History Mystery

Curriculum Connections:

• Social Studies - 

  Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present

Character Development:

• program emphasizes respect, responsibility, teamwork, co-operation and fairness

Currently available as a virtual field trip!

History is a mystery and historians are detectives!

That statement is the premise behind this updated program which explores the concepts of: Observation, Inference, Continuity, Change, Bias, Primary Sources, and Secondary Sources all through the lens of student experiences at Kapapamahchakwew - Wandering Spirit School, the Eastern High School of Commerce, and the Mohawk Institute (one of Canada's first residential schools).

Beginning with an introduction to the 2-Row Wampum, students move on to explore primary source documents (photos, reports, first person interviews) to compare the experiences of students attending the Eastern High School of Commerce and the Mohawk Institute from the 1920s - 1940s. Next, students learn about the founding of Kapapamahchakwew and how it came to be situated on the former site of the Eastern High School of Commerce. Finally, students watch first person video interviews to find examples of continuity and change related to the experiences of students at Kapapamahchakwew today and those of the indigenous children forced to attend the Mohawk Institute in the past. This part of the day also introduces students and teachers to ideas of best practices when engaging with Indigenous education.

The documents in this program could act as a trigger regarding traumatic experiences linked to residential schools. Please prepare your students and their families for this possibility and share these resources from the TDSB’s Urban Indigenous Education Centre.

TUSC encourages classes to gather and organize primary and secondary source materials from their own school and neighbourhood (through the TDSB, UIEC, and the City of Toronto Archives) to learn more about people and events in the past that have influenced their present.

This program does not have an outdoor component.

Program Length: two virtual sessions of 60-90 minutes offered a week apart. 
                              OR WHEN AVAILABLE  one day (9:30 am - 2:00 pm)
Availability: fall (November to December), winter (January to mid-March), spring (mid-March to April)
Location: Virtual  OR at Your School
Fee: Please find information on the fee structure here.

User fees help ensure the continuation of these learning experiences through partial cost recovery; fee schedule reflect rates subsidized by the Toronto District School Board.
 

Maximum: 32 students