Public Health and the Environment in Montréal, from the 17^th to the 21^st Centuries We’ve come a long way since people used to draw their drinking water straight from the St. Lawrence and dump their wastewater in the street! Our society’s most valuable natural resource, water, has a whole history of its own. And Pointe-à-Callière is the perfect place to introduce your students to this story, with its importance for today’s world! Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History, was built atop the Little Saint-Pierre River, which was turned into a sewer in the 19th century, so the Museum knows something about the subject. Especially since it is also home to the city’s first electric wastewater pumping station! Learn about how Montrealers have found ingenious ways to manage their water all the way back to the 17th century, through a multidisciplinary interactive workshop. Immerse your students in some vital issues – access to drinking water and wastewater management through the years, right up until today.


WHAT WILL THE STUDENTS DO AT THE MUSEUM?

• Examine authentic objects and remains illustrating the evolution of water management technology in Montréal.
• Recognize changes that occurred from one historical period to another and make links with the present.
• Try to solve problems related to water management during different periods, by coming up with their own hypotheses.
• Take part as a group in technical demonstrations and role-playing exercises, to understand the operation of the Youville Pumping Station.

CONCEPTS COVERED DURING THE WORKSHOP

Natural resources (water), urbanization, interaction between people and their environment, wastewater treatment, access to drinking water, development of materials, public health, pumping system, environment.


COMPETENCIES DEVELOPED

The activities on this interpreted tour are in line with the aims of the Quebec and Ontario education programs and help develop the following competencies.

They are in line with the environmental awareness area of learning, in that they encourage the students to create a dynamic relationship with their surroundings, while maintaining critical judgment concerning the exploitation of the environment and technological development.

By examining the urban territory of Montréal and its development from the 17th to the 21st centuries, the students will have a chance to learn about issues surrounding water supply and wastewater management, by applying the following subject-specific competencies:

In Quebec
Elementary cycle 3	Secondary cycle 1
Social sciences Interpret change in a society and its territory Recognize the main changes in the organization of a society and its territory; Establish causes and effects of the change.	Social sciences (geography) Type of territory: urban territory, metropolis (Montréal) Construct their consciousness of global citizenship (from information gathered on Montréal). Geographic phenomenon: Heavily populated areas and the world’s water supply – the case of Montréal in the past.
Science and technology Propose explanations for or solutions to scientific or technological problems; Make the most of scientific and technological tools, objects and procedures..	Social sciences (geography) Seek answers or solutions to scientific or technological problems; Make the most of their knowledge of science and technology. Material world: properties Cultural references relating to the environment: water pollution, wastewater treatment, drinking water, waste management.

In Ontario
Grades 5 and 6	Grades 7 and 8
Social studies Relate and apply the knowledge acquired through social studies and the study of history and geography to the world outside the classroom.	Social studies Relate and apply the knowledge acquired through social studies and the study of history and geography to the world outside the classroom.
Science and Technology Show understanding of connections between science and technology in familiar contexts as well as connections between science and technology and the world outside the school.	Science and Technology Show understanding of connections between science and technology in familiar contexts as well as connections between science and technology and the world outside the school.

This multidisciplinary workshop follows the path of water flowing through the centuries, and looks at the main past, current and future issues surrounding this vital resource.


RESERVE TODAY!

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