How to Make your Trip to Montréal More Educational
As we watch our programs unfold each spring, we
are continuously looking for new ways to make the next year's programs
even better.
Among other things, better means more educational,
because we really do take pleasure and pride in planting ideas in the
minds of the young people that come on our trips.
One
thing we've learned about enhancing the educational value of the trips
is that the better students are prepared for what they will see and
do in Montréal before they leave home, the more they will benefit.
Students pay closer attention, ask more questions and learn more, and,
as a result, the trips are more satisfying for their teachers and even
the guides. Everybody wins!
For example, a visit to the Place Jacques Cartier,
in the heart of Vieux Montréal, will be much more meaningful for any student
who has done a bare minimum of research about it or has heard another
student's research report. The same is true for other sites in the city,
or for historical figures who played a part in the shaping of la Nouvelle
France.
Students may be asked to share their research
with the class, with another class, with the French club, or simply with
other participants on their trip. They might be asked to give their report
once in the classroom, and once again "on location" in Canada.
For example, a student who researched Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve
could be the "tour guide" and give information on Montréal's
founder as your class stands at the foot of the Maisonneuve statue in
the Place d'Armes.
With this in mind, we have developed a preview of
some of the things that your group is likely to see and do while in Montréal.
We have included recommendations about research topics, historical information
about the colony of New France and enrichment activities which practice
French language structures using "Montréal" as content material.
References for further study are listed. The websites are accurate at press
time, but are subject to change. (Hint for accessing websites: be careful
to type the URL exactly as printed, being sure to distinguish between the
number "one" and the letter "l".)
We hope that you will find this Teachers' Resource
Manual helpful as you prepare your students for their Montréal travel
experience!
Montréal
Study Guide prepared by Ellen S. Brookes
