Summary

• Learn to depict and present a city's growth and change;
• prepare an investigative portfolio including an illustrated map representing significant urban archaeology and architecture.

Target group
Students age 7-12.

Before the project

• Identify a main project coordinator and determine the scope of the project, whether local, municipal, national, or international;
• establish committees for each project section and delegate responsibilities, including:
  • contact teachers to involve schools;
  • define project content, such as, historical periods to be examined and sites to be visited;
  • determine classroom activities,
  • prepare learning materials;
  • organize guided visits and lectures.
• plan the map competition:
  • select the jury. Both teachers and conservators should be included;
  • define the rules and categories;
  • choose prizes that will motivate the students;
  • set aside a space to collect and manage the entries.
• plan the timeline considering that the project can take one school year;
• consider developing relations with the media in order to increase public interest on the project;
• establish relationships with experts, such as, city councillors, conservation professionals.

During the project
Study phase: Students learn about the history of their city and how it has changed over time.

• They visit museums, monuments, and tour the city itself, discussing the changes in the classroom with teachers and heritage or conservation experts.
• They note valuable buildings and identify shared characteristics that distinguish them from other buildings, such as materials, styles, sizes and ownership.

Action phase: Students complete various multi-disciplinary learning projects about their city, including the creation of a ‘city discovery trail’ to highlight different significant buildings, monuments, and other sites which illustrate different periods of the city’s history. Student maps should also highlight places that illustrate conservation issues, to promote discussion of urban preservation.

Competition: The jury rewards the best portfolios in each age category, focusing primarily on the quality of investigation and of presentation, and any other required elements. Consider hosting a formal awards ceremony.

Follow-up

• Create an exhibition of the student projects and arrange for it to tour all participant cities;
• discuss the project with participants to find out what could be improved for the next one.

updated on: 14 September, 2006