Life was easier for some immigrants than others. They had. The questions 6-14 can be answered in the area of Immigration Hall and the Sod House.

Transcription

1 Call it Home Immigration to Manitoba Teacher s Version Section 1 Immigration Hall The program begins in the Immigration Hall in the Grasslands Gallery. When you enter the museum galleries, make your way past the mural into the Earth History Gallery. Across from the palaeontologist is a door proceed through the door and to your left. Sarah has just arrived at the train station in Winnipeg. She has travelled boat and train. It has taken several weeks to get here. 1. Describe how Sarah is feeling? 2. What do you think she has packed in her trunk? Push the button to play the slide show Mass Migration to Manitoba After 1870 The playing time is just over 2 minutes. A script is enclosed for review. Have the students answer the worksheet questions. 3. Give one reason why some people came to Canada. 4. Complete the sentence: Life was easier for some immigrants than others. They had 5. What kinds of jobs did some immigrants do? The questions 6-14 can be answered in the area of Immigration Hall and the Sod House. 6. The Government of Canada put up posters in many countries to attract immigrants. How did the government pull people to come here?

2 7. Where could you go to learn to speak English in 1961? 8. The row of cases shows artifacts from many different countries. Why do you think the objects are all small? Can you find a case that represents the place you come from? What did the immigrants bring with them to remind them of home? What special object did you bring with you? 12. Go to a case for a different group of immigrants? Describe an artifact that a woman brought with her. 13. Some early immigrants lived in sod houses. What are sod houses made of? 14. Read the sign on the house. What was one problem with a sod house? 15. Look at the photograph on the wall beside the house. Why did people build their houses out of sod? 16. Describe how you would feel if this were your house. The next stop is the Rye Farm Diorama in the Parklands Gallery. The following is the most direct route. Proceed through the door to the left of the Sod House and wagon. Turn right toward the grass roots case. Directly around the corner to the left is a set of double doors, which access a staircase to the upper level of the Parklands Gallery. The diorama can be viewed from the upper railing. [If any of your students have difficulty with stairs please use the alternate route: through the door left of the wagon; right and past the Pronghorn diorama; just past the trees you will find a door to your left; go through the door and then left through the bat cave; continue up the ramp. The diorama is best viewed from the upper railing.] Section 2 Ukrainian Rye Farm Diorama (Stuartburn Municipality, 1920s) The first Ukrainians in Manitoba arrived in Stuartburn in By this period, only poorly drained, rocky soil was available in this area, in the Interlake and north of Riding Mountain. Still, wood, water and free land represented a better life to a

3 people who were impoverished and exploited in their home country. Families survived through the hard work of all members. Gradually, subsistence homesteads grew to become modest mixed farms and a thriving Ukrainian community emerged. Economic hardship in the 1920s and 1930s took its toll, however. Some families lost their land. Others persevered but, over time, younger people moved away. In one of the stories, you will find Seneca root mentioned. Seneca, or snake root, was used for centuries by Native North Americans to treat rattlesnake bites, insect stings, respiratory ailments, headaches and other disorders. The plant has been called God s gift to the immigrants. Washed and dried, it could be sold at the local store in exchange for essential goods and then re-sold to pharmaceutical companies. There is a sample on the railing panel. The curator s notebook on the railing has additional information and photographs about Ukrainian immigration to Manitoba. Your students may want to take some time to browse through it. Each of the people in the diorama has a story to tell. In the bag you will find a folder with a photo and story for each of the family members. Depending on time and the level of your students you can approach this activity in a couple of ways. Choose one or two people from the diorama and read their story to the group or have students share the reading. Answer the questions on the worksheet. Or Break the class into groups and give each group a character. Each group can read about their character and answer the worksheet questions. Then, have the students role-play introducing their character to the rest of the class. This could also be done as a follow-up activity. 17. What is the name of the person you read about?

4 18. Pretend that this person is a new student in your class. You must introduce them to the class. Write 3 things you would say in your introduction Proceed down the ramp and through the bat cave. The lower Parklands area is an inverted U-shape. Travel through the first leg of the gallery and gather your students at the end in the Contemporary Issues area. (open area with a small raised stage.) Section 3 Settling in a New Land In the kit you will find two folders containing photographs on common themes of concern to new immigrants. As at the Rye Farm, you can choose do this activity as a large group activity or break them into smaller groups to discuss and report back. Housing Adequate, affordable housing is an issue for many newcomers, both in the past and today. In the city, immigrants often lived in crowded tenements or boarding houses. In the country, people needed to provide their own housing or needed the help of family and friends. The first homes were often very meagre; simply enough to meet the land grant requirements of constructing a home on the site. How did these people find the housing they needed? Did they build it themselves? These are rural photographs. How do you think housing was different in the city? What kind of materials did they use for construction?

5 Occupations Finding employment is critical to most newcomers. Even those who came as homesteaders, often needed some family members to work off the farm to supplement their income. Men frequently immigrated on their own in search of employment that would allow them to pay for the travel of family members. Major constructions projects attracted unskilled workers. What type of job are these people doing? Did these jobs require special skills? What do these jobs have in common? (manual labour) Are they using special tools or machinery for their work? Your teacher showed you some photographs. 19. What were the photographs about? 20. Did anything surprise you in the photographs? 21. Write three important points you want to remember about the pictures Let s Pretend Canada s Immigration Commercials (Optional Requires Level 7-8 listening skills) Canadian government policies encouraged the immigration of certain groups and kinds of people, and discouraged or prevented the arrival of others. It was many years before some immigrants were welcomed to Canada. Imagine what it might have been like if television was around 100 years ago!

6 Each ad runs approximately 1min 30 seconds. Listen to one or two ads of your choice and discuss. How is the immigration agent trying to attract people to Canada? What kind of immigrant is being targeted with each commercial? Do the words he is using and the photographs match? Does the information provided by today s immigration officers match the reality of the student s experience of immigration? Fraternal Orders Many fraternal orders were organized along ethno-cultural lines. These groups provided a familiar social environment. They helped members maintain a connection to their homeland. They also played an important role in the economic aspects of their members lives. Sick benefits and burial assistance were often provided. More exclusive groups offered networking opportunities for business and political leaders. 22. How did immigrants help each other? 23. You are starting a new group for immigrants from your country. What will you call the group? 24. Create a banner for your group. Section 5 Waves of Immigration In the bag you will find six folders that each reflect an earlier wave of immigration to Manitoba. (Finnish, Icelandic, Mennonite, British, Finnish, Italian and Chinese). Divide your class into groups and ask them to read the short description, discuss the photos and answer the questions. The full group can then compare and contrast their responses. This could also be done as a follow-up activity in the classroom. This activity is based on the Immigration Kiosk. Some of the students artifacts may be found beside the computer. The computer also contains information on many other

7 groups of immigrants to Manitoba. Your students may want to try it out when they return. In your folder you will find some information about a group of immigrants that came to Manitoba in the past. Read about your group and look at the photographs. With your group, answer these questions. 25. What country did these immigrants come from? 26. When did they come to Canada? 27. What made them come to Canada? 28. What kind of jobs did they do when they arrived? 29. What object did they bring with them? Was it something special or useful? 30. If you could ask one of the people in a picture a question, what would it be? 31. Pretend you are a person in one of these photographs. Write a postcard to your family back home. Think about the following questions. Why did you have your picture taken? Who is in the picture with you? Are you working at a job?

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