Download our classroom activities and readings around Ontario’s multicultural history

We’re delighted to announce the release of our new curriculum resources, developed with support from the Government of Ontario.

Through the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s Multicultural Community Capacity program, we’ve created two curriculum packages: one called Vanguards of Science & Society, about notable Ontario women who worked in science and humanities fields; and one called Abolitionists of Ontario: Freemen & Fugitives, about black-run newspapers during the 1850s. Both packages link back to the virtual exhibits for more online learning and other resources.

The first package features edited versions of our virtual-exhibit essays from our first round grant project, along with a question sheet for students and potential answers for teachers. We wrote about the accomplishments of two women in science (Emily Stowe and Irene Uchida) and two women of letters (Pauline Johnson and Mary Ann Shadd Cary). It comes in shorter (one page) and longer (two page) versions suitable for different reading levels or in-class time limits.

The second package features real articles from Canadian abolitionist newspapers written by escaped slaves and free black Ontarians, as well as correspondence from American writers and advocates. It also comes in shorter (one page) and longer (two page) versions for a total of nine possible article readings, along with question sheets for students and answer suggestions for teachers. This package is for a higher grade level and deals with some sensitive content.

We’d love to hear from you if you’re an educator using these resources in your classrooms. Get in touch by writing comments in VITA on the materials you used, or writing a testimonial for the collection. Or, if you’d like to get in contact privately, send us an email.

We want to thank especially all our volunteers that taught us about classroom needs and gave us invaluable feedback! Also check out some of these other great resources we were told about when we were learning about curriculum resources.