Armed with Essential Skills

Heraldic symbols were important during medieval times because a suit of armour made it very difficult to distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield. Knights chose symbols as their marks of identification. Each knight had his own design on his shield. The design was known as the coat of arms. Heraldic symbols are still used today in many countries. Institutions, companies, and members of the public may obtain officially recognized coats of arms from governmental heraldic authorities.

Your assignment is to design a shield or a coat of arms to represent the Essential Skills that you possess. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. The items on the shield should show someone looking at it the skill areas you feel most developed in, as well as those where you are just beginning to develop your skills.

• Use colour, symbols, lettering and animals to represent these Essential Skills
• Your shield must be made on white poster board.
  Use 1/4 of a full sheet
• You must include your SURNAME somewhere on the shield. Also, include the nationality of your surname and what it means
• Your shield should be divided into at least two sections.
  See samples in the classroom
• The shields will be displayed in the school – make it your best show!
• Explain your choices in terms of symbolism for colour, animals and lettering on a separate piece of paper and attach this analysis to the back of your shield