A look at Cultural diversity through an interdisciplinary project in Ethics and religious culture, and social sciences inspired by works from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ collection.
- Description of activity
- Resources used
Subject area
Cultural Diversity: A meeting place on the river banks
Areas of Learning
Social Sciences
Related subject area(s)
Personal Development
Targeted education level
Primaire
Cycle
Grade level
Activity duration
2 périodes
Educational objective
By the end of this activity, the student will be able to discuss a work found on the EducArt website and the theme of cultural diversity, then consider this concept after discussing interactions between the First Nations and Europeans.
Description of activity
First part: Looking at the work
Introduce the work Landscape with an orator addressing Indians by Joseph Légaré
1. Ask the students the guiding questions from the Educart platform. Invite them to take a look at the work in silence for a minute, and note three words that this work evokes for them. Then, with a tablet, collect their words in a word cloud using Mentimeter.
2. Present the technical file for this work. Analyze its contents with the following questions and instructions:
• Imagine that you have to describe this work to a blind person. Which parts of the picture would you talk about?
• Who can we see in this painting? What seems to be happening in this scene? Where is this action taking place? Which historical period is it taking place in?
• Where do you think the people in this work are from?
• Can you list some similarities and difference between their cultures (their languages, customs, beliefs, lifestyles)?
• In your opinion, what did the meeting of these two cultures offer to the people depicted in this work? What positive things did they get from it? What were the most negative outcomes from it, for them?
i. Optional question: If you could step into this work, what would your hear (collaborative document “Get the characters talking”)?
Second part: Discuss diversity
4. Ask the students:
• When people from two cultures meet, what options do these individuals have (e.g., ignore the other person, go to them, ask them to become like us, introduce them to parts of their own culture and try to get to know the other person’s culture)?
• Which options foster a more harmonious life together and recognition or respect of the other?
• If you could change the course of history by advising the two groups of people seen in this work, what five recommendations would you give to the First Nations and the French to support a more harmonious life for everyone in their intercultural relationship?
5.
Ask the students to create a design with the Canva app from their answers and thoughts, working on their own or in a team.
Third part: Integration
6.
To continue and expand on the students’ thoughts, watch the interview with Jérôme Pruneau, the Director of Diversité artistique Montréal, on the Educart platform and come up with a definition of “cultural diversity”. Invite the students to ask themselves what our society would be like today if their five recommendations had been taken up to the letter and share their thoughts about this.
7. To go further, share all the recommendations and advice the students came up with and then select five for the class to apply. Taking into consideration the thoughts they have shared, analyze the school’s code to see if it has set up winning conditions for the respect and protection of cultural diversity.
Introduce the work Landscape with an orator addressing Indians by Joseph Légaré
1. Ask the students the guiding questions from the Educart platform. Invite them to take a look at the work in silence for a minute, and note three words that this work evokes for them. Then, with a tablet, collect their words in a word cloud using Mentimeter.
2. Present the technical file for this work. Analyze its contents with the following questions and instructions:
• Imagine that you have to describe this work to a blind person. Which parts of the picture would you talk about?
• Who can we see in this painting? What seems to be happening in this scene? Where is this action taking place? Which historical period is it taking place in?
• Where do you think the people in this work are from?
• Can you list some similarities and difference between their cultures (their languages, customs, beliefs, lifestyles)?
• In your opinion, what did the meeting of these two cultures offer to the people depicted in this work? What positive things did they get from it? What were the most negative outcomes from it, for them?
i. Optional question: If you could step into this work, what would your hear (collaborative document “Get the characters talking”)?
Second part: Discuss diversity
4. Ask the students:
• When people from two cultures meet, what options do these individuals have (e.g., ignore the other person, go to them, ask them to become like us, introduce them to parts of their own culture and try to get to know the other person’s culture)?
• Which options foster a more harmonious life together and recognition or respect of the other?
• If you could change the course of history by advising the two groups of people seen in this work, what five recommendations would you give to the First Nations and the French to support a more harmonious life for everyone in their intercultural relationship?
5.
Ask the students to create a design with the Canva app from their answers and thoughts, working on their own or in a team.
Third part: Integration
6.
To continue and expand on the students’ thoughts, watch the interview with Jérôme Pruneau, the Director of Diversité artistique Montréal, on the Educart platform and come up with a definition of “cultural diversity”. Invite the students to ask themselves what our society would be like today if their five recommendations had been taken up to the letter and share their thoughts about this.
7. To go further, share all the recommendations and advice the students came up with and then select five for the class to apply. Taking into consideration the thoughts they have shared, analyze the school’s code to see if it has set up winning conditions for the respect and protection of cultural diversity.
Predicted subject areas (subject-specific competencies, key features, cross-curricular competencies, according to the Progression of Learning or other Ministry of Education’s documents)
Social science
Competency 1: Understands the organization of a territory
Components:
• Locate the society and its territory in space and time
• Identify how this social and territorial organization was influenced by certain people or events.
Competency 3: Be open to the diversity of the societies and their territories
Components:
• Pick out the main similarities and difference between societies and territories
• Specify the causes and consequences of these differences
Ethics and religious cultures
Competency 1: Reflects on ethical questions
Components:
• Define a situation from an ethical point of view
• Evaluate options or actions that could be taken
Competency 3: Engages in dialogue
• Organize thoughts
• Interact with others
Competency 1: Understands the organization of a territory
Components:
• Locate the society and its territory in space and time
• Identify how this social and territorial organization was influenced by certain people or events.
Competency 3: Be open to the diversity of the societies and their territories
Components:
• Pick out the main similarities and difference between societies and territories
• Specify the causes and consequences of these differences
Ethics and religious cultures
Competency 1: Reflects on ethical questions
Components:
• Define a situation from an ethical point of view
• Evaluate options or actions that could be taken
Competency 3: Engages in dialogue
• Organize thoughts
• Interact with others
Targeted skills (if applicable)
Expected student outcomes
Info graphic presenting five recommendations that foster positive community life in a context of cultural diversity
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related subject area(s)
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learning activities
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Resources used