Elementary Cycle 3
|
Secondary Cycle 2
History
Ethics and Religious Culture
French

What will you pack?

Close-up on a hand carrying a suitcase.
Credit: Clem Onojeghuo

Throughout its history, Montréal has welcomed immigrants—people who have left their homes, whether for economic, political, religious, or personal reasons, to start a new life here. And whether their decision was spontaneous or carefully considered, it required them to pack their bags before arriving in the city and putting down roots. The activity What Will You Pack? invites students to revisit Montréal’s history through the prism of immigration, and to build empathy and understanding for the many ways that people experience this major transition.

What Will You Pack? takes place at the MEM in three stages:

  1. A visit of the permanent exhibition, with a focus on immigration. Students learn about the factors that have led people to settle in Montréal, the major waves of migration that have shaped the city, the life paths of newcomers, and how immigrants contribute to the city.
  2. A discussion workshop on migration, including push and pull factors, constraints on migration, and how migration shapes societies and the identity of those who migrate. Connections are made to the students’ own knowledge and experiences of migration.
  3. The role-playing workshop What Will You Pack? In teams, students have to decide what to pack for the big journey. They have difficult choices to make, especially since some students have more resources than others. As they pack their suitcases, they have to take into account why they are leaving, the circumstances of the journey itself, and their financial means.

The visit and workshop scenarios are linked to specific historical periods and adapted to the students’ grade level.

Objective

  • Identify the principal characteristics of the major waves of immigration to Montréal and Québec in the 1800s and 1900s.
  • Identify the different types of migration and the factors that influence the decision to migrate.
  • Develop greater empathy and understanding for the range of migration experiences, and give a human face to migration.

Links to the Québec Education Program (QEP)

Elementary Cycle 3

Cross-Curricular Competencies
  • Solve problems
  • Exercise critical judgement
  • Construct one’s identity
  • Cooperate with others

Geography, History and Citizenship Education

Competencies

  • Understand the organization of a society in its territory
  • Establish elements of continuity with the present
  • Be open to the diversity of societies and their territories

Progression of learning

  • Canadian society around 1820
  • Québec society around 1905
  • Québec society around 1980
  • The visit and workshop scenarios are linked to specific historical periods and adapted to the students’ grade level.

Ethics and Religious Culture

Competencies

  • Reflect on ethical questions
  • Engage in dialogue

Progression of learning

  • The needs of humans and other living beings
  • Demands associated with the interdependence of humans and other living beings
  • Interpersonal relationships in groups
  • Demands of belonging to a group
  • Individuals as members of society
  • Demands of life in society

French

Competencies

  • Communicate orally
  • Interact orally
  • Respond to what is heard in an oral communication situation
  • Verbally explore various subjects with others in order to deepen critical thinking skills

Progression of learning

  • Sharing strategies
  • Listening strategies

Secondary Cycle 2

Cross-Curricular Competencies
  • Solve problems
  • Exercise critical judgement
  • Construct one’s identity
  • Cooperate with others

History and Citizenship Education

Competencies

  • Develop an understanding of citizenship through the study of history

Progression of learning

  • History of Québec and Canada—demographic and social dimensions
  • Contemporary world—population

Ethics and Religious Culture

Competencies

  • Reflect on ethical questions

Progression of learning

  • Tolerance
  • The future of humanity
  • Justice

This activity was developed in collaboration with Je suis Montréal and the Groupe de recherche sur l’éducation et les musées.

Information and reservation

For updates about program availability, subscribe to the MEM newsletter.

Please contact us with any questions.

By email:
[email protected]
By telephone:
514 872-0238
Length
120 minutes including arrival and departure
Maximum Capacity
80 students
Pricing
  • Effective January 2024
  • Students: $5
  • Accompanying adult (1 per 15 students): Free

Location

At the MEM
Getting to the MEM
Bus Drop-Off
  • Located at 61 boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, Québec, H2Z 1A3
  • A member of the MEM team will meet you at the drop-off and accompany you on foot to the museum (200 m)
Public Transit
  • Metro: Station Saint-Laurent
  • STM bus: 55

Educational vision

The MEM's educational offering is the fruit of a collective effort involving a committee of some fifteen teachers and education specialists, as well as community partners working in the fields of civic engagement, living together and accessibility.

Our educational programs aim to equip young people to become citizens interested in their city, its challenges and its history. They aim to foster their awareness of the importance of living together and their commitment to their community.

Our programs talk about Montreal, its history, its territory and its people, through such perspectives as neighborhoods, immigration, citizen power and disability. The varied activities that make up our programs encourage students to share their experiences, develop critical thinking skills and empathy, and foster civic engagement.