Teacher ToolkitHow can exploring small towns help us better understand what makes Ontario unique?

How can exploring small towns help us better understand what makes Ontario unique?

What?

The Main Street TVO docuseries invites students to explore the rich local histories of communities across Ontario. Through personal stories shared along main streets, students gain insight into the people, industries, and experiences that shape each town. These narratives bring to life how communities have responded to challenges and change, offering a meaningful and human perspective on Ontario’s past and present.

Whom?

  • Social Studies
  • History
  • Geography
  • Canadian & World Studies

How?

Please note all prompts and information included in this Teacher Toolkit are suggestions only. Educators are always encouraged to evaluate the specific needs of their learners and use their professional judgement.

1. Get ready...

Before you begin teaching, consider the following prompts to prepare yourself. Some suggested answers have been included as samples.

  • What materials will you need for these videos?
  • educator will need access to a device to show the material
  • students need access to a device to watch the videos on their chosen community
  • a map of Ontario
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  • What pre-conversations will you need to have with your students?
  • What vocabulary will your students learn in each video?
  • Vocabulary is dependent on the video selected. It is suggested that educators pre-screen the video and create a vocabulary chart for any potential new learning for their students.
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  • What pre-teaching needs to happen to prepare your students for this content?
  • Students should have a general understanding of the geographic position of the town that you will be investigating
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  • Is there any pre-reading that you need to do to facilitate this content?
  • Will students work independently, in partners, in small groups, or is this a full class activity?
  • The demonstration of learning can be completed independently or in small groups. The extension activity can be a way for students to share their learning, allowing them to explore and learn about a variety of regions/towns in Ontario.’
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2. Get set...

Before you begin teaching, consider the following prompts to prepare your learners. Some suggested answers have been included as samples.

  • What are the learning goals and success criteria for this collection of videos?

Press the following tabs to explore suggested learning goals and success criteria for the learning activity.

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Learning goals

We are learning to:

  • examine how events and organizations have shaped community landscapes over time
  • engage with local histories by analysing primary sources, oral histories, and community narratives
  • apply understanding of local contexts and histories to our communities, investigating how communities evolve and are reshaped
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Success criteria

You may choose to co-create the success criteria with your students or develop your own.

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  • How will you activate and/or assess your students’ prior knowledge ahead of these videos?
  • Have students share a story about their own main street.
  • Have students complete a KWL chart about their town (What I know, what I wonder, what I have learned).
  • Have students complete a mind map about a town or street.
  • Students can answer a reflection question such as what makes a small town unique?
  • Students can brainstorm key features of a small town (for example, industries, landmarks, traditions) which they can revisit after watching the video.
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3. Go!

While students are watching the video, you can prepare the following:

  • any inquiry questions that may extend student understanding
  • a personal example from your life/city and how it has changed in your lifetime
  • compare and contrast two towns from the series, investigate the similarities and differences from a geographic perspective
  • choose three episodes and demonstrate how small towns contribute to Ontario’s identity using evidence from the towns chosen
  • a map of the chosen town at street level to show how the landscape may have changed
  • have students create their own episode of Main Street using their hometown as the example

Resources

Assessment opportunities

Inquiry questions:

  • How do small towns across Ontario shape the province’s identity and sense of community?
  • In what ways do small communities across Ontario reflect the province’s diversity, history, and values?
  • How can exploring towns and cities across Ontario help us better understand what makes the province unique?

Aligned achievement chart: Grade 7 Geography (Main Street Ontario Inquiry)

CriteriaLevel 1 (Limited)Level 2 (Some)Level 3 (Considerable)Level 4 (Thorough/Insightful)
Knowledge & UnderstandingDemonstrates limited understanding of community characteristics and human–environment interactions; includes few relevant details.Demonstrates some understanding; identifies some community features and human activities with limited accuracy.Demonstrates considerable understanding; clearly describes community features and explains relationships between people and their environment.Demonstrates thorough understanding; provides detailed and insightful explanations of how human activities shape and are shaped by the environment.
Thinking Uses the geographic inquiry process and critical thinkingUses limited inquiry and analysis; ideas are unclear or lack supporting evidence.Uses some inquiry skills; begins to analyze patterns or change with limited evidence from sources.Uses considerable inquiry skills; analyzes patterns, change, and impacts using relevant evidence from a variety of sources.Uses thorough and insightful inquiry; analyzes patterns, trends, and impacts with strong evidence and multiple perspectives.
CommunicationCommunicates with limited clarity; organization, terminology, and use of sources are inconsistent.Communicates with some clarity; uses some appropriate terminology and sources.Communicates clearly and logically; uses appropriate geographic terminology and relevant sources effectively.Communicates clearly and effectively with precision; uses geographic terminology and a variety of sources to enhance meaning and impact.
Application Applies geographic knowledgeMakes limited connections; application to geographic contexts is unclear.Makes some connections; applies learning to familiar contexts with limited depth.Makes clear and relevant connections between communities and geographic concepts.Makes insightful and meaningful connections.

Consider

  • Comparing and contrasting multiple videos from the Main Street collection to show the different perspectives throughout Ontario.
  • Have students bring in personal stories from outside Ontario from parents, guardians, or other important community members to compare with the stories that are shared within the Main Street Collection.

Tips

Create a learning goal

  • Clearly identify what students are expected to know and are able to do in a language that students can readily understand. This represents the knowledge and skills that the students must successfully demonstrate to achieve the overall expectation.


Use triangulation of assessments

  • Reference example chart/checklist for what to look for during observations, conversations, conferences, etc.
Student NameDemonstrates (insert specific expectation)Demonstrates (insert specific expectation)Demonstrates (insert specific expectation)
Date: Date: Date: