A PHOTO ALBUM
« MAKING A PHOTO ALBUM OF THE CLASS »
ACTIVITY INFORMATION
nd
5th/6th year of primary education + 1st, 2 , 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th year of
Target group
secondary education
Duration
90 minutes
Documents the pupils brought with them
Material
A camera
A big photo album / a computer
Description of the
activity
The pupils will make a photo album in the classroom, based on documents they
brought which illustrate their family history. The pupils will have to think about
how history is displayed and exhibited.
The activity prepares a visit at the BELvue museum but could also be used
autonomic in class.
PREPARING A VISIT AT THE BELVUE MUSEUM
1. PRESENTATION OF THE ACTIVITY
We present this activity as preparation for a visit at the BELvue museum, which is a museum about
Belgian history.
We believe that schools are the place where “small history” (recollection of people’s memories)
meets “greater history” (written by historians).
In our mixed cultural society, pupils might have very different family histories. This activity lets them
exchange their own family history and makes sure the pupils get to know each other’s family
history. It allows the pupils to look at “small history”, backed up with “greater history”, by using
documents such as pictures or newspaper articles which illustrate an important moment in their
family history. We strongly advise the teacher to illustrate this activity with a personal example.
This activity was developed for pupils of primary education and secondary education. The teacher
can change the contents of the activity based on the pupils.
2. OBJECTIVES
o
To let pupils think about following concepts: history – Belgium – museum
o
Connect two very different, but at the same time similar types of history: “small history”, the
pupil’s family history, and “greater history”, the official Belgian history.
o
Collecting and structuring information, and activating it during a visit later on outside of the
school, for example at the museum of Belgian history.
3. TIMINGING
o
30 minutes to prepare for the activity (brainstorming)
o
60 minutes (2x) to create the photo album.
3. Matériel
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4. MATERIAL
o
Documents brought by the pupils
o
A table to exhibit the documents during the activity
o
A camera, to take pictures of the objects the pupils can’t put in their album.
o
A big photo album, or a computer if for classes who prefer to make a digital version of the photo
album.
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ACTIVITY PROCESS
*Organise a brainstorm about “history” – “Belgium” – “museum”
This should lead to :
1. A definition of a museum
A building with a collection of artefacts about a theme, with an explanation for visitors.
According to the International Council of Museums: ‘A museum is a non-profit, permanent
institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires,
conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of
humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.’
2. Understanding the concept “history”
o
How is history structured?
Chronological: past, present and future, presented by a timeline.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Past
o
Present
Future
How is history constructed?
History is constructed tracking traces from the past, using different sources: written sources
(letters, books,…), tangible sources (different objects), archeological sources
(sculptures,…) iconographic sources (pictures, posters,…), oral sources (witnesses,
testimonies,…)
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3. A description of Belgium
A country with boundaries and different institutions, but especially a common history of civilians
with a different cultural origin.
o
The teacher introduces the activity by showing the pupils a photo or a newspaper
article he/she chose himself/herself. The teacher explains the historic value of his/her
document to the pupils. He/she proposes a title for the activity, such as “Where can I
locate my own family history in our country’s history”.
o
If the teacher has illustrated the activity with an own example, he/she invites the pupils
to do the same and look for a picture or newspaper article which illustrates an important
moment in their family history.
o
Afterwards every pupil presents his/ her document to the class and explains why he
chose this particular document. They also give a key word which describes the
document.
o
After the presentations, the teacher introduces the second part of the activity. He/she
reads a short text he/she wrote about the document he/she presented to the pupils
before.
o
Every pupil writes a text of maximum 1 page to illustrate the personal context and
historical context of the document. They have to mark key words which illustrate the
text.
o
The photo album is made alphabetically. There is an index using the key words.
Example of the index:
-
C of Colony (grandfather of pupil x used to have certain function in Belgian Congo from
1949 until 1960)
-
E of Emirdag (the parents of pupil x come from this small Turkish village)
-
M of Morocco (the father of pupil x was born in Morocco and came to work in Belgium)
-
S of Solidarnosc (the Polish grandmother of pupil x participated in the strikes in Poland
and emigrated to Belgium afterwards)
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IMPORTANCE OF THE PROJECT
o
The distance between the pupil’s family and the school gets smaller. The new connections
which are made revaluate the pupil’s heritage.
o
Family ties are drawn again: by digging in the past of his own family, the pupil’s interest for his
own family history will be increased.
o
New connections will be made between the pupils of the class. They will get to know each other
better and discover each other’s history with respect and understanding for others. (for
example: Turkish pupils discover there was a genocide in their country through the story of an
Armenian fellow student)
o
History becomes more personal and emotional. Every pupil will redefine the concept ‘history’.
This way a certain interest will be provoked in great history, which seems to be connected to
the pupil’s family history.
o
Every story is illustrated with an authentic document (e.g. a picture, a medal, a sculpture,…)
SOURCE
This activity was created on account of a study by the French professor Fresnes. For more information,
consult following website: http://people.carleton.edu/~scarpent/migrations
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