Magic Teachers' Page

This site has been developed by TG Magazine's students and professional staff, using our expertise in preparing learning materials, for students and teachers, which are both motivating (fun!) AND educational!

Clicking through the maps provides a visual component to locating each storefront photo. The maps themselves and the locations of each storefront, can be used as part of an URBAN GEOGRAPHY unit, with students researching exact locations using actual street maps. Group discussions, research projects or individual essays can be assigned to explore such CONCEPTS as city planning, intra-city migration patterns, use of physical space and commerce to define cultures or groups, etc.

Each storefront photo comes with questions for discussion and exploration of the CONCEPTS of culture, identity, stereotypes, immigration and settlement. These can be integrated into standard teaching units on RACISM, CULTURE, HISTORY and SOCIAL STUDIES.

The photo images can be used to develop CRITICAL THINKING AND ANALYSIS SKILLS. For example: "What does this image tell you about cultural migration?" or "Why does this storefront combine Chinese characters and a 'Pizza Special'?" Students can explore how and why this happens and how it enriches a community, by examining these images, creating their own questions and using the text archives to answer them.

Our students have developed some questions to get others started. Teachers may wish to modify or add their own questions for each photo to allow students to further reflect and explore concepts according to curriculum guidelines.

ENGLISH SKILLS can be developed by encouraging students to imagine and express their own vision of the daily lives of those who live near and work in these storefronts.

Each photo image also contains a stimulating quote from, and a link to, one of the articles on the site, designed to encourage students to discover a rich and varied textual archive. All articles can be accessed from the Articles Index on this site, and can be used by students during research assignments on any of the concepts and topics described above. Individual articles can form the basis for assigning GROUP WORK, DISCUSSION, or PRESENTATIONS.

Areas explored include: business; culture; education; ethnic issues; events and traditions; First Nations; historic immigration; current immigration; individual racism; racism and the media; and systemic racism.

Finally, elements of the entire site can easily be integrated into a unit of study on Toronto as the PROVINCIAL CAPITAL of Ontario, Canada.

Check out the TG Magazine website for more teaching suggestions and activities this Fall...

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