Haunted
Walks Inc.
Walking Tours of Kingston and
Ottawa, Canada
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Ottawa Kingston
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Here are a few suggestions of educational games and activities you can do with your students before or after coming on our tours.
● Dramatic recreation of events - specifically linked to the Ghosts and the Gallows tours (Drama, English, History, Law) ● Writing a Newspaper (English, History, Law) ● What makes a good ghost story? (Drama, English) ● Vocabulary activities (Drama, English, History, Law) ● Research project (History, Law, English, Drama) ● Debate in class (History, Law, English, Drama)
Recreate the investigation of the murder of Thomas D’Arcy McGee in your classroom! Imagine the press coverage the trial of Patrick James Whelan would attract if it had happened in today’s world. Students will be asked to gather evidence by interviewing witnesses of the time, played by their fellow classmates. As a class, recount the major details of the story of the murder of Thomas D’Arcy McGee from the Ghosts and the Gallows tour. What exactly happened? When did the events take place? Where did the events take place? Who was involved? What were the repercussions for those involved? As a class, work together to develop character roles for each student – Mrs. Trotter and her son, the people on Sparks Street, Sir John A. MacDonald, the MPs who sat in Parliament the previous night, bar and shop keepers on Sparks Street, etc. Once everyone is assigned a role, give students a few minutes to think about what their character may have seen or heard on the night of the murder. For 20 min, students should take turns playing the role of reporter, and interviewing as many of the witnesses that they can, using their brainstormed questions. Encourage students to gather as much information as possible and from as many different perspectives as possible. This is a good time to discuss the characteristics of a good news report – what should be included? How are direct quotations used? Possible extension activities: Use the information gathered to recreate the trial of Patrick James Whelan. Students will take on the roles of the judge, lawyers, jury, defendant and witnesses. Once a verdict is reached, students will write an opinion piece, news report, or letter to the editor on the trial. Possible topics include whether Whelan’s trial was fair, whether the verdict is accurate, or a comparison of the classroom jury’s verdict versus the outcome of Whelan’s actual trial. These articles can be added to the newspaper from the investigation.
Linked to the Ghosts and the Gallows tour, students can write a newspaper article about the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. Have your students brainstorm, first individually, then in pairs, then in groups of four as to what the scene would have been like the morning after D’Arcy McGee was murdered (April 1868). Encourage them to use their knowledge from the Ghosts and the Gallows tour and of Canada at the time of Confederation to determine who might have been involved in the investigation. Who might have seen the murder? What kinds of questions would they have been asked? Students can also do some research in the newspaper archives at the National Archives of Canada to read the real articles that were published the morning after the murder and the weeks following: the arrest of Patrick Whelan, the trial and the execution. Students will then use the information they have gathered to write a news article that might have been published at the time. This article can be a news report or a letter to the editor, and written from any perspective on any element that they choose. Once polished, the pieces can be collaborated in a class newspaper from the day after the murder. Other themes for this activity: the construction of the Rideau Canal, the construction of the Chateau Laurier, construction of the Carleton County Jail, just to name a few...
Have students brainstorm the elements of a good ghost story, either tips from the tour, or from other ghost stories they may have heard. Consider elements such as plot, setting, and character development, voice intonation, suspense, etc. Compare stories they heard on the tour and stories they can read in books. Here are some suggestions of such books: Smitten, Susan and ad., Canadian Ghost Stories, Volume I and II, Edmonton, Ghost House Books, 2003, 240p. Smith, Barbara, Ontario Ghosts Stories, Volume I and II, Edmonton, Ghost House Books, 2002, 208p. Each student can write his or her ghost story. This can be done in groups or individually. Students who would like to may try their hand at storytelling by presenting the story to the class. Creating a campfire atmosphere by dimming the lights, and having flashlights or candles can be very effective, especially at Halloween time! Possible extension activity: A - Cooperative Ghost Story Writing Activity - Inspired by the "Exquisite Corpse" activity in poetry: 1- Have each student get a clean sheet of paper, and allow 3-5 min for them to begin writing a ghost story of their own. 2- When the time is up, the student folds the paper so only their writing shows, and passes the paper to the next student. Give 3-5 min for this student to continue writing the ghost story. 3- This chain can continue to as many students as time will allow for, until one student concludes the story. 4- When the ‘writing’ is finished, the stories are returned to the original student. This student can edit and polish the story. Students who would like to may try their hand at storytelling by presenting the story to the class. Creating a campfire atmosphere by dimming the lights, and having flashlights or candles can be very effective, especially at Halloween time! . B - Writing Activity – grade 7-8 1. Choosing one of the stories you heard on the tour, outline the main points in point form: 2. Write a short paragraph describing how you feel about the story (did you think it was enjoyable, interesting, the right length, what did you believe, was there anything you didn’t believe, and why? etc) 3. In small groups, choose one of the stories you’ve outlined to work on. Together, with one of you recording the notes, build on your outline until you have a point form summary of the story from beginning to end, with all of the details. Discuss your responses to the story as a group. 4. As a class, discuss all the groups’ ideas. Talk about each group’s outline and see if everyone can agree on all the details. 5. Take the final outline of the story you have worked on, and create a written narrative from the point form notes. Use the vocabulary you’ve learned, concentrating on making the story flow smoothly. Pair up with someone in your group and edit each others’ rough copies, then write a good copy of the story. (This can be used as a written piece of work or in presentations to the class, working on public speaking skills.)
