Heritage Heroes

An Education for Sustainability and social studies unit

Year 9, 10	Level 5	Duration 2 weeks

Key Education for Sustainability concepts Participation and taking social action
Social studies strand and achievement objective being assessed	Learning outcomes
Place and Environment Why particular places and environments are significant for people	Students will be able to: identify places and environments of significance to New Zealand's heritage, explain why places and environments are significant for particular groups and individuals.
Social Decision Making	Students will be able to: explain why organisations take social action to protect significant places and environments.
Processes	Learning outcomes
Inquiry	Students will be able to: conduct a mini inquiry into why people and groups protect significant places or environments.
Requirements
Settings(s):	New Zealand
Perspectives(s):	Bicultural; current issues; the future.
Essential Learning About New Zealand Society (ELANZS):	Māori culture and heritage and the influence of this heritage on New Zealand's cultural political and political beliefs and systems. The physical environment of New Zealand and how people interact with the landscape.
Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum http://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/index_e.php

Assessment
Assessment activity: Heritage heroes (Word, 31kb)
Assessment schedule (Word, 66kb)

Teaching and learning activities

1. Starter activity
Read the story of Rata's waka (see Hatherley, Sheila. "Rata's Canoe" in Polynesia. South Melbourne: Macmillan, 1991) and discuss the main ideas in the story.

Teacher leads a discussion about what this story tells us about people's attitudes and values.

2. Discuss and define
As a class, talk about places and environments that are significant – locally, nationally and globally. What makes these places and environments significant? (for example, personal, aesthetic, cultural, historical, geographical, economic, strategic, ecological reasons). Record ideas on a chart and place on the classroom wall.

Ask students to select a place that is significant to them. Using photographs, words, or other images such as sketches or symbols, create a thinking map that shows the reasons why it is significant – to them, and possibly to others.

Write a class definition. "A significant place is ..."

Discuss and define the concept of "heritage". Discuss bicultural perspectives on heritage. If possible, arrange for someone to talk to the class about local (and national) Māori heritage issues.

New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Pouhere Taonga has some excellent explanations of heritage.

Read the article Why do we preserve the past? by Alexander Trapeznik
See Māori heritage for a definition of Māori heritage, ngā taonga tuku iho no ngā tupuna or treasures handed down by our ancestors
See Heritage at risk for action that can be taken to preserve national heritage sites

3. Brainstorm
Brainstorm with the class "Why does it pay to look after significant places and environments?"

Divide class into five even groups and give each group a large brainstorm sheet (Word, 27kb) on which to record different groups' views on this question.

4. Heritage heroes – mini inquiry
Discuss the concept of participation and social action in relation to significant places and environments. New Zealand has many groups actively involved in looking after our cultural and natural heritage.

In pairs or small groups students gather information about people and/or groups in the news who participate in the conservation or development of significant places or environments.

New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

Stuff
http://www.stuff.co.nz/

In small groups, students choose one of the following organisations, or an other organisation of their choice, and use the question sheet (Word, 26kb) to find out how the organisation is actively involved in looking after our cultural and natural heritage.

Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand
http://www.forest-bird.org.nz/index.asp

Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/

WWF New Zealand
http://www.wwf.org.nz/

New Zealand Historic Places Trust
http://www.historic.org.nz/

Department of Conservation
http://www.doc.govt.nz/

Greenpeace
http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/default.asp

District Councils
http://www.newzealandsites.com/government/local-government/district-councils/

Historic Auckland
http://www.historicauckland.org.nz

Share findings as a class.

5. Heritage heroes – participation and taking social action (an assessment activity)
Following the mini inquiry around the concept of participation and social action, students identify a project involving significant places and environments that one of the organisations listed in activity 4 is acting on.

Identify a range of problems associated with protecting significant places and environments.
Suggest a range of solutions.
Plan possible actions and examine the consequences of these.
Make a choice about preferred action and justify your choice.

Prepare a heritage heroes action plan (OHT or PowerPoint presentation):

Explain why this place and/or environment is significant for particular groups and individuals.
Explain how and why organisations are involved in taking social action to protect this significant place and/or environment.
Describe your participation in this issue, justify your actions or opinions about the issue.
Make a generalisation about taking social action to protect on significant places and environments.

6. Heritage heroes' dream holiday package
What image does New Zealand present as a marketing tool overseas?

The marketing of New Zealand as a tourism destination focuses on aspects of the environment, which promote the view of New Zealand as a clean, green country in which travellers can enjoy outdoor activities ranging from the passive to the adventurous.

Produce an itinerary that will satisfy the needs of the following target market group (remember to consider budget constraints):

Four backpackers (age range 18-23 years).
Countries of origin – US, Germany, UK, Brazil – or vary these to suit your purposes.
Travellers are fit, adventurous. and conservation-minded.
They are keen to experience activities that are going to educate them as well as excite and entertain them.
The holiday will last for ten days.

Gather information from the sites listed below to develop a "dream holiday" package.

100% Pure New Zealand
www.purenz.com

Virtual tour of New Zealand
http://www.nz.com/tour/

New Zealand tourist information
http://www.aatourism.co.nz/information.html

AA New Zealand Travel Guides
http://www.aaguides.co.nz/

The itinerary must include the following activities:

Map of travel route around New Zealand
Three adventure experiences
Two visits to significant sites in National Park
Two experiences of a natural encounter
Two visits to sites of cultural significance
Both South and North Island destinations
Backpacker accommodation for nine nights
Transport costs

Evaluation

What have you found out about the image that New Zealand projects as a travel destination?
What aspects of New Zealand are strongly emphasised?
Would you want to come here?
Why?

Resources

Electronic

Education for Sustainability Directory of New Zealand
http://www.eednz.org.nz/

TKI web guide – Environmental Education
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/webguide/81_17/