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A Royal Stamp
Project type: Introductory Activity
Related topic:
Canada's New Queen
Canada's New Queen
Subjects
History
Visual Arts
Visual Arts
Summary
In this introductory activity, students design a stamp to commemorate a royal visit.
Duration
1 to 2 lessons
Purpose
To create a visual representation of a historic event
Materials
drawing materials
Before Exploring
Brainstorm what the class already knows about Queen Elizabeth II, including her role in Canada, her life, her family, and her responsibilities. Generate a class list, and include some details from the FAQ page of the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador Web site at http://www.library.mun.ca/qeii/qeiifaq.php.
Outline the Opportunity
Direct students to the topic Canada’s New Queen on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. In small groups, students will review Clips #1 to #10, including the Did You Know? sections, and the Related Topic “Queen amused by CBC Archives Web site.” Remind students of the historical significance of the royal visits and explain that a 4-cent Canadian stamp was created to commemorate the royal visit in 1951.
Using the download sheet A Royal Stamp, groups will design a stamp to commemorate one of the royal visits they viewed on the CBC Archives site. Groups should discuss the placement of words and pictures and the price. They should use colours, shapes, lines, and images to convey the importance of the royal visit. Each group will prepare a model stamp to display in the classroom.
Revisit and Reflect
Have groups present their designs and explain which visit they are commemorating and the reasons for their design choices. Provide class sharing time to compare and contrast each stamp and how they represent a royal visit.
Extension
Students can examine various stamp collections to determine how stamps are designed to commemorate particular events or people.