C - Writing and Storytelling Activity - English (Academic and Applied) / Drama - grade 9 1. CLASS: Discuss the tour as a class. What did you enjoy, and was there anything you did not enjoy? Did you find it interesting? How did it compare to what you already knew about ghosts? 2. SMALL GROUPS: Break into small groups and discuss the different verbal and non-verbal communication techniques that were used by the tour guide. Did they work? Why or why not? What was your overall impression of the presentation? Choose one person in your group as the secretary, who will record ideas. Choose a spokesperson who will present your ideas to the class. 3. CLASS: Rejoin the rest of the class and listen as each group’s spokesperson shares their ideas (teachers could write up a list of the different techniques and skills noticed on the board). As a class, discuss the techniques, whether you feel they were successful, etc. Choose which you feel are the most important skills to use when giving a presentation, either academic or dramatic (depending on the class). Were there any you feel are important that you didn’t see the tour guide use? 4. INDIVIDUAL: Prepare a short presentation for the class (this could relate to an assignment already in progress, or be different from the other topics being studied at the time. For example, Drama students could take short speeches from plays, or poems, and present them as a dramatic reading or monologue; English students could take short stories or novels being studied, or write short stories of their own, and present them to the class. A research project could also be introduced within this activity). While you’re watching each others’ presentations, note the way in which each person uses the techniques discussed. 5. FOLLOW-UP: After all the presentations, revisit the ideas your class discussed and give constructive peer assessments of each others’ work, taking into consideration which verbal and non-verbal skills were used, how the student enhanced their presentation by using these techniques, if any could be improved upon to strengthen the presentation, etc.
D - Writing and Storytelling Activity - English / Drama - grade 10 1. CLASS: As a class, discuss four or five of the narratives on the tour. Brainstorm about the important points of each story, including setting, characters, details, and time period. Write a point form synopsis of each, coming to a consensus regarding each set of factual details. 2. SMALL GROUPS: Break into small groups, with each group concentrating on one of the stories. Use the facts you know, and then, using your imaginations, elaborate on the story to expand it, creating a more detailed and descriptive narrative. It can still be in point form, but the plot must flow smoothly. 3. In your small groups, brainstorm and develop a presentation to the class using the story you’ve designed. You could present the story as a trial of one of the characters, an interview, a reenactment of the event, etc.
Crosswords and Word search puzzles: With the vocabulary lists below, you can easily create your own crossword puzzle on the Internet. Here are a few suggestions of websites that can help: www.puzzle-maker.com and www.edhelper.com. The vocabulary lists can also be used for others games such as "filling the blanks", bingo, dictations, just to name a few.
Vocabulary list for tours in Ottawa Vocabulary list for tours in Kingston
Students can write a research project on any subjects related to our tours. Here a few examples: The murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Life and times during the Confederation, Who are the Fenians, Capital Punishment in Canada, Life in a jail, Lord Dufferin, Lord Lisgar and the role of a governor general in Canada, The construction of the Rideau Canal, Lieutenant Colonel John By and the foundation of Bytown, The Chateau Laurier, Canada at the time of Wilfrid Laurier, Dr. James Grant and medicine in the early 20th century, Techniques in storytelling, Paranormal investigations, Why are ghosts popular today?, Beliefs, The possibilities are endless!
Have the students divide in groups and choose a subject for a debate. You could have on subject for the whole class, have a list of subjects to choose from or let the students choose themselves. Two groups will debate against each other, one will defend for and the other will defend against. Possible subject for debate: Capital Punishment, selecting Ottawa as a capital, Was Patrick Whelan guilty of the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, the site chosen for the construction of the Chateau Laurier, etc.
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Dramatic re-enactment of events - specifically linked to the
Ghosts and the Gallows tours