Educational Activities

Dicover the MEM's educational programs. For more information, contact .

Map of a neighborhood hand-drawn by a child.

Your neighbourhood

Elementary Cycle 1
Social Sciences — Visual Arts
Photo: MEM - Montrealers’ Memory Centre

During a tour of the MEM, students explore their school’s immediate environment. A brainstorming workshop then invites them to imagine their ideal neighbourhood. What better way for them to share impressions and learn more about a place they thought they already knew?

Montréal, map in hand

Elementary Cycles 2 and 3
Geography — History
Photo: Archives nationales d’outre-mer (France). FR CAOM 3DFC480B

Students use a variety of maps to learn about the city and its history. Along the way, they also get a glimpse of how Montrealers lived in the past. This lively activity includes a sensory game involving historical maps and a seek-and-find exploration of the museum.

Map of the city of Montreal in 1781.
Assembly of portraits drawn by children. The whole forms a tree plated on a wall.

Des racines pour grandir

Elementary Cycles 2 and 3
Une école montréalaise pour tous
Photo: MEM - Montrealers’ Memory Centre

Roots for Growing is inspired by a Belgian project and adapted to the reality of Montréal students. Part of the A Montréal School for All initiative, this project guides elementary school students through the creation of a family tree to discover their family’s history and gain a better understanding of Montréal’s past.

What will you pack?

Elementary Cycle 3
Secondary Cycle 2
History — Ethics and Religious Culture
Photo: Clem Onojeghuo

In a tour of the MEM, students revisit the history of Montréal through the lens of immigration. A role-playing game helps build empathy for the range of migration experiences by asking the question: what do people pack when they have to leave one country for another?

Close-up on a hand carrying a suitcase.
Close-up on the joined hands of a group of teenagers placed in a circle.

Sparking Civic Engagement

Elementary Cycle 3
Secondary Cycle 2
Ethics and Religious Culture
Photo: Hannah Busing

Are your students interested in politics? Do they see themselves as future citizens who can make a difference in their community? As they explore the museum, students learn about social movements that have shaped Montréal. In teams, they outline a project that they could implement in their school or neighbourhood.

Accessible Montréal

Elementary
Secondary
Ethics and Religious Culture
Photo: Charles Deluvio

As they visit the MEM, students reflect on the impacts of disabilities and consider ways to make the museum more accessible. This exploration provides students with a valuable opportunity to expand their understanding of issues related to disability, inclusion, and accessibility.

Close-up of a lighted sign with an upward arrow and a pictogram of wheelchair accessibility.
View of downtown Montreal from the Mount Royal lookout.

Montréal metropolis

Secondary Cycle 1
Geography
Photo: Nathalia Segato

Students learn about the metropolis’s characteristics, territory, population, and power of attraction, as well as the challenges it faces today. A board game encourages them to use their creativity to come up with innovative solutions to a challenging problem: affordable housing for all.

Montréal 101

Secondary — Francization
Photo: MEM - Montrealers’ Memory Centre

With Montréal 101, students tour the city in 90 minutes! Along the way, they learn useful tips for navigating everyday life in Montréal. Above all, the activity offers them an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about their new city.

Graphic composition of several words forming the outline of the island of Montreal.
Portrait of a teenage girl holding bracelets close to her face.

New edition!

You Are Part of History!

Secondary — Francization
Photo: MEM - Montrealers’ Memory Centre

The educational program You Are Part of History! is specially designed for intermediate to advanced classes d’accueil (welcoming classes) at the secondary level. Students explore Montréal’s past and the ways immigration has shaped its history, and then present a family heirloom to the rest of the class. The program concludes with an exhibition that showcases their personal paths and chosen heirlooms.

Mon quartier en français

Secondary — Francization
Photo: MEM - Montrealers’ Memory Centre

Maps are at the heart of Mon quartier en français. This francization activity is designed for beginner classes d’accueil at the secondary level. After examining historical maps that reveal Montréal’s past, students create their own maps. Through a series of workshops, they learn vocabulary related to everyday life and getting around the city, while gaining insight into the geography, history, and culture of their new living environment.

Hands of teenagers around a map of a neighborhood in Montreal.