This month, TVO Learn is sharing free digital learning resources to help students learn about prominent Black figures and aspects of Black culture. They’ve also included Learning Activities that support understanding diversity and building community.
Secondary school students will enjoy the selection of TVO Today Docs videos and a TVO Arts feature too. Scroll down to check them out.
Explore thousands more learning experiences at TVOLearn.com anytime your family needs the support!
Kindergarten | Learning Activity
Kindness
Explore what it means to be kind to others in this Learning Activity. Trusted adults can guide children through this resource, which centres on a Book Hungry Bears video from TVOkids.
Grade 1 | Learning Activity
Choosing the right words
There are five senses people can use to observe the world around them. This Learning Activity encourages children to consider their senses as a way to learn about their environment.
Grade 2 | Learning Activity
Celebrating our diversity
This Learning Activity helps children discover the different cultural groups that call Canada home. Watch the It’s My Party video from TVOkids for a fun Winter Solstice party in Toronto!
Grade 3 | Learning Activity
Community
Learn about artist Jacob Lawrence in this Learning Activity. He was a painter, storyteller and teacher who portrayed the lives of African Americans in works like Brownstone.
Grade 4 | Learning Activity
Roles of dance
Dance can be used to communicate ideas with an audience. This Learning Activity illustrates this concept with a video of Massy All Stars Steelband at Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago
Grade 5 | Learning Activity
Rights and responsibilities
Learn about different aspects of Canadian citizenship through this Learning Activity, which highlights rights like voting and responsibilities like protecting the environment.
Grade 6 | Learning Activity
Flying to space
This Learning Activity spotlights mathematician Katherine Johnson, who was part of a group of Black women hired by NASA in the early 1950s for their incredible math skills.
Grade 7 | Learning Activity
The Blues
The Blues is a music form created by African Americans in the Deep South in the late 19th century. This Learning Activity explores it with an audio clip of “Backwater Blues” by Bessie Smith.
Grade 8 | Learning Activity
Personal memoir writing
Featuring a short excerpt from Trevor Noah‘s memoir Born a Crime, this Learning Activity highlights some helpful writing strategies for students curious about telling their stories.
Grade 9 | Documentary
Unarmed Verses
Watch this thoughtful portrait of a community facing imposed relocation from their Toronto neighbourhood. It was named the Best Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs 2017.
Grade 10 | Documentary
Josiah
This documentary tells the story of author, abolitionist and former slave, Josiah Henson, who escaped to Canada in 1830 after 42 years of enslavement. He inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Grade 11 | TVO Arts
Camille Turner’s Hometown Queen
In this TVO Arts feature, artist Camille Turner explains how she created art to “rewrite my personal history” and pay homage to her hometown of Hamilton.
Grade 12 | Documentary
Subjects of Desire
This TVO Original documentary deconstructs race and the power behind beauty, including the cultural shift in North American beauty standards towards embracing Black features and aesthetics.
Sunny’s Quest features engaging first-person stories told by Black children from across Canada, like a young boy advocating for racial equality, a gymnast hoping to make it to the Olympics and an aspiring astronaut looking to launch an ambitious dream career.
In each episode, children are paired with notable Black Canadians who share insight on how to thrive in today’s environment. These public figures include Tracie Melchor, Bruny Surin, Nam Kiwanuka (of TVO’s The Thread), Naomy Grand-Pierre and many more.
