Students:

Can I do a Heritage Fairs project with a partner?

This is a decision between you and your teacher. Many students do work with one or more fellow students. However, only one student per project may attend the Provincial Fair in June/July. Even if you have an individual project, you may still want to work with other students to share ideas and resources, check your writing, and practise presentations.

Where can I find some examples of good projects?

The Heritage Fairs web site has a portfolio of project displays that should give you some ideas to follow. There are also links to video projects here.

Why do I have to do a project on Canadian history? Why can’t I do a project on the history of my home country?

If you and your family are new to Canada then you are already part of an important Canadian story: immigration. Stories of moving and the meeting of cultures were common in Canada in the past as they are today. Moreover, many of us like you are Canadian but also something else. This “something else” may be more than national heritage too. It could be a different part of Canada, different religion, language, social class, and more.

Here are a few ideas about how you might tie together your family heritage and Canadian history. Ask yourself the question that historians ask: how is my topic significant? In other words, why would a grade 6 student like you but not of your heritage and living in Inuvik or Halifax or Montreal want to read about your family? If you think about how your family’s story helps us appreciate and understand other experiences of moving to a different place, adapting to different people and culture, celebrating good times, overcoming bad times, and the like, then you are probably on the right track to telling a story that is historically significant.

Another way that some topic is significant is if it results in change. If you researched about immigration to your local area, for example, I think that you would find that it has changed your community in small and maybe even big ways.

If you look at the history of other groups who immigrated to Canada and compared their stories to that of your family, then you might also discover something very powerful to share with others. How is your story the same as or different from the Ukrainians who moved to Saskatchewan a century ago or Chinese to Victoria in the 19th or 20th century or all the Gold Rush miners to the Cariboo? In the Resources Section there are 24 web sites of primary sources listed for students who want to research some aspect of immigration. Some of these might be helpful if you choose this route.

Why should I do a Heritage Fair project?

In this video several students talk about what they found of value in Heritage Fairs. In addition, the Fairs Society believes they give students an opportunity to learn about topics that especially interest them, topics that might not be part of the social studies curriculum. At the same time, students can learn some useful ideas and skills about historical thinking, research, and communication.

Of course, we also think that it is fun – though maybe stressful – to present your learning to a real audience and to explore our history in depth.

Where can I find some good sources?

Take a look at our Resources Section. If you feel stuck, your teacher, librarian, museum educator, and fellow students – they can all help.

What is the alumni program? How can I join?

The Alumni Program is the youth component of the Fairs. Involvement in the Alumni team allows students the opportunity to remain active in the Heritage Fair community beyond participating in the regional or provincial fairs. As such, an Alumnus can be anyone who presented at a Regional or Provincial Fair who has a passion for learning and is engaged by Canada’s history. Currently, there are 20 spaces in the program. These 20 students—from across the province—meet once or twice a month via conference call to discuss Heritage Fair related topics and issues and to work on projects which connect them to their peers and the greater heritage community. In order to participate in this program, talk to your Regional Coordinator after the Fairs in May or July and keep a lookout for the application forms that are usually released in September. 

You can find the Alumni blog at this site: http://bcheritagefairsalumni.wordpress.com/.

Teachers and Parents:

I don’t live in a region that has a Heritage Fair. What should I do?

If you want to have an individual student or a small number attend a Regional Fair, contact the regional coordinator listed here who is nearest to you. She or he may be able find a place. If you are a teacher who wants to have your school or several schools  involved, contact the Provincial Coordinator.  

Do the Regional Fairs accept home-schooled students?

They are usually welcome to apply to any Regional Fair; however, because they will not be part of a school fair, the selection process will differ from Fair to Fair. Please contact your local Regional Fair Coordinator to find out their policy on home-schooled students.

How do you assess a project? Are there rubrics?

Evaluation at the school level is the responsibility of the teacher. For those students who go on to a Regional Fair, it is the responsibility of the local coordinator. However, we suggest the use of the Heritage Fair Rubric (English) and Grille d’évaluation projet du patrimoine (français).

How do Heritage Fairs fit in the social studies curriculum?

Heritage Fairs and the BC Curriculum explains how the Fairs program supports the current provincial curriculum. In addition, the Ministry of Education has released a new draft curriculum for social studiesKindergarten to grade 9 that is built around competencies closely related to the Heritage Fairs model. This post on our web site explains the connection between the new curriculum and the Fairs.

How long does it take to teach a Heritage Fairs unit?

This depends on the experience of students with research in social studies and the teacher’s decision on how much in-depth time she or he wishes to give to the unit. Because a Fairs unit can cover so many learning objectives (and competencies in the new curriculum), teachers often make it the major social studies focus for a month and sometimes more.

How do the Fairs fit with historical thinking?

A Heritage Fair project is a historical inquiry. It involves the key concepts of evidence such as interpreting sources, asking questions, and cross-checking several sources. The student’s topic should also be one of historical significance, which is another concept in historical thinking. Apart from this, the project’s connection to historical thinking will depend on the topic. It could involve cause and consequence or change and continuity. It could explore how people thought and felt in the past about life around them or it could try to answer an ethical question such as how we should remember the past.

See the Portfolio on the web site for examples of projects that reflect historical thinking. We also intend to add more teaching resources on the web site about historical thinking and the fairs in the future.

Do students learn more by doing Heritage Fairs?

A well planned research project is an important tool for learning content knowledge and critical thinking concepts, skills and habits of mind. Students learn how to develop questions, find, sort and interpret sources, read widely and deeply, analyze, think creatively, write in many different formats, problem solve, and communicate results. Many of the “soft” skills, such as curiosity, perseverance, and dealing with failure and frustration are developed while working on a Heritage Fairs project. Moreover, Heritage Fairs students are usually given the opportunity to explore their own interests, which can increase their motivation to learn. They have the opportunity as well to practice and improve important skills that they don’t normally get to use regularly in traditional instruction.

Who supports Heritage Fairs?

Each region has a coordinator from a museum, school district, or heritage society who oversees the planning, promotion, and running of the Regional Fair. The provincial Society has a board of volunteer directors and a coordinator. The Heritage Fairs program begins, however, with the teachers who guide the students to successfully complete their research projects. It depends as well on the many volunteers, including student alumni, to do the many jobs big and small involved in running a fair. Above all, the students who enthusiastically share their research into our history and spread the word about the program are supporters.

We are supported as well by our partners: Canada’s History, The History Education Network, and the Critical Thinking Consortium. We receive financial support from the Heritage Branch, Provincial Capital Commission, Provincial Gaming Commission, BC Hydro Power Pioneers, the Kamloops Exploration Group, and the Brown Foundation.

The Honorary Patron of the Society is the Honourable Judith Guichon, the Lieutenant Governor.