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MOA and the Ontario Curriculum

MOA Education Programming 

There are many considerations to keep in mind when developing education school programs: suitability to age groups, time needed, relevance to the museum content, but the most important is compatibility with the official curriculum, which can be found here . Teachers must prove their field trips are in line with the curriculum; so, we make it easy for them.

All the Museum of Ontario Archaeology school programming is designed to compliment the Ontario Curriculum, primarily Social Studies, as that is the most fitting compliment to archaeology and First Nations history and culture. However, we also compliment the Arts, Science and Technology and Mathematics when applicable.

How MOA Compliments the Ontario Curriculum

For example, our gallery tour for grade 2, compliments the Social Studies curriculum, specifically Grade 2 Social Studies, Heritage and Identity: Changing Family and Community Traditions, as well as People and Environments: Global Communities. Beyond Social Studies the program also compliments Grade 2 Science and technology, Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes and Grade 2 Mathematics, Patterning and Algebra.

Pottery Workshop, Educational workshop at MOA

The MOA education programming was updated for the new 2013 Social Studies curriculum. This new curriculum stresses the 6 concepts of disciplinary thinking, which means students should be given the tools to consider for themselves: significance, cause and consequence, continuity and change, patterns and trends, interrelationships and perspective. Museum programming has an ideally beneficial element that is more difficult to find in school settings, and that is the ease at which we can create experiential learning. Students can experience archaeology through the handling of artefacts and First Nations history by spending an afternoon in a longhouse and making traditional First Nations crafts.

Finally, another very important element within education programming is tailoring to each group of students. We do this by observing students closely, adjusting our tours and programs as we go.

Learn more about what programs we offer by visiting our Educational Programming page.