Mind Mapping

Want to get a head start on your 2015 Heritage Fair Project? 

Making a mind map may help you think like a historian! Mind maps are a great way to organize information visually and show how ideas are connected to a central topic. To create your own mind map, put your topic in the middle of your page and add in ideas or questions that connect to your topic. You can keep making these connections (or branches) until you run out of information (or room!). If you are feeling creative, you can also add some drawings or use different colours on your mind map.

Here are a few examples of mind maps made by Mrs. Veilleux's Grade 7 Class at McNeeley Elementary last year.

Vedanshi's Photos from the BC Provincial Heritage Fair

Thank you to Vedanshi for sharing her photos from the BC Provincial Heritage Fair 2014 in Kamloops, BC. Looks like everyone had a blast!

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=1c1ba07b417e8b1d&id=1C1BA07B417E8B1D%21660&Bsrc=Share&Bpub=SDX.SkyDrive&sc=Photos&authkey=!Agg9XIl-kbHGL1E

Welcome Back!

Now that summer is over, its time to start thinking about Heritage Fair! 2015 will mark the first year that Richmond will host its own Regional Heritage Fair. Support for this program has grown over the past 12 years thanks to our wonderful students, teachers, volunteers, donors and staff and we are thrilled to be able to involve more Richmond schools and showcase all of the hard work and creativity these budding historians put into their projects every year.

For many students, history has a bad reputation and is too often associated with memorizing endless dates and lifeless facts. The Heritage Fair program aims to bring history alive by allowing students to pursue their own historical interests, do project-based inquiry and present their knowledge to a real audience. These projects are also guided by six core historical thinking concepts that encourage students to ask questions, make inferences and think critically about the conclusions they come to.

Follow the link to check out the latest blog post on the BC Heritage Fairs website, 'Beyond Bad Karaoke: Historical Thinking and Heritage Fairs', to learn more!

Read all about it!

One of our Young Citizens participants has been featured in a Vancouver Sun news article - click here to watch the clip.

Polls close tomorrow so make sure to vote for your favourite videos here!

A Digital History Book?

Interested in finding out more about the Young Citizens program? A recent CTV News feature highlights how the next generation of tech savvy kids are showcasing Canadian history using digital media while also demonstrating their own creativity, ingenuity and insight on a wide range of topics. Click here and see if you can spot some of our Richmond-Delta student videos in the news report!

Don't forget - there is only one more week until the polls close on July 11 so make sure to show our students Matthias, Siya, Vedanshi and Veronica your support by voting for your favourite videos here!

2014 Provincial Heritage Fair in Kamloops

Group shot at Kamloops Lake lookout (from BC Heritage Fairs Alumni blog)

Congratulations to all students participating in the 2014 Kamloops Provincial Heritage Fair this week! Our Richmond-Delta ambassadors - Yonatan, Veronica, Vedanshi, Dania, Jasneet, Justin, alumni Jolie and chaperone Faye - are having blast at the BC Provincial Heritage Fair in Kamloops. Each of the 6 alumni representatives from around the province have been blogging about their experiences - follow their adventures here!

Learning to make mini First Nations drums (from BC Heritage Fairs Alumni blog)

This 4 day event, running from June 29 to July 2, is an opportunity for students to not only showcase their knowledge about Canada's history but also make memories and new connections. So far students have discovered Shuswap Culture at the Hat Creek Historic Ranch, the Ashcroft Museum, and Logan Lake. They also participated in the Canada Day celebrations at Riverside Park, which included a front row seat at the opening ceremonies, talking to the public about their topics in the project pavilion, and of course, fireworks! Look for upcoming blog posts from the alumni and the Provincial Fair Coordinator about today's exploration of local heritage sites and the closing ceremonies of the 7th annual Provincial Heritage Fair.

Gold and river ruby panning at Hat Creek Historic Ranch (from BC Heritage Fairs Alumni blog)

Our Young Citizens Spotlight Series - Veronica

Today's Young Citizen's video is on Alice Munro by Veronica from the Richmond School District.

Vote for Veronica's Young Citizens video here!

Veronica's project focuses on the life and literary career of Noble Prize winner Alice Munro.

During her research, the most interesting thing that Veronica learned about her topic was about Alice's childhood. Although her mom had Parkinson's Disease, Alice was still able to get a scholarship to the Western Ontario University.

Don't forget to vote for your favourite video – voting ends on July 11!