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Common Threads · Common Threads VII

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Common Threads VII

Human Movement – Displaced Persons

**When using this resource, please keep in mind that the writing team completed their travel and work from July 2023 – August 2024 and the resource was launched in the spring of 2025**

Video Trailers

Welcome to Common Threads VII. As with all past iterations of Common Threads, Human Movement – Displaced Persons has been created by members for members. Educators around the province were struggling with finding safe ways to discuss refugees, immigration/emigration and the issues surrounding these topics. In order to organise an immense, global concern into materials that can be delivered to Ontario students, the writing team developed three themes to guide the planning, traveling and writing: In Search of Safety, Creating Safe Harbour and Evolving Communities.

There is a variety of ready-made content within this resource. However, the team strongly recommends that educators begin with the Introductory Documents regarding the topic and addressing challenging content. Creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for delivery of these materials is essential to the learning.

OSSTF/FEESO and the writing team believe that educational content about displaced persons must be deliberate, purposeful and genuine. It can not be tokenistic or taught only to certain groups of students at certain times of the year. This learning will be most meaningful when woven throughout the curriculum.

By sharing this resource our hope is that teachers, education workers and students are able to engage in learning that helps them appreciate the complexities of the movement of humans.

Sincerely,

Common Threads VII

Recognitions and a message from the OSSTF/FEESO President
How to use this resource

There are a variety of ways to use this resource.

You may choose to use the information to support your lessons or you may choose to use these as your lessons. This resource is meant to be adaptable in order to meet your needs, for example:

  • You are teaching CHC2D:
  • You want to teach a lesson that touches on one of the themes in this resource: go to Table of Activities by Theme and peruse the list; or,
  • You want to guide students to and through an independent study: choose a variety of sources in different formats from the References (in Appendices) and have students use 1 or 2 as a starting point for further exploration

You could chose to:

  • Focus on lessons/activities from one theme only
  • Incorporate a lesson from the resource into an already-planned unit
  • Allow students to pick from a list of activities – list created by you, through your exploration of the resource
  • Use several terms from the Glossary (in Appendices) as a jumping off point for discussions

Beyond this resource

Consider the following guiding questions to continue your critical thinking about Human Movement in your course delivery:

  • How can biases be addressed (including my own) in planning/delivering course content?
  • Are authentic voices being accessed and used when available?
  • Are there a variety of global examples I can add/use to deliver this course content?
  • Have I considered how diverse communities might receive the content/resources of this course?
  • Have I considered how diverse communities might need to engage in this course/material I am delivering?
Introductory Documents
Lessons and Activities by Ontario Curriculum Area
Lessons and Activities by Theme
Appendices
Profiles

Contact us

Comments and/or feedback can be sent to rosemary.judd-archer@osstf.ca.