
Heartstone Story Modules
Heartstone, with funding assistance from the DfES, has developed a series of Story Modules on CD-ROM for use in schools in connection with the Citizenship Curriculum at Key Stage 3 and PSHE and Literacy at key Stage 2. The CDs are available with full teachers' notes and a further CD including case studies of how they've been used by pilot schools in the development phase. If you wish obtain them, contact us at Heartstone HQ. Chandra's London This Story Module can either be used as part of ‘The Heartstone Odyssey’ Story Module or used as a Story Module in its own right. It includes photographs of London as seen through the eyes of Chandra, the heroine of "The Heartstone Odyssey". It highlights two faces of a city. It shows places of beauty and tourist interest sharply contrasted with scenes of ugliness and intolerance including racist graffiti, vandalism and decay. Scenes that are just as visible but often not noticed except by those they are aimed at. The pictures can be printed and put on the wall to create an exhibition and provide a powerful route to help young people look at their own environment with new eyes. The images illustrate current issues. There is a series of images connected with Stephen Lawrence. They also make interesting connections such as the history of the Swastika, how a neighbourhood can become a ‘no-go’ area, what makes a place feel ‘welcome’ or ‘unwelcome’ depending upon who you are. Many images contain stories in themselves with little or no text and will prompt detailed discussion and creative writing. The CD also includes a series of particularly strong racist and violent scenes enacted by a group of highly talented drama students from Liverpool Community College. These images and stories encourage young people to put themselves in the shoes of ‘the victim’, ‘the perpetrator’, ‘the bystander’ in a unique way and to explore their own reactions in each setting. It will also help them explore issues such as: acting as a group "going along with the crowd" pride and power the feelings and motivations of a perpetrator the pros and cons of taking action The teachers notes include detailed links to the PSHE and Citizenship curriculum Chandra's India This Story Module includes photographs of India which are particularly relevant in the context of Chandra, the heroine of the "The Heartstone Odyssey". Chandra lives in the modern world, so there are both contemporary and traditional images of India included. You will find images relating directly to the story as well as highlighting how similar cultures and people are the world over. For example, the CD includes photos of festivals in India that can be related to the festivals held in Europe. Chandra’s world is also divided by religion, caste and economy. Thus, the Module can be used as a starting point to discuss types of intolerance within cultures and the ways people feel about them. A unique feature of the CD is that it includes a complete library of the hand-gesture language (mudras) of Bharatanatyam, the South Indian classical dance style linked to Chandra, which can be used by all ages to story-tell. There is also a huge library of of Indian animals, dance images and views of the magical temple of dance in Chidambaram - all of which can be printed and used for storytelling. Both these CD-ROMs used with the book 'The Heartstone Odyssey' provide a direct route through which racial intolerance can be explored. From this definitions of positive and negative behaviour can be formed and actions discussed to deal with and prevent incidents from taking place. Whilst the book is aimed at 8-12 years of age, the CDs can be used for any age group. Cathy Squires, from Wildern School in Hampshire (secondary), has adopted a method for using the book and modules throughout the school through tutor groups, effectively reaching all ages across a variety of curricular subjects. Kosovo This CD carries images and story from the photo-assignments conducted by Heartstone in 2000 working with the KFOR peacekeepers. As an example of international co-operation to maintain peace in a region of ethnic intolerance and hatred which still continues to this day, the story was and remains unique. In addition to capturing images of daily life experiences of ethnic Albanians and Serbs, Heartstone's photographer was also able to include stories from other groups including for example, the Roma people. The CD carries detailed stories linked to photographs providing background and context. Trevor Reynolds from Castle Primary School in Devon described his use of the CD at Heartstone's Exeter Conference with his class of children aged 9-10. He had printed some of the images and used them as the basis for discussion on the issues raised. He said it was fascinating to see the depth of discussion aroused by, for example, the one of a child handing in a toy gun to a soldier. A simple action like this, all too ordinary in society here, takes on a totally different meaning in Kosovo. The children explored the feelings of the child, the feelings of the soldier, how such an action would be considered in that context.and how they would feel if they were that child. By discussing these issues themselves children have been able to explore what it means to live in a world where intolerance has taken hold. In this case, the intolerance is an example from within Europe and Heartstone has used this story to show that such issues are relevant to all areas, whether they have a significant ethnic minority population or not. Coral Reefs A further route Heartstone has deployed to explore the issues of racism, xenophobia and intolerance is through parallel stories on environmental themes where once again a need for co-operation can be demonstrated. A superb example of this is the world of marine conservation which has the added attraction of being of particular interest to children and young people. Coral reefs are particularly interesting as they are homes to thousands of creatures, are of vital importance to human beings in every part of the world and are a superb example of a society which works in harmony. Sharks, shipwrecks, octopus, the deadly scorpionfish, and a myriad of other creatures are found on this CD enabling your group to build up a colourful wall-display should they wish to do so. All the creatures shown in the examples presented on the CD within the 'Story Gallery' section have detailed stories linked to them which connect with the core issues Heartstone deals with.

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