Teacher Resources

Have you arranged a visit with a Memory Project speaker?

The following are some ideas to make your event run more smoothly, feel free to incorporate any suggestions that work best for your school:

• Check and see if the speaker would like to bring his/her spouse to the event.
• Arrange parking close to the building’s entrance.
• Ask if he/she will be bringing materials/ objects that he/she might need assistance carrying into the school and back to the car.
• Consider arranging for a couple of students to meet the speaker when they arrive and direct them to the classroom/auditorium where the event will take place.
• It is a nice gesture to offer the speaker something to eat or drink if they are visiting a number of classes or will be with your group for a few hours.
• Check with the speaker to see if they need/ want any of the following items: Microphone, overhead projector, screen, lectern, table and chairs, DVD/VCR and TV
• Ask in advance if the speaker is comfortable wearing a microphone, being videotaped etc. as this may be intimidating for someone who is unprepared.
• Arrange seating/ desks in a way that makes it easy for the speaker to walk around if he or she prefers this.
• Have a student introduce the speaker to the class.
• Make photocopies of student questions in advance and give these to pre-selected students for the Q&A session to get things started.
• Remind students about appropriate questions or sensitive topics. Many speakers find the common question, “did you kill anybody?” a difficult one to answer.
• Suggest that students thank the speaker personally/ shake hands when the visit is over.
• As an option for food and drink: organize a pot-luck with students interested in a less formal gathering after the veteran speaks with the class. Arrange for the speaker to come to the class preceding lunch if this is possible.

Many teachers ask if payment is expected after a visit. The Memory Project Speakers Bureau is a program that is provided free of charge to all groups and payment is not at all expected. Many schools however present the speakers with a small gift (school pens, mugs, t-shirts), gift cards for a local coffee shop or simply a card made by the class. Again, this is optional and not a requirement.

Post visit feedback form – we value your comments and feedback, as do the veterans and serving soldiers who give so generously of their time.

Learning Resources

Enhance your lessons with The Historica-Dominion Institute’s Memory Project and other veteran/military initiatives and professional development opportunities.

Canada and Afghanistan – New this year!
This resource provides students with a brief history on the war in Afghanistan and asks them to look further into the issues to better understand the complexity of the Afghan mission.

Canada and the Korean War
This resource is a reproduction of a Globe and Mail and La Presse newspaper from the period of the Korean War, 1950-1953.  The front page features sample articles from the period, the middle section highlights stories from Korean War veterans while the back page provides a brief history of the conflict and classroom questions written by popular military historian Ted Barris.

FREE – French and English versions available, hard copy only, order a class set today! 1.866.701.1867 ex. 233

Canada and Peacekeeping
This bilingual resource is a reproduction newspaper which highlights Canada’s role as Peacekeepers.  It is similar in style to the Korean War piece.

FREE - Available in hard copy only, order your class set today! 1.866.701.1867 ex. 233

Canada and the Second World War – French Only
This reproduction La Presse paper covers the end of the War in May, 1945.  The piece features articles from the event, a map and stories from Second World War veterans

FREE - Available in hard copy only, order your class set today! 1.866.701.1867 ex. 233

* Please note, the Peacekeeping and Second World War pieces are older resources which were created prior to the merger of The Historica Foundation and The Dominion Institute in September 2009.  The contact information, program funders and promotional information has since changed.

Crew of Seven –VHS Tape
Listen to Second World War veteran Grant McRae tell his stories to a group of high school students. 

We have a very limited amount of these tapes left and they will be sent out on a first come first served basis.  Teachers interested in ordering a tape are asked to consider making a small donation to The Memory Project though The Historica-Dominion Institute website www.historica-dominion.ca

The Canadian Battlefield Study Tour – For Teachers
The Canadian Battlefields Study Tours are designed as professional development opportunities which introduce educators to some of the most important Canadian battlefields and memorials in Belgium and France.  Two, tours (English and French), of 12 teachers each run for eleven days in the summer months. When they return to Canada, participants create lesson plans to share with their fellow teachers across Canada. Lesson plans from past tours can be viewed here:

The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War
The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War is creating an unprecedented account of Canada’s involvement in this conflict by interviewing thousands of veterans and digitizing their memorabilia.  A special classroom page provides teachers with lesson plans, learning tools and contests for their students, using this valuable resource.

The Memory Project: Digital Archive
From 2003-2006, The Memory Project recorded hundreds of stories from Canada’s veterans featuring stories from the First World War to the current conflict in Afghanistan.  An excellent resource for your classes.

The Ontario Veteran Community Archive – Ontario Teachers
This provincially funded program allows students to research a veteran/soldier (living or passed) in their family or community and upload their story to a user-generated archive.  Veterans/soldiers are required to have some connection to the Province of Ontario to be eligible for the site.

Please visit www.historica-dominion.ca to learn about our other programs and opportunities for you and your students.