairs in the NWT are coordinated by the NWT Heritage Fairs Society. This volunteer-based organization is dedicated to encouraging young people in the NWT to explore and share the histories of their family or community, as well as the heritage of the people and places of the Northwest Territories and Canada.
Heritage Fair projects encourage students to develop good research skills using a variety of sources. Projects are intended to encourage students to pursue topics that have a meaningful connection to their lives. Research that goes beyond the use of books and the Internet is encouraged, and this kind of research may involve other skills such as interviewing, collecting artefacts, photography and the use of multi-media technology. Heritage Fairs are not an ‘extra’ or an ‘add on’ to what teachers are already doing in their classroom. Rather, they provide practical ways to teach much of the curricula for which they are responsible.
Suggestions for Bringing Heritage Fairs to Life
While there are many paths to a successful Heritage Fair in your school community this Teacher’s Guide is a collection of the wisdom of many teachers who have participated in Fairs in the Northwest Territories over the last 10 years. A growing body of research and experience in the North suggests that for projects to successfully explore ‘heritage’, there are certain approaches that offer helpful starting points. This Teacher’s Guide will outline how you can promote quality heritage–based project work in your students, especially projects which have significant personal connections.
Next - Activity 1: What is 'Heritage'? »
