A primary school teacher has been putting together an exhibition to celebrate the local heroes of the world wars.
Ellen Jones, a teacher at White Rose Primary School in New Tredegar, has been working with the children in her care to celebrate the Welsh war heroes from the local area as a way to mark Remembrance Day this week.
As part of the exhibition, the children have been focusing on the story of an escaped prisoner of war during World War One who was from the area, with the soldier’s granddaughter speaking during the event after travelling the country to tell her grandfather’s story.
Ellen explained: “On display will be genuine artefacts from her grandfather which includes his medals his original diary and pencil a letter from King George amongst other things, including a hand-crafted wreath that was laid at the local cenotaph during the Remembrance Day commemorations.
“My class are finding the Welsh link engaging and it is helping them to identify being a citizen of Wales and of the world which is an aim of the Welsh curriculum of Wales.”
According to Ellen, it has become so important to ensure that the children she has been teaching as part of her training are able to connect with the history of their local area.
She said: “I really wanted the children to be able to make this link with the past, something they may not have done before, and to connect with their heritage.
“It’s been such a thrill to watch the children enjoy making this connection with their past, and to get to meet some people who have a connection to what they are learning about.”
The exhibition’s main focus was on the use ‘cynefin’ in the children’s learning in the Welsh curriculum.
The official definition of ‘cynefin’ is a Welsh word pronounced "ku-nev-in" and translates to "habitat" or "place". It can also refer to the elements of a person's history and situation that influence their thoughts and decisions.
Ellen believed that by engaging the children in a specific local war hero they would be able to connect to the meanings of Remembrance Day “at a level they can understand”.
Ellen explained: “I hoped that by making this local connection, the children would become so engaged that it would open up all sorts of different aspects of their development as well as keeping our local history and heritage alive for as long as we can.
“I’ve been so proud of how hard the children have worked and it’s been an honour to teach them this important part of their local history.”
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