UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Places Worth Preserving

• Ask students to think about the most beautiful or interesting natural or human-made place or structure in their native countries. Make a list of students' responses and have them categorize all the items in the brainstormed list as cultural/historical or natural. Bring up photos on the internet for any items in the list that are not familiar to the whole class.
• Ask students if any of these places are in danger in any way and if so, why (climate change, war, etc.).
• Repeat by talking about the United States.
• Ask what is or can be done to protect these places and structures.

Tell students that in order to begin thinking about the topic of places worth preserving, they are going to have some conversations about their favorite places in terms of geography, nature, and architecture. Introduce the conversation questions and put students in pairs or small groups.

Conversation: Favorite Places / Geography and Architecture

1. Which type of place is your favorite and why? Big city, smaller city, small town/village?
2. What is your favorite big city, smaller city, or small town you have ever visited or lived in?
3. Did you grow up in the city or in the country?
4. What is the oldest structure (bridge, monument, temple, mosque, church, etc.) in the place where you are from? Why was it built? Does it have cultural or historical value? Is it in danger of destruction? Are there protections in place to preserve it? Can people visit it? Is it a tourist site?
5. What are the most impressive geographical features of the place where you are from originally? Ocean/beaches, mountains, plains/grasslands, tropical islands, rain forests, deserts, lakes, rivers, glaciers, cliffs, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc.
6. What kinds of natural disasters happen in your country or hometown? (i.e., forest fires, landslides, avalanches, floods, droughts, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.)
7. Have you ever lived somewhere where the place had a natural disaster? If so, explain.
8. What do you like most about where you live now? When visitors come to see you, where do you take them?
9. What is the most beautiful or interesting place you have ever seen or visited? Was it a natural place or a city or a structure such as a building, monument, etc.? Explain what you saw and tell when and why you were there.
10. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you like to go? Why?

Note: If you are teaching an online/hybrid class, students can reply in an online discussion forum.

Ask students if they have heard of UNESCO. If anyone has, ask them what the acronym stands for.

Tell students that the goal of UNESCO’s World Heritage List is to recruit the world community in identifying cultural and natural properties of outstanding and universal value.

When UNESCO names a place a World Heritage Site, the status committees the home nation to commit to protecting the location.

The sites are places and buildings that are deemed to have outstanding universal value, special importance for everyone, and represent unique or significant or best examples of the world’s cultural and/or national heritage. In other words, they have cultural, historical, scientific, or other forms of significance.

Currently, there are 1121 sites in 167 countries.

• 869 are cultural
• 213 are natural
• 39 are mixed

Ask students if they can guess which countries have the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Answer: Italy (58), China (56), Germany (51), Spain and France (49), India (40), Mexico (35), the UK (33), Russia (30), and Iran (26) Source

Tell students: The United States has a total of 24 World Heritage Sites: 11 cultural, 12 natural, and 1 mixed. Ask: Can you guess what any of them are? There are also 19 on a nomination list.

Open a web browser to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Navigate through the site to show the list. 

Tell students that they are going to learn more about UNESCO World Heritage Sites by watching a video. 

Distribute the UNESCO World Heritage Video handout and allow students to preview it in order to focus their listening.

Open the YouTube video.

Turn on captions and have students watch the video and repeat, as needed, to complete the handout.

Have students check with classmates or check as a whole group.

Ask students to name one thing they learned.

Note: If your class is offered in a hybrid format or uses a learning management system, or if you prefer students answer questions about the video online on their own time, this Quizizz video activity can be used: UNESCO World Heritage Convention

Students can also access the activity by opening a browser to joinmyquiz.com and entering the code 9901 0869 or by scanning the QR code:

 

 

You could also use a video quizzing tool such as EdPuzzle, ESL Video, or Canvas Studio (if your school has access) to have students complete the video listening exercise independently and get immediate feedback.

• Introduce the grammar students will use in their presentations (present and past passive). You can do this by making a short presentation about a California or U.S. World Heritage Site with a short script that uses present and past passive (is located, was designated, was built, etc).

Example:

The Giant Redwoods in California is a World Heritage Site that is known for its towering heights and ancient ages. They were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. These trees, some of which are over 350 feet tall and over 2,000 years old, have been protected for their cultural and natural significance. The site, which is located in the Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, attracts millions of visitors each year who come to see these majestic trees and learn about their importance in the ecosystem. The Giant Redwoods have long been admired for their beauty and size, and their protection as a World Heritage Site ensures that they will continue to be enjoyed by future generations.

• Then distribute the handout Grammar - World Heritage Sites. Go over the first section. Then have students work independently or in pairs or small groups to complete the practice sections. Check it together as a class.

Introduce the presentation prompt and provide a model to help students understand expectations. Model how to use the World Heritage Site List.

Places Worth Preserving: World Heritage Sites Project (Presentation)

Select a World Heritage Site from your country (or elsewhere), using the website UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage Site List.

Use this site and other websites to gather information and take notes on the site:

• Name of site
• What is it? (a cultural site, natural site, or mixed site)
• Where is it located?
• When was it selected as a World Heritage Site (see “date of inscription”)?
• What are some interesting features or facts about the site?
• Why was it selected as a World Heritage Site? Why should it be protected?
• Have you visited this place? Would you like to visit it?
• Find your name on a slide for the class-shared Google Slideshow slide. You have two slides. You
• may add more.
• Add a map, (an) image(s), and keywords.

You may add a short video if you like. Go to “Insert - Video.”

Sample

Make a rubric or checklist to evaluate students' presentations and give feedback or have students self-evaluate and reflect on their learning with a survey created on Google Forms or other survey tools.

Students will be able to conduct short research projects and deliver oral presentations on their findings using slideshow software that integrates graphics or multimedia.