Grade: Six (6)

Date: January 24 & 26, 2023

Subject: Social Studies
Topic: The National Symbols and Emblems of Jamaica
Duration: 60 minutes x2

Focus Question: How do we show respect and loyalty for our country?

Attainment Target:
Know and value the contributions of communities and institutions in fostering national, regional,
and international integration.

Theme: Living Together

Objective:
 Identify and describe the national symbols of Jamaica and their significance – the
national bird, flower, tree, and fruit.
 Examine images which show the changes in the Jamaican Coat-Of-Arms, justify the
changes made.

Key Skills:
Developing meaning, Designing, Organizing, and Interpreting information

Key Vocabulary:
nationhood, government, flag, loyalty, coat-of-arms, symbols, nationhood, nation-building,
patriotism, national pride, national pledge, independence, anthem, reverence, celebration, crest,
bearing, motto

Materials/ Resources: Textbooks, printed materials, computer and external speaker PowerPoint,
Internet, Multimedia projector.

https://opm.gov.jm/1-devon-rd/national-symbols-emblems/
https://www.jamaica-land-we-love.com/national-symbols-of-jamaica.html
https://nlj.gov.jm/?q=jamaican-national-symbls
Honouring Our Country – National Emblems – Changes in the Coat-of-Arms (Day 1)

FOCUS QUESTION
 How do we show respect and loyalty for our country?

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

 By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

 Examine images which show the changes in the Jamaican Coat-Of-Arms, justify the
changes made.

CONTENT SUMMARY

THE COAT-OF-ARMS

All the figures on the Coat of Arms represents Jamaica in different aspects.

The Jamaican national motto, ‘Out of Many One People’, is represented on the Coat of Arms.
The motto is based on the population’s multi-racial roots and shows
that Jamaicans are. indeed one. No matter what race, class, religion, age, or gender, we are
all. Jamaicans! We are a united people.
The Jamaican Coat of Arms shows a male and female member of the Taino tribe, the first
inhabitants of Jamaica, standing on either side of a shield which bears a red cross with five
golden pineapples, the indigenous fruit.

The crest shows a Jamaican crocodile – the indigenous reptile of the country – mounted on the
Royal Helmet of the British Monarchy and mantling, the use of which is a unique distinction
accorded to Jamaica by the British.

The American crocodile is Jamaica's largest reptile and is not endemic to the island because it is
also found in the coastal wetlands of Cuba, Hispaniola, the Cayman Islands and Florida.

The Jamaican Natural Resources Conservation Authority has been quoted as saying that the
country does not possess any alligators at all – but it is home to one species of crocodile, the
American crocodile.

The Coat of Arms, considered a legacy from the British with slight modifications, was granted to
Jamaica in 1661 under Royal Warrant. The original was designed by William Sancroft, then
Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Coat of Arms may have been dispensed with, but the government and opposition reached an
agreement that it constituted a badge of great historical significance to the nation and should be
retained.

LESSON PROCEDURE/ACTIVITIES:

Engage

 The students will review the key vocabulary terms that were looked at in the previous
lessons.
 They will review what symbols and emblems are and differentiate between them.

A symbol is a representation of something. Symbols are used to represent a particular brand.

Jamaica’s symbols and emblems include the Jamaican flag, the Coat of Arms, the National bird
– Doctor Bird, the national fruit-Ackee, our Motto-Out Of Many One People, the national
flower-Lignum Vitae, National Tree- Blue Mahoe, National Anthem, National Pledge, National
Song. These emblems/symbols identify us as a country.

(The emblems are:  the National Flag of Jamaica, the Coat of Arms of Jamaica (more correctly
known as the State Arms of Jamaica), and the National Anthem. The four  national symbols are
the Ackee fruit; the Swallowtail Hummingbird; the Blue Mahoe tree; and the Lignum Vitae
flower.)

 Explore

Today we will be looking at the Coat-of-Arms and the changes that are made to the coat of arms
leading up to independence.

Questions:

 What do you know about the coat of arms?

 What other name is it called?

 Let us examine it closely.

 What are you seeing on this Coat-of-Arms?
 Why do you think this design was used? Do you think the Coat-of-Arms is providing a
history of the country? Give reasons.
 Name some instances where you have seen it. 

Now the Coat-of-Arms you see today looks quite different from when it was first designed.
Please note also that the design on the shield of a coat of arms is called a BEARING.
Let us read the excerpt below, then look at the Coat-of-Arms following to examine the changes
(page 57 in the Jamaica Primary Social Studies Students Book 6).
The Jamaican coat of arms has seen quite a number of changes, but only three are officially
recorded. These changes occurred in 1906, 1957 and 1962.

Arms of Jamaica from 1875 to 1906.

Arms of Jamaica from 1906 to 8 April 1957.

Arms of Jamaica from 8 April 1957 to 13 July 1962.

Arms of Jamaica from 13 July to 6 August 1962.

After examining the coat of arms, the students will draw a tab work together in groups to identify
the features of the Jamaican Coat of Arms.

Features of the Coat of Arm-of-Arms

 All coat-of-arms have four features:
o The arms or shield
o A crest above the shield
o The supporters on each side of the shield
o A motto

Explain

What is the Coat-of-Arms?

What is the significance of this document?

Elaborate

Highlight the changes made to the Jamaican Coat-of Arms over the years and explain why the
changes have been made.

