Teacher’s Handbook

TroubadoursBermuda’s

85¢Bermuda

$1.10Bermuda

70¢Bermuda

Troubadour_Handbook.indd 1 2/26/08 11:34:24 AM

IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONSSTAMPS are exciting, educational tools!IN ART CLASS – Experiment with colours, shapes and patterns to design a mural mosaic made from cancelled stamps. Students are highly motivated through the cooperative effort of collecting, peeling and sorting the stamps needed for a mural made from recycled, cancelled stamps.

Any area of the curriculum can be reinforced by the subject of the mural.

DURING MATHEMATICS – Use estimation and graphing projects to count your growing stamp collection.

DURING GEOGRAPHY – Explore different cultures and learn about history from the many people, places and events pictured on stamps.

IN ENGLISH CLASS – Stamps, with pictures of historical figures, sports, events and distant lands, can be an imaginative and inspirational tool for creative writing.

COLLECTING the stamps is an excellent way to involve parents and the local community. Students can ask parents, teachers, family members and neighbours to save stamps from the mail they receive. Parents and those who work in offices where they receive a lot of mail are a great resource – with everyone working together, in a short while; there should be enough stamps to work with.

Before you begin, you will need to collect the requisite number of stamps. Most of the stamps will be stuck to envelopes; therefore, the first task is to remove them from the envelopes. This can be done by small groups working after they have finished their class work or by the entire class.

Removing Stamps – stamps may soak overnight without being damaged. Otherwise, soak stamps in pan with warm water (for a minimum of 10 minutes). After soaking they will easily peel off envelope. Put stamps (upside down) on paper towels or newspaper (do not let them touch each other). When dry, stamps can be put into dry containers.

CREATING A MURALSelect an image – choose an image with a simple design that can be easily traced and covered with stamps. Good sources for stamp mural images are colouring books and stained glass design books. Reproduce the image you have chosen onto a transparency. Use the transparency to project the image onto paper. The paper should be taped up on a wall where it can remain until it is complete. Students can then trace the image onto the paper.

Suggestions that relate to Math include Geometric shapes, patterns, Architectural designs and quilt squares. For History, locally, try the Made in Bermuda series or the Pioneers of Progress series. For Science, locally, there are many series which feature flora, fauna and trees; as well as marine life.

If you want to see what other educators have done visit http://www.wrsd.net/chocksett/grabek.htm for elementary school teacher, Rachel Grabek’s website to see Stamp Mural projects in progress.

Choosing your stamps is the next consideration; you must determine which stamps will be used for each section of the mural. Quantity and colour are the most important considerations at this stage, as each filled area should contrast with the adjacent area. For example, stamps with white backgrounds contrast best with stamps that have coloured backgrounds. You will need enough quantities of the same stamp to fill each section.

Science and math skills are built when students sort, categorise and count the stamps collected. Sorting and classification are important skills that help gather and organise date. In this activity, students will be able to observe differences and similarities between stamps; learn to sort and classify stamps based on common characteristics. You may choose to sort stamps based on colour, shape value, size, or subject.

Attaching the stamps may be done by spreading glue on the back of each individual stamp, or by spreading glue over the section of the mural to be filled in. Stamps are then placed, overlapping each other, on the mural image. If necessary, trim stamps to fit inside the lines of the image. When completed, background may be filled with leftover stamps, coloured, or covered with small squares of tissue paper.

ActivitiesGraphing – This lesson provides students with a hands-on opportunity to learn about collecting and interpreting data. After completing the lesson, students will be able to:• Count, sort and classify stamps• Gather and record data• Construct a bar graph• Analyse and interpret data by using a bar graph

Materials – Cancelled stamps, graph paper, and writing utensils (pencils, crayons, or markers)

Procedure – divide students into small groups and give each group a pile of stamps. Instruct students to sort their stamps into categories by using the pictures on the stamps. Have each group create a bar graph that illustrates the number of

Troubadour_Handbook.indd 2 2/26/08 11:34:24 AM

stamps they have in each category. Ask students to share and compare their results with other groups.

Combine the results from each group to create a graph together as a whole class. Ask students to estimate the total number of stamps they have in each category before counting the exact number.

Expand this lesson to include probability and ratio. Compare the number of flower stamps (for example) to the total number of stamps, or to the number of stamps in another category. What is the probability of selecting a flower stamp? What is the probability of randomly selecting another type of stamp?

Writing – students will have an opportunity to use their writing skills in this activity as they write about the subjects pictured on the stamps.

Materials – cancelled stamps and research resources.

Procedure – Choose a topic that your students are studying, such as Bermudian Educators, Flowering Plants, Fish, or Foreign Countries. Choose stamps about the topic(s) and place them in a grab bag. Have each student select a stamp from the bag. The subject of the stamp will be the student’s topic for the research project, or writing activity.

Younger students can be asked to create simple, three sentence stories using stamps in place of some words. For example, in the sentence “The flower is pretty,” the student would use a stamp with a picture of a flower, instead of writing out the word. Ask students to prepare and present an oral report about their topic to the class.

Estimation – In this activity, students will gain practice with estimating quantity. They will be able to:• Define the term ‘estimate’• Estimate the number of stamps in a container• Compare estimation to the actual number of stamps in

container

Materials – cancelled stamps, ziplock sandwich bags, or other small, clear containers that can be sealed, paper and writing utensils.

Procedure – have students write out the meaning of the word ‘estimate’ (a guess, or judgement, based on one’s impression or observation). Distribute clear containers filled with cancelled stamps. Ask students to write down an estimate of the number of stamps they have, without opening their containers. Then have students open the containers and count the actual number of stamps. Students can then compare the actual number with their estimates.

Use a large container of stamps and have each student estimate how many stamps are in the container. Have a contest to see whose estimate is the closest to the actual number of stamps.

Use stamps as a measuring tool to estimate length and distance. Estimate and measure the lengths of various classroom items, using stamps.

Ask students to estimate how many stamps it will take to cover a particular surface area, or to fill a particular area, and then test their predictions by filling in the spaces with stamps and counting the actual number it takes.

70¢Bermuda$1.10Bermuda85¢Bermuda 35¢Bermuda

Troubadour_Handbook.indd 3 2/26/08 11:34:27 AM

Acknowledgements for source material:

The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art

Produced and Published By:

The Stamp Design Advisory Committee

Bermuda Post Office

March, 2008

Designed by: Department of Communication and InformationPrinted by: The Bermuda Press Limited

$1.10Bermuda85¢Bermuda70¢Bermuda35¢Bermuda

Troubadour_Handbook.indd 4 2/26/08 11:34:31 AM