Grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 90 minutes - 2 hours
September – June

Students follow the footsteps of Black Loyalists as they make the epic journey from slavery to freedom.

The program begins with a survey of the origins of the Black Loyalists, their experience of slavery, and their arrival in Nova Scotia. Students are then divided into small groups. Most students will then examine real artifacts to draw conclusions about the daily life of Black Loyalists in the late 18th century. One group will create short skits to dramatize selected events in the lives of two Black Loyalists. The skits will then be performed in costume for the rest of the class.

The program ends with a brief lesson on African story masks, and some time for the students to create their own masks.

Through the Remembering Black Loyalists program, students will:

• Recognize that people living in their province have diverse cultural backgrounds and contribute to the cultural diversity of their province.
• Demonstrate an understanding that many individuals, groups, and events have contributed to the development of their provincial identity throughout its history.
• Explain how the migration of the Loyalists impacted on British North America
• Investigate the various ways economic systems empower or disempower people
• Evaluate the conditions of everyday life for diverse peoples living in British North America in the mid 1800s, including African Canadians

This program supports curriculum outcomes for the following units:

• Grade 3: Peoples, Heritage
• Grade 5: Settlement and Immigration
• Grade 7: Economic Empowerment, Political Empowerment
• Grade 9: Culture