Activities for your students

The documentary film What We Choose To Remember presents a contemporary history of Quebec from the perspective of Anglophones and Allophones. Eyewitness testimonials offer valuable insights into key events during the turbulent period from the FLQ crisis of the 1960s through to the emotionally-charged second referendum in 1995. What We Choose To Remember introduces an Anglophone – Allophone perspective on Quebec history by approaching it as a story about waves of immigration arriving into Nouvelle France/Lower Canada/Québec in successive waves. Every student can relate their own family story to characters in the film whose family arrived during the same period, sharing similar opportunities and challenges.

These activities were created as educational tools to complement the QEP (Quebec Education Program) Secondary III & IV History and secondary V Contemporary World courses. In addition, the learning activities can be used as language tools in these QEP courses: Français langue maternelle, secondaire V, IV, III, ERC/CCQ, English Language Arts and FSL or ESL secondary V, IV, III.
See how these activities will allow students to: develop competencies from the History of Quebec and Canada program; practice using the intellectual operations, as required for the QEP history program and exam, reinforce cross-curricular competencies; and reinforce the following broad areas of learning, as outlined in the Quebec Education Program.

Watch the film on Youtube

Activities for Your Students

Activity 1

Waves of Immigration in Quebec: Historical questions

Explore different periods of Quebec’s English and immigrant histories via critical thinking and reflective questions. By examining the documentary, “What We Choose To Remember”, students will use the historical method to situate Quebec’s English speaking communities in time and space and gain a better understanding of them.

Download Activity 1 Guide

Activity 2

Communities Where We Live: What’s in a flag or street name activities

Students will analyze the community where they live, in particular their city’s flag and/or changes made to names (streets, villages, rivers etc.) for their significance to collective memory, and the consequence of losing memories.

Download Activity 2 Guide

Activity 3

Student Interviews & Presentation: Where were we when?

In this activity, students will interview family members, friends or neighbours about their personal experiences and ask, “Where were we when?” making connections to the periods explored in the film (eyewitness history beginning in the 1960s), through primary research. Students will present their work in either a Power Point or Prezi presentation or in the form of a written report.

Download Activity 3 Guide

Activity 4

Podcast: 1995 Referendum interview

In this activity, students will create a podcast and conduct their own interviews through the exploration and documentation of personal stories, specifically making connections to Quebec’s 1995 Referendum, as explored in the documentary.

Download Activity 4 Guide

Connections to the Quebec Education Program

The goal of these activities is to allow secondary cycle two students to have a greater understanding of the English speaking communities’ contributions to Quebec society. Students will also learn to appreciate the contributions of successive waves of Anglophone and Allophone immigrants to Quebec.

Students will develop the following competencies from the History of Quebec and Canada program:

Characterize a period in the history of Québec and Canada
Interpret a social phenomenon

Students will also practice using the intellectual operations, as required for the QEP history program and exam.

Situate in time and space
Establish facts
Identify differences and similarities
Determine causes and consequences
Determine changes and continuity
Establish connections between facts
Establish causal connections

Students will also develop the following competencies from the Contemporary World program:

Interprets a contemporary world problem
Takes a position on a contemporary world issue

Students will reinforce the following cross-curricular competencies, as outlined in the Quebec Education Program:

Uses information
Solves problems
Exercises critical judgment
Uses creativity
Adopts effective work methods
Uses information and communications technologies
Achieves his/her potential
Cooperates with others
Communicates appropriately

Students will also reinforce the following broad areas of learning, as outlined in the Quebec Education Program:

Media literacy
Citizenship and community life
Students will use the Digital Competency Framework (DCP) https://dca.learnquebec.ca/digital-competency-framework-2/ as per the MEES.

Teaching Guide

ELAN (English Language Arts Network) offers the Teacher’s Guide, evaluation grids, answers and student’s worksheet to schools and educators free of charge. We will contact users when we update our tools in response to changes in courses or curricula.

We would greatly appreciate feedback about your experience with this website and the Teacher’s Guide so that we can make improvements. We would also appreciate receiving testimonials about classroom experience from students and teachers.

What We Choose To Remember

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What We Choose To Remember