3.3 Sort by origin

In this section of the game, the user gets a chance to realize that much of what we assume to have originated from our country, actually has not. Trade, population movements and travel have all contributed to customs and products being spread between countries and cultures.

Awareness exercise

Our names are a good example of how cultures from around the world have influenced our own over the course of time. Bring books about the origin of names into class, or ask students to search the meaning of their own names and where they come from on the internet. Then ask the students to present their findings to the class and discuss which cultures, countries and religions etc. have influenced their name.

Discuss the significance of a person’s name in relation to their identity, how we react to unusual names and how an employer might react to a foreign name.

Many of the most popular names for babies born today in the United Kingdom have foreign origins.

• Jack: This most probably comes from the French ‘Jacques.’
• Thomas: This comes from the Greek ‘Thomas’, which itself comes from Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.
• Oliver: This comes originally from Middle Low German, the German language as written and spoken c.1100-c.1500.
• Joshua: This comes from the Hebrew Yehoshua.
• Daniel: This also comes from Hebrew; it literally means "God is my judge;" and comes from the Old Testament of the Bible.
• William: This comes from the Norman Willaume, which comes from the French Guillaume, which itself comes from which comes from Old High German, the ancestor of the modern literary German language. It comes from willio "will" + helma "helmet."
• Samuel: This popular boys name originates from Late Latin, which came from the Greek Samouel, which came from the Hebrew Shemiel- ‘the name of God.’
• Olivia: This comes from the Italian Olivia, from the Italian word for Olive- ‘Oliva.’
• Jessica: This comes from the Latin Jesca, itself a version of the Greek Ieskha, which in turn comes from Hebrew!
• Chloe: This name has a simpler history; it originates from the Greek name Khloe, which is the poetic name for "young green shoot" and also the name of a character in Greek mythology.
• Lucy: This comes from the French Lucie, which comes from the Latin Lucia.
• Hannah: This means “graciousness” and comes from the Hebrew language; it originates from the word Hanan which means "he was gracious."
• Isabel/ Isabelle: A form of Elizabeth that is thought to have developed in Provence, in the south of France.
• Abigail: This also comes from the Hebrew Abhigayil, literally "my father is rejoicing," from abh "father" + gil "to rejoice."
• Amy: This romantic name comes from the Old French Amee, meaning "beloved."
• Freya :This comes from the UK’s Viking ancestry- Freya was the goddess of love and beauty in Norse mythology.

Goal: To stimulate conversation and provoke thought over how different cultures, countries and people have affected each other’s customs and social development over the course of history.

Comprehension exercise

Ask students to list three items they believe to be homegrown. Then go through each of them and discuss their actual origins.  It may be useful to focus on examples from the game and/or the web facts as information on their origins has already been provided. Discuss with the class how economic immigration and refugee flows have affected cultures, customs and foodstuffs in the UK, and how immigrants’ own traditions can change in their new country.

Goal: To generate understanding of how a meeting of cultures throughout history enriches our everyday life, and how new phenomena and habits grow in society.
Comprehension exercise

What do pupils’ own family ‘roots’ look like? Ask pupils to draw their own family tree as far back as they can. Encourage pupils to ask parents and grand-parents to help them learn as much information about their family history as possible. Which part of the country or the world do they come from?

Ask students to explain briefly to the rest of the class about their family history. Together make a list of countries, religions, ethnic groups, etc. that are represented on the class’ family trees.

If there are many nationalities in the class, another alternative is to create a map of the world. Then ask pupils to stick a needle in the country they or one of their parents are from. Then pull a thread through all the needles.

Goal: To make pupils more aware of their origins and that of their classmates and thereby understand more about population movements and social evolution.

3.3 Sort by origin!

(pdf, 52 kb)

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