Elementary

Access curriculum-based programs at the City of Toronto Archives for Grade 1 to Grade 8 students.

Booking Information

  • Free of charge.
  • 60 to 90 minutes in length.
  • Available weekdays between 9:30 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Minimum group size is 10, maximum is 30.
  • Programs can be adjusted to meet your schedule or special needs, including ESL classes.
  • Advance booking is required. Contact archivesoutreach@toronto.ca to book.

Civics in the City

This interactive 90-minute program supports civics learning for Grade 5 students. Participants explore how municipal government works, discover the wide range of services the City provides, and find out how their voices can be heard on local issues. Students also learn about the history of their local neighbourhood and school using maps and photos from the Archives and then apply their learning by designing their own Toronto master plan.

Curriculum connections

  • Grade 5: Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship

     

    Black and white map of Toronto
    Algate’s automobile, motorist and pedestrian map, Toronto environs
    1911
    City of Toronto Archives
    Series 726, Item 376
    Child's hand drawing on a colourful map.
    At the City of Toronto Archives, participants become city planners designing a new Toronto master plan.

    Online Resources

    Archives 101

    An engaging program introducing students to the Archives and the world of primary sources. View our Records Centre, get hands-on with primary sources and see how your neighbourhood shows up in the Archives’ collections. This program can be adapted to suit a wide variety of grade levels and interests.

    Topics to explore

    • Immigrant life 100 years ago in Toronto’s Ward neighbourhood
    • Geography using historic maps
    • Archival letters and documents
    • Specific time periods or historical events (e.g. the 1850s, the Great Depression)
    • Creative writing with primary sources
    • Toronto’s rivers, waterfront, islands and Portlands
    • Early settlement and urbanization
    • Customized requests

    Curriculum connections

    • Grade 1: The Local Community
    • Grade 2: Changing Family and Community Traditions
    • Grade 3: Communities in Canada 1780-1850; Living and Working in Ontario
    • Grade 4: Political & Physical Regions of Canada
    • Grade 6: Communities in Canada, Past & Present
    • Grade 7: Physical Patterns in a Changing World
    • Grade 8: Creating Canada 1850-1890; Canada 1890-1914, A Changing Society

     

    Warehouse with shelves of boxes
    Toronto Archives Spadina Records Centre
    2023
    Black and white photograph of a young girl standing outside a one storey building with Toronto's old City Hall in the background.
    Rear of 21 Elizabeth Street, the Ward neighbourhood
    May 15, 1913
    City of Toronto Archives
    Series 372, Subseries 32, Item 187