Activities
Primary Level
Primary Level
Information and reservation:
reservation@mccord.mcgill.ca
(514) 398-7100, ext. 222
An area to eat lunch is available for $50; reservations required.
Three ways of satisfying your curiosity :
At the Museum | At School | Online
We offer specially designed activities to meet the expectations of every age group.
Our Five Keys to History approach is a fun and informative way to be introduced to history and the language of objects.
At the Museum:
- Our dynamic guides will open the doors to history for you and your group.
- The Museum offers online visit preparation resources for all Cycle 3 primary activities. Watch for our Web @ctivity reference.
At School:
- Our educational collection provides students with direct access to objects.
- Our activities can be conducted in class with or without the help of a Museum interpreter.
Online:
- The McCord Museum Web site offers an important educational tool, EduWeb, whose content is based on the Five Keys to History approach.
- In order to encourage the exploration of Canadian history, you will find lesson plans, more than 135,000 images free to use for educational purposes, as well as tools, games and virtual exhibitions.
Download the Educational Activities Program 2009-2010 [pdf, 2Mb]
At the Museum
Winter Solstice
Offered only in November and December
The return of snowflakes and the first snowball fights announce the coming of Christmas. Decorating the tree, handmade gifts and simmering meals all combine to create a magical atmosphere. For centuries, Christmas traditions have been enriched by customs from the four corners of the world. Come share with us the extraordinary history of this celebration of daylight.
Duration :120 minutes
Fee: $5.50 / student
Number of students :80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 1
Theme(s) : Space, time, and society; Religious expression
- NEW -
In a space station near you
Until January 10, 2010
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first steps on the Moon, we invite you to come and see fascinating equipment related to space exploration, such as a space suite and a model of the International Space Station, where a Canadian will be spending part of this year. Through the exhibited toys and cartoons, you will notice how space exploration has deeply affected popular culture and imagination. In workshops, children will be able to make their own 3D glasses in order to look at the 3D images of the Sun and lunar missions presented in the new eSpace exhibition.
Duration :120 minutes
Fee: $5.50 / student
Number of students :40
Cycle(s) : Cycles 2 and 3
Theme(s) : Aerospace technology (space station)
Prepare for your visit
Video : Bob Thirsk for eSpace Exhibition
Stereogram: How did it work?
What is an anaglyph?
- NEW -
Back in Champlain's day: alliances, explorations and fur trade
The fur trade in New France takes shape thanks to the alliances created by Samuel de Champlain between the Europeans and the Aboriginal nations. Throughout the visit, students will explore artifacts, visual documents and maps in order to discover how the alliances were created. These alliances enabled Champlain to carry out his explorations and establish the fur trade -- a key component in the territorial expansion of New France. As apprentice silversmiths, students will emboss their own designs on trade medallions made from thin strips of metal, one of the symbols of the French-Aboriginal alliance.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / student
Number of students : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 2
Theme(s) : French society in New France
Prepare for your visit
Game : Cultural exchanges
Aboriginal Dance and Drumming
To understand the full vitality of Aboriginal culture, we need to take a closer look at the reality of their lives in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dive into history, follow the rhythm of the drum, and introduce yourself to traditional dance. Everyone will be able to see how Aboriginal cultural traditions have changed over time and how the culture has stayed alive.
This actvity is generously supported by the J.A. Bombardier Foundation.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $ 6,50 / child
Number of students : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycles 1, 2 and 3
Theme(s) : Space, time and society (Cycle 1); The Iroquoians and Algonquians around 1500 (Cycle 2); Cultural diversity (Cycle 3)
Web @ctivity
Thematic tour : Continuing Negotiations: First Nations and the State
Astli in the Americas
From the Iroquois to the Mayans
Astli the Great Blue Heron is a migratory bird that travels great distances. His flights take him from Quebec to Mexico, via California. Astli connects two distinct cultures: the Aboriginal populations of the North and the South. Our beautiful bird carries on his wings the fascinating cultural histories of the Aztecs and Mayans of Mesoamerica and the Algonquin and Iroquois Nations of the Eastern Woodlands. A role-playing game that introduces the Mayan systems of numbers and hieroglyphic writing enriches this already engaging experience.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / student
Number of students : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 2
Theme(s) : Aboriginals of the North and South, around 1500
Prepare for your visit
Educational objectives [pdf document]
Preparatory program [pdf document]
On the Back of the Turtle
Natural Resources and Aboriginal Nations
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Iroquois of the St. Lawrence River used every natural resource at their disposal and imaginatively created objects for daily use. Together, students discover how water, earth and the forest became allies in the Aboriginals' survival. This is followed by a workshop where, using traditional techniques, students create some of these objects in clay.