Student will be called upon to share their findings. They will share their own understanding of
what each feature of the Coat of Arms symbolizes. They will discuss whether or not it was a
good decision to change the look of it. They will have a guided discussion as to why it was
changed. They will identify the symbol that is not indigenous to Jamaica and explain its
significance on the coat of arms.

Evaluate

The students will complete the following activities.

Tier 1:

1. Which is another name for the Coat-Of-Arms

a) State of Arms of Jamaica
b) Crest
c) Motto
d) Stamp

    
2. Which was the original motto on the coat of arms?
a) Jamaica Land We Love
b) Out of Many One People
c) Out of Many One Race
d) Undus Uterque Serviet Unu

3. Examine of the images of the Jamaican Coat of Arms below. Use them to answer the
questions that follow.

The Jamaican coat of arms has seen quite several changes, but only three are officially
recorded. These changes occurred in 1906, 1957 and 1962.

Arms of Jamaica from 1875 to 1906.

Arms of Jamaica from 1906 to 8 April 1957.

Arms of Jamaica from 8 April 1957 to 13 July 1962.

Arms of Jamaica from 13 July to 6 August 1962.

4. Based on the images, which two statements describe changes made to the Jamaican Coat-of-
Arms from 1906-1962?
a) The Tainos were added.
b) the motto was changed.
c) a helmet replaced the shield.
d) a pineapple was removed.

5. Which statement provides the BEST reason for the changes in the Jamaican Coat of Arms
over the years? The coat of arms should ________.
a) look visually appealing.
b) be changed on a regular basis.
c) be a reminder of slavery.
d) reflect Jamaica's history, resources and people.

Tier 2&3

The students will complete the activity on page 71 of their Curriculum Based Tests - Social
Studies PEP Practice Book.

Homework

1. Answer True or False for the following.

Statements True False

The red cross on the white background of the Coat    
of arms is similar to the English flag. 
The very first time the Coat of arms was designed,    
it had the Tainos. 
 The British royal helm on the coat of arms    
represents our colonial history
The coat of arms is used as the official seal of the    
government. 

2. What does each design on the Coat-of-Arm represent?

       Red cross: ____________________________

       Taino: _______________________________
       Helmet: _____________________________
       Motto: ______________________________
POST-LESSON REFLECTION:

Key: 1 2 3 4
Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Good Excellent

Effectiveness of strategies

Students' participation

Effectiveness of instructional materials

Objectives were met

Time Plan of Action

Late start Re-teach

Started on time Reinforce Concept

Ended early Advance to the next topic

Went overtime

COMMENTS:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Honouring Our Country - National Symbols (Day 2)

 FOCUS QUESTION

How do we show respect and loyalty for our country?

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

1. Explain what national symbols are and analyze their importance to nationhood
2. Identify and describe the national symbols of Jamaica – the national bird, tree, flower and
fruit.

CONTENT SUMMARY

A symbol is a representation of something. Symbols are used to represent a particular brand.

Jamaica’s symbols and emblems include the Jamaican flag, the Coat of Arms, the National bird –
Doctor Bird, the national fruit-Ackee, our Motto-Out of Many One People, the national flower-
Lignum Vitae, National Tree- Blue Mahoe, National Anthem, National Pledge, National Song.
These emblems/symbols identify us as a country.
LESSON PROCEDURES/ACTIVITIES

Engage:

Activate Prior Knowledge

Based on previous assignment given to the students, Ask students about their knowledge of
national symbols of Jamaica. Name a few examples and write ideas on the board as students
share their thoughts.

Today we will be looking at the Jamaican National Bird, Flower, Tree and Fruit.

Explore:
The students will watch a video giving information on the national symbols.
They will be placed in four groups, each group representing one of the above symbols. The
students will gather information from the video, their project and the class text then present the
information they gathered to the class.

Explain:
At the end of the video the students will explain the significance of the symbols to Jamaica.

Question:
What is the significance of the symbol to the Jamaican people?
Is the symbol indigenous to Jamaica?
Can the symbol be found anywhere else in the world? 

Elaborate:
The students will have a guided discussion with the teacher on the importance of National
symbol to a country’s nationhood.

Evaluation:

1. The students will complete the activity on page 69-70 in their Curriculum Based Tests -
Social Studies PEP Practice Book.

A country's national symbols and

emblems are important to its
 nationhood. 

2. Indicate, by shading the circle in the appropriate column, the reasons which support or do not
support the statement above.

Reasons Support Does

not
support
They help to foster economic development           O                   O 
 They help to develop a sense of identity          O               O 
 They help citizens to strive for quality education                            O      O

Homework

1. Name Jamaica’s national emblems, symbols.

2. Explain the importance of the emblems, symbols to our country.

4. Use the scenario below to answer the questions that follow.

 Mr. Pento, your great grandfather, believes that it is not important for Jamaica to
have all these emblems. He is of the opinion that even though Jamaica gained its
independence from Britain in 1962, we could have still used the British emblems.

(i)           Are you in agreement with Mr. Pento that it is not important to use our own
emblems? YES/ N0

(ii)          Justify your answer for (i) above.

POST-LESSON REFLECTION:

Key: 1 2 3 4
Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Good Excellent

Effectiveness of strategies

Students' participation

Effectiveness of instructional materials

Objectives were met

Time Plan of Action

Late start Re-teach

Started on time Reinforce Concept

Ended early Advance to the next topic

Went overtime

COMMENTS:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________