What it’s all about
The Royal Commonwealth Society, with National Express, is calling for schools to contribute to an online Jubilee time capsule. Some of the best entries will be presented to the Queen during the Jubilee celebrations.
Pupils can record any date in Queen Elizabeth’s reign for the capsule - a day that is special to their own family or a major event in a Commonwealth country. The submission can include video, photos and text, but must explain why the day is important to the pupil.
Memories already submitted include the day students from a high school in Norwich organised a cake stall to raise awareness of male cancer and the day in 1955 when polio vaccinations were introduced. Pupils are encouraged to interview their families and community members.
The Royal Commonwealth Society has shared six lesson plans on TES Resources to guide and inspire pupils’ contributions.
www.jubileetimecapsule.org
What else?
At Alleyn’s School in Dulwich, south London, pupils have created a living history project by interviewing people who attended their school at the time of the Queen’s coronation in 1953. They asked what their lives were like at school, and recorded their memories. The school also held a reunion for students from the 1950s.
One ex-pupil, Michael Lovick, recalled: “We all waited for the coronation of our new Queen . television was a comparatively new phenomenon, and so those with televisions invited neighbours and friends to their homes to share the great day.”
Another, Keith Paton, remembered how the schoolchildren stood on the procession route in Dulwich Village.
Create your own oral history record by inviting members of your local community to speak to pupils.