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / student
Number of students : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 2
Theme(s) : The Iroquoians around 1500
Prepare for your visit
Educational objectives [pdf document]
Preparatory program [pdf document]
Game : Extraordinary Aboriginal Creations
Aboriginal Science and Technology
How did people live without metal, electricity or plastic? Now that's a question that should put your students' know-how to the test! In this visit and workshop, students will be presented with about ten technological challenges to help them better understand the ways of the Aboriginal people in Quebec before 1500. Through manipulation, experimentation and particularly teamwork, students will come to appreciate the importance of Aboriginal knowledge in a world where nature was the only resource for shelter, food, clothing and transportation.
Duration: 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / student
Number of students: 60
Cycle(s): Cycles 2 and 3
Theme(s): Aboriginals before 1500 (Cycle 2); Science and technology (Cycle 3)
Web @ctivity
Game : Unusual Objects
Being Irish O'Quebec
With every era in our history, from the colony's earliest days to the end of the 19th century, the Irish arrived in Canada bringing with them their customs, dances, music and traditions. Several generations later, the Irish heritage has left its mark. Join us in this meeting of stories, alliances, rhythms and celebrations. In the workshop, students will fashion a traditional object that will bring them luck.
Duration: 120 minutes
Fee: $5.50 / student
Number of students: 60
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Canadian and Quebec society from 1820 to 1905
Web @ctivity
Game : Griffintown, The Irish in Montréal
Once upon a time in 1905
Budding historians: ready, set, go ! Discover the past by way of countless fascinating detours through objects found at the McCord. How did our ancestors live in the Montreal region? How did they learn to survive the harsh winters? What were their hobbies and pastimes? Why did this city prosper and attract people from around the globe? During a workshop activity, students will play an association game to learn more about how technology has changed objects over time.
Duration: 120 minutes
Fee : $5.50 / student
Number of students : 80
Cycle(s) : Cycle 3
Theme(s): Quebec society around 1905
Web @ctivity
Virtual exhibition : Urban Life through Two Lenses (Montreal past and present)
Thematic folder : Montreal 1850-1896: The Industrial City
Thematic folder : Montreal 1896-1914: The Canadian Metropolis
At School
Educational Kit
Montreal during the Industrial Revolution, 1820-1905
An activity that brings countless examples to your classroom from the era when industrial created a revolution! Students approach this historical period via a diverse range of activities where they explore the impact the Industrial Revolution had on Montreal. Through a selection of significant objects, students will be able to identify the major events that have irrevocably altered social customs, the economy and the world of industry. The Educational Kit can be used in the classroom independently or with the assistance of a Museum interpreter.
Duration : 10 days
Fee : $150 / Kit*
Half-day with interpreter : $175*
Full day with an interpreter : $325*
Number of students : Unlimited
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Canadian and Quebec society from 1820 to 1905
*transportation not included
Promotional brochure [pdf document]
Web @ctivity
Thematic folder : The splendour and misery of urban life
The Photographer's Workshop
This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel back in time in the company of a 19th century photographer's assistant and discover the art of photography. In two hours, with the help of artifacts from the McCord's education collection, observation games and a creative activity, this workshop transports students to the era of composite photographs, fake backdrops and the time of the interminable pose. Don't forget to say "cheese!"
Duration : 120 minutes
Fee : Half-day : $175*, Full day : $325*
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Canadian and Quebec society from 1820 to 1905; Science and technology
*transportation not included
Web @ctivities
Game : Watch the Birdie
Thematic folder : In the Eye of the Camera, 1840-1867
Online
A journey among the Inuit and Mi'kmaq around 1980
Learning and evaluation situation (LES)
This lesson plan invites students to explore the diversity of Inuit and Mi'kmaq societies and their territories, around 1980, by creating a Web folder of traditional artifacts produced by these communities using the image bank on the Museum site.
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Inuit and Mi'kmaqs around 1980
Web @ctivity
A journey among the Inuit and Mi'kmaq around 1980
Canadian Societies and Trades around 1900
Learning and evaluation situation (LES)
This lesson plan invites students to compare Quebec, Prairie and West Coast societies around 1900 by creating a Web folder on the trades found in these societies using the image bank on the Museum site.
Cycle(s): Cycle 3
Theme(s): Quebec, Canadian societies in the Prairie and on the West Coast around 1900
Web @ctivity
Canadian Societies and Trades around 1900
The 2009-2010 programme of activities was made possible with the financial support of the Fondation J. Armand Bombardier and Great-West Life, London Life and Canadian Life.