Lesson: “Itsukushima”: Exploring Transient Cultural Heritage
Source: Philadelphia World Heritage Tool Kit
Created by: Varley Paul, Plymouth Meeting Friends School
Subjects: Social Studies, World Cultures
Grade Levels: 6
View or download this Lesson Plan.
Overview: Culture is the global crisscrossing of peoples in time and space. The Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Japan (probably built originally in the 6th century CE, added on to in the 12th century CE) can be used as a model for exploring the fluidity of cultural heritage. “Living” cultural sites carry important symbolic connections even though they might be transient, changeable, and accessible to people in everyday life.
Objectives: This lesson explores the Itsukushima Shinto site and possible Philadelphia sites as examples of transient, accessible and/or “living” cultural heritage. Students will enter into a discussion of the following concepts and questions: 1) Cultural heritage can be viewed from many contexts; 2) the 12th century Itsukushima jinja (jeen-jah), or Shinto shrine, in Japan is in continual use by visitors, and its torii (tor-ee) gate was constructed in a way that it would be visually altered by the daily tides of the bay; 4) what Philadelphia site might carry some of the qualities as the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine?; 5) is a fluid or “living” World Heritage Cultural site effective? Why or why not?
The Philadelphia World Heritage Tool Kit
This lesson is one of 29 lessons (K-12, all subjects) in the Philadelphia World Heritage Tool Kit. The goal of the Tool Kit is to help educators and their students develop a transnational analysis in their classrooms by using complex themes of world heritage as a framework to understand global regions across disciplines. These themes include shared architectural, cultural, economic, environmental, political, recreational, religious, and social heritage features. Real teachers created these lessons and based their work on “best practices” that reflect student collaboration and the broad goals of young people in ways that support care and understanding of others who may be very different in background and history.