Walking in
My Shoes
Hannah Salia
The Walking in My Shoes cur- riculum at St. Thomas School in Medina, Washington, has been developed to deepen stu- tions using thematic threads related It’s a partnership that includes intra-
stories about personal heritage. These
to immigration, heritage, and identity. heritage artifacts become the building
blocks for imagery in each student’s
school collaborations between all dis-
artwork and writing.
dents’ understanding of their own her- ciplines.
itage and the cultural similarities and
Family Heritage Books
differences among their global peers.
Family Heritage Interview
I introduce students to the imagery
Exploring the rich diversity of the
Students begin by interviewing fam-
of heraldry with a visual tour of coat-
world’s cultural heritage and the inter- ily members about immigration to
of-arms history. We look at cultural
actions of global migrations through-
the United States (sometimes many
symbolism and visual organization
out history, fifth-grade students build
generations ago). They focus on a fam- on shields and armor from Europe,
meaningful cross-disciplinary connec- ily heirloom or artifact that sparks
Asia, and Africa so that students can
