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Nova Scotia:  Our People and Their Built Heritage

 

An on-line learning resource for Nova Scotia Schools presented by the Education Committee of HTNS

 

Those of us who delight in Nova Scotia’s rich built heritage, dream that future generations will also appreciate and preserve our historic buildings and landscapes. The Education Committee of HTNS hopes that by encouraging school children to explore the history embodied in their built environment we will help them learn what their people were like at various periods, where they came from, how they lived, worked, worshipped and had fun.  In short, to develop a sense of belonging to this place.

In consultation with representatives of the Nova Scotia Department of Education & Early Childhood Development, we have designed and developed this web-based learning resource for classroom use entitled Nova Scotia: Our People and Their Built Heritage.

The material presented here respects the defined outcomes for the Streamlined Social Studies curriculum in grades four through six. These children are not yet formally studying “history” as such but are encouraged to explore in ways that lead them to better understand the people of Nova Scotia. The provincial curriculum acknowledges and honours, in particular, the Mi’kmaq, Acadian, African-Nova Scotian and the Gaelic communities.  The approved instructional methodology favours inquiry-based projects, open-ended discussion, and experiential learning.  This material addresses skills development which the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has prioritized for grades four through six.  The focus is on critical thinking and discovery. Other skill development includes reading for information; analysis; participating in constructive dialogue; communicating through text, visual arts, speaking, and performing; and gathering information through the senses to imagine, create and innovate.

Much of the material in Nova Scotia: Our People and Their Built Heritage has been gleaned from a manuscript prepared by long-time HTNS activist, and retired teacher Jan Zann with graphic design support from Arthur Carter.  The stories currently displayed in this electronic format constitute only part of the material compiled by the authors over a lifetime of research and labour. Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia proudly announced the launch of this resource which culminates two years of work by our team of volunteers, by creative consultants at Touchstone Design and by technical advisors at Codex. This begins what we hope will be an ongoing adventure as we treat other elements of Nova Scotia heritage and explore further avenues for student/teacher interaction.   

The website was unveiled to Social Studies teachers, and to Primary and Elementary teachers at the NSTU conferences on October 26, 2018.  The committee is inviting teachers to participate in refinement of the site, and to explore its effective use in their practice.  There are opportunities within the Codex platform for interaction, for classroom contributions and for embedding images, videos and sound clips. 

Exploration in the broadest sense of the word is the theme for our project.  We encourage you to “explore” and to enjoy the galleries of the site. Your reaction and comments are welcome.