Africville Community Story

Overview

This 60-minute lesson will explore the history of Africville, a significant Black Canadian community in Nova Scotia, from its founding through to its destruction. Students will examine how Africville’s residents built their community despite social challenges, focusing on themes of identity, resilience, and injustice. The lesson aligns with the British Columbia Social Studies Curriculum (Grades 5-6) and is designed to deepen students’ understanding of Canadian diversity, historical perspectives, and the impacts of systemic racism on communities.

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Curriculum Connections

British Columbia Curriculum – Social Studies (Grade 5-6):

• Big Idea: Communities are shaped by the experiences and actions of diverse individuals and groups.
• Curricular Competencies:
  • Questioning and Predicting: Identify and ask questions about past and present to deepen understanding.
  • Analysing and Interpreting: Distinguish between fact and opinion and recognize different perspectives.
  • Communicating: Use appropriate forms to share conclusions about social studies topics.
• Content:
  • The history and stories of communities in Canada, including Indigenous and diverse groups, and how they influence identity and culture.
  • Understanding the impacts of colonialism and systemic inequities on communities.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe the history and significance of Africville and its residents within Nova Scotia.
• Explain how systemic discrimination affected Africville residents.
• Reflect on the community’s resilience and identity.
• Make connections between Africville’s story and broader themes of community, identity, and justice in Canada.

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Materials

• Map of Nova Scotia highlighting Africville
• Printed or digital copies of a simplified historical timeline of Africville
• Images/photos of Africville before destruction (community, homes, residents)
• Chart paper, markers
• Student notebooks/journals
• Audio recording or transcript of a former Africville resident’s oral history (pre-selected excerpt suitable for ages 10-12)

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Lesson Activities

Introduction (10 minutes)

• Hook: Show an image of Africville (1950s) and ask students: What do you notice about this community? What might life be like here?
• Briefly explain Africville’s location in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and note that it was a Black Canadian community founded in the 1800s.
• Highlight the uniqueness of the community and introduce the story focus: How Africville was built and later destroyed.

Storytelling and Timeline (15 minutes)

• Share a simplified timeline of Africville’s history: founding circa early 1800s, growth of the community, challenges faced (lack of services, discrimination), and eventual forced relocation and destruction in the 1960s.
• Read aloud an excerpt from the oral history of an Africville resident, drawing attention to community life, culture, and residents’ feelings.
• During the reading, pause to ask questions such as: What does this tell us about the residents? How do you think they might have felt?

Group Activity – Perspectives Chart (15 minutes)

• Divide class into 5 groups (5 students each). Assign each group a role/perspective representing a stakeholder from the Africville story, for example:
  • Africville residents
  • Halifax city government officials
  • Activists fighting for justice
  • Canadian taxpayers and citizens in the 1960s
  • Historians looking back today
• Each group discusses the assigned perspective and writes down key thoughts/feelings/questions on chart paper.
• Groups share their perspective with the class; teacher facilitates highlighting different viewpoints and the complexity of the story.

Reflective Writing (15 minutes)

• Students write a journal entry responding to the prompt:
  “Imagine you lived in Africville during the 1960s. How would you feel about the city’s decision to destroy your community? What would you want others to know about your home?”
• Encourage students to use empathy and include specific details from the lesson.

Closing Discussion and Synthesis (5 minutes)

• Invite a few volunteers to share their journal reflections.
• Summarise the lesson: Africville’s story teaches us about community strength, injustice, and the importance of recognizing and respecting all peoples’ histories.
• Prompt students to think about how we can learn from Africville’s story today to build fairer communities.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through participation in group discussion and perspectives chart.
• Reflective journal entries to assess understanding and empathy with historical context.
• Teacher observation of questioning and interpreting skills during class discussions.

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Extensions / Home Connections

• Students can interview family members about any communities or places important to their family history and share stories with the class.
• Create a memorial poster or art project recognising Africville’s history and resilience.

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Teacher’s Notes

• Emphasise safe, respectful dialogue when discussing systemic racism and displacement.
• Adapt oral history story excerpt for sensitivity to students’ backgrounds and needs.
• Encourage critical thinking by comparing Africville’s experience with other marginalized communities in Canada.
• Use this lesson as a springboard for further exploration of Black Canadian history and cultural contributions in British Columbia and nationally.

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This lesson plan aims to meet curricular goals while providing students with a meaningful and empathetic understanding of an important Canadian story that resonates with themes of identity, community, and social justice.