Name: Due Date:

Social Studies 10: Heritage Connections Project

During this project, you will dig into the past and find out how other generations
(from your family) came to Canada, moved from place to place, built a life for
themselves, solved problems, celebrated traditions, practiced their culture, and
made memories. In essence, you will make connections between your ancestors life
in Canadas past and your life now.

You will investigate the past with some heritage research, an interview, and
some piecing together of stories.

Heritage means the legacy, values, and practices passed down to us by our family
and our society. Socials 9 students have explored the topic of heritage skills - how
things were differently in the past by their ancestors or others. Socials 11 students
explore post-war heritage -- the experiences of their ancestors or others in the
1940s-1980s. This Socials 10 project draws on the work in Socials 9 and will
provide a grounding for your work in Socials 11 -- a chance to explore your
roots and find out how you arrived at where you are today.

How does your own history and background (your heritage) fit into the larger
story of how Canada came of age?

What kinds of connections and interesting stories can you uncover from the
past?

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A note about FAMILIES

If your family is too complicated or painful to fit into this assignment, you might want
to consider an alternative. Trace a cultures passage through Canadian history (e.g.
Scottish, Irish, Chinese, Jamaican, etc.). Did the group immigrate in large numbers at
a particular time? Where did they settle? What kinds of jobs did they take? What were
some of their cultural activities and beliefs? Or maybe you could base your research
on someone you respect that has influenced your life, a step- parent, god-parent, and
so on (maybe a fairy-godmother?). So, when you see the word family below, you
may want to apply your own sense of what that means... not everyones family is
straight- forward. If family doesnt work for you, take a different approach.

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Part A Heritage Research

Where did your family come from?

What are your ethnic ties?

Find out about people, places, and events that are part of your past.

If you can, start by filling in a family tree. Someone in your family has probably
done something like this before, so be sure to ask them for help. Online sources like
Rootsweb, Genweb, and Familysearch can help, but it is way more productive to start
with what your family can tell you.

As you piece together histories and backgrounds, gather your evidence somewhere it
will remain useful (e.g. a file folder or a memory stick). Pay attention to things like
maps, flags, symbols, and cool photos.

Part B Interview

Pick someone in your family, or an elderly person you know, who can share some
knowledge of the past. You can start with these questions, or make your own. Think
carefully about how you will ask your questions, how you will record the responses,
and how you will present the results. Be a good listener, and give the interview
subject a chance to expand on their comments. Sometimes it helps to say, can you
tell me more about that?.

Sample questions (pick some and/ or make some of your own):

1. Where/when were you born? Describe your home, street, or town at the time.

2. When you were growing up, what were your favorite tv or radio programs?

3. What were your favorite activities or pastimes as a youth?

4. What was your family like? (jobs, personalities, skills, challenges)

5. How did your family come to live in Canada (or at least the town you grew up in)?

6. What did you and other boys and girls wear? drive?
 7. What were some events (local or global) that you remember from your childhood?

8. Did you or anyone in your family have a connection to any important local or world events?

9. How did you meet your spouse?

10. How was the world different then or now?

11. Are there any special heirlooms that have been passed down in your family?

12. Anything else, an interesting story?

13. What are some interesting beliefs that have been held in our family? Where did they originate?
How about cultural activities? Food? Music? Special Skills?

14. Were any members of your family connected to world events or the history of Canada? Wars,
railroads, rebellions, settlements?

15. What are some ordinary achievements in your family, like clearing land, building a business,
raising livestock, or surviving the Depression?

- To start, just come up with a list of people you could interview and start
picking out or writing down the questions you might ask them. Later, schedule
a time for the actual interview.

Critical thinking - As you prepare your project, try to make use of some of these ideas in your
work:

Establish the historical significance of the things your family did

Use primary source evidence like interviews, artifacts, and firsthand written
records

Recognize patterns between the past and now and how things change

Examine cause and effect, how actions your ancestors took had consequences

Take historical perspectives, put yourself in your ancestors shoes

Use some judgement to decide what worked well for your family and what
didnt

Ensure that you include:

Heritage Research Ex. Family tree (using names or pictures,
charts or diagrams) and/ or original or reproduced: coins, stamps,
 letters, flags, drawings, recipes, ribbons, and, of course,
photographs.

Interview (clips, quotes, transcripts, summaries), story or a

collection of stories, visual displays (e.g. poster board) digital
representation (e.g. slideshow, video, website, or a performative
response (e.g. poem or song)

Due Date: Friday June 9th

***I have adapted this assignment from Mr. G. Thielmann of D.P. Todd Secondary in Prince George, BC***

Here is a link to his blog that has links to other useful sites: http://www.thielmann.ca/heritage.html