Elementary School Workshops
AVI offers a variety of flagship programs as well as resources, access to high-profile speakers, and a suite of educational workshops to give students an understanding of how to understand and identify anti-Jewish hatred, navigating regional conflicts in the Middle East, building meaningful coalitions on campus, and refuting disinformation. We also offer interactive campaigns for our students to engage in dialogue with their peers. Each of our sessions is custom-tailored to the specific grade level and audience, delivering complex themes in an accessible, age-appropriate manner.
For more information, contact AVI's Education & Communications Coordinator Yardena Rosenblum at yardena@avidcanada.org
British Columbia
Grades 8-12
TBD
In Grade 8, students examine pivotal historical shifts, human displacement, the evolution of social identities, and the responsibility of active, ethical citizenship. The workshops connect historical events (7th-18th century world history, migration, trade, and cultural diffusion) with critical thinking skills in perspective-taking, media literacy, civic advocacy, and combatting prejudice and discrimination.
The Jewish People: History, Migration, & Identity
Social Studies (Big Idea): Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards. Contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, political change. Exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups. Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
Curricular Competencies:
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Assess the significance of people, places, events, or developments at particular times and places (significance)
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Characterize different time periods in history, including periods of progress and decline, and identify key turning points that mark periods of change (continuity and change)
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Determine which causes most influenced particular decisions, actions, or events, and assess their short-and long-term consequences (cause and consequence)
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Explain different perspectives on past or present people, places, issues, or events, and compare the values, worldviews, and beliefs of human cultures and societies in different times and places (perspective)
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Make ethical judgements about past events, decisions, or actions, and assess the limitations of drawing direct lessons from the past (ethical judgement)
Content Learning Standards:
English Language Arts & Literature (Big Idea): Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed. People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives. Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
Curricular Competencies:
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Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts
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Recognize how language constructs personal, social, and cultural identity
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Recognize an increasing range of text structures and how they contribute to meaning
Physical & Health Education (Big Idea): Healthy choices influence our physical, emotional, and mental well-being
Curricular Competency:
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Explore and describe the impact of transition and change on identities
Social Awareness & Responsibility (Core Competencies): Valuing diversity
Learning Outcome:
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Students value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for issues, and interact ethically with others. They are inclusive in their language and behaviour and recognize that everyone has something to contribute. Their approach to inclusive relationships exemplifies commitment to developing positive communities.
British Columbia Ministry of Education and Child Care. (n.d.). British Columbia’s curriculum. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca
Ontario
Grades 4-8
The Ontario curriculum for Grades 4–8 is uniquely designed to show how the "when" of history and the "where" of geography intersect to shape our national identity. In Grades 4 and 5, these workshops bridge the Heritage and Identity strand with People and Environments by exploring the stories and traditions of Jewish families alongside the mapping of early cultural settlements in Ontario. This provides students with a foundational human and spatial connection to diversity before transitioning to more complex global topics.
In Grade 6, the curriculum focuses on Canada’s Interactions with the Global Community, where the study of the Holocaust is now a mandatory requirement. These workshops examine the historical tragedy of the MS St. Louis while using a geographic lens to track refugee migration routes and analyze how international borders can act as both barriers and protectors of human rights.
As students move into Grades 7 and 8, the content transitions into distinct History and Geography subjects. While the history component investigates the obstacles and contributions of the Jewish community during Canada's era of expansion and the World Wars, the geography component analyzes Global Inequalities and Quality of Life. By examining the "push and pull" factors of migration and the spatial significance of where survivor communities settled, students develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience, human rights, and the ongoing pursuit of an inclusive Canada.
Focus: Investigating the ancient and industrial roots of societies to understand how early civilizations and modern pioneers shaped the physical and cultural landscape of Canada
The Jewish People: History, Migration, & Identity
Social Studies (A1.2): Describe some of the ways in which heritage and/or identities have been maintained, celebrated, or demonstrated by various groups and communities in Canada
English Language Arts & Literature (B1.1): Read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, identifying the main idea and supporting details
Ontario Ministry of Education. (n.d.). The Ontario curriculum. https://bit.ly/ON-Curriculum
While our core curriculum mapping focuses on the provinces, we offer fully adaptable programming specifically tailored to the unique educational frameworks of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Whether aligning with the BC-based curriculum used in the Yukon or the NWT and Nunavut Social Studies frameworks, we work closely with educators to ensure our workshops honor territorial perspectives while meeting specific learning outcomes for history, identity, and human rights.
For more information contact AVI's Director of Education Gabriela Rosenblum gabriela@alliedvoicesforisrael.org
Recommended Workshops
Hats
1
The Jewish People: History, Migration,
& Identity
This workshop explores the historical experiences of Jewish communities across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, with particular attention to diaspora, nationalism, migration policies, and minority rights. Students analyze how war, colonialism, anti-Jewish hatred, and shifting political borders shaped patterns of displacement and settlement...
This workshop explores the historical experiences of Jewish communities across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, with particular attention to diaspora, nationalism, migration policies, and minority rights. Students analyze how war, colonialism, anti-Jewish hatred, and shifting political borders shaped patterns of displacement and settlement. Using Canadian examples, including immigration policy before and after WWII, students evaluate the impact of exclusionary policies and the evolution of multiculturalism in Canada. The workshop supports curricula by examining identity formation, migration trends, and the relationship between state policy and minority communities. We synthesize research findings into coherent arguments moving towards policy analysis skills, historical reasoning, and informed civic understanding.
Hats
3
Understanding Anti-Jewish Hatred: A Working Framework
Students examine historical and contemporary forms of anti-Jewish hatred and learn frameworks used to identify it, including concepts such as delegitimization, double standards, and demonization...
Students examine historical and contemporary forms of anti-Jewish hatred and learn frameworks used to identify it, including concepts such as delegitimization, double standards, and demonization. Through case studies and current examples, they analyze how prejudice adapts across time and contexts. Students also analyze how legal systems define and respond to discrimination, evaluating human rights protections and limits on expression through reasoned argument supported by credible evidence. Through structured discussion, we move towards critical thinking, source evaluation, and ethical reflection on human dignity and civic responsibility.
Hats
2
History, Culture, & the Land of Israel
This workshop investigates the historical, religious, and political connections between the Jewish people and the land of Israel, situating them within broader regional and global contexts...
This workshop investigates the historical, religious, and political connections between the Jewish people and the land of Israel, situating them within broader regional and global contexts. Students examine archaeological evidence, religious texts, political movements such as Zionism, and competing national narratives. Through analysis of primary sources and international agreements (e.g., the Balfour Declaration and post-WWI mandates), students evaluate how imperialism, nationalism, and conflict shaped the modern Middle East. Students critically examine principles such as cultural identity, self-determination, and state sovereignty.
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Hats
4
From Dialogue to Impact: Ethical Engagement
Students develop advanced skills in civic participation, including structured debate and evidence-based advocacy, with an emphasis on restoring individual dignity and human values to complex public conversations...
Students develop advanced skills in civic participation, including structured debate and evidence-based advocacy, with an emphasis on restoring individual dignity and human values to complex public conversations. They examine the role of media, public opinion, and organized advocacy in shaping lived experience and civic discourse. Examples are drawn from current Canadian experiences of anti-Jewish hatred and ongoing global events to ground discussion in real-world contexts. Through guided dialogue and reflection, students demonstrate the capacity for respectful engagement, ethical judgment, and responsible participation in democratic life.
