Cite

The Momentum of the Nine Hour Movement 

By: Renee Allen

Renee Allen

Education Collaborator

Renee Allen is a multi-hyphenate Jamaican-born, Toronto-based, writer-educator, with a passion for working with children and youth. She is deeply committed to work that interrogates and addresses interlocking systems of oppression. Her writing appears in Zora, THIS magazine and PREE. Renee is also a recent graduate of the Masters of Teaching program at the University of Toronto, with a book collection that keeps outgrowing her bookcase.

Lesson Plan: The Momentum of the Nine Hour MovementDownload

Overarching Critical Inquiry Question

What are the ripple effects of a labour movement? 

Overarching Critical Task

Learners will be invited to explore labour movements across Canada through storymapping, making connections to the building blocks of the Nine Hour Movement, e.g., the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Strike, the LGBT Purge from the Canadian public service, etc.

Lesson Critical Inquiry Question

What sequence of events in the Nine Hour Movement was instrumental to modern labour movements? 

Lesson Critical Inquiry Task 

Start by using dominoes (or Jenga) to create the building blocks of the Nine Hour Movement, including key stakeholders and necessary conditions. Based on those building blocks, use storymapping to make connections to labour movements across Canada that stemmed from the Nine Hour Movement’s foundation. 

What Is Storymapping? 

Storymapping involves telling a story through maps or other multimedia like text, images, and videos. Before creating a storymap, it’s essential to have a strong narrative that connects the different elements. For major historical events presented through storymapping, students are able to understand their significance through interacting with maps and imagery. The Esri GIS platform allows students to create shareable stories with a range of customizable themes where the creative possibilities are endless.

Central Ideas/Learning Goals

Key Competencies 

  • Effective communication  
  • Ability to critically assess events 
  • Decision-making 
  • Leadership

Related Concepts

  • Historical context 
  • Causality 
  • Power

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, learners will determine how the Nine Hour Movement created the foundation for modern labour movements. Students will use dominoes (or Jenga) to represent how one action or actor can set off a sequence of events that create a labour movement. Working individually or in small groups, students will: 

Materials and Preparation Required


Launching the Learning 

Learners will explore what’s needed to set off a domino effect, considering the positioning each domino needs so they can all be knocked down.

Students will draw parallels between the dominoes and key actors/material conditions necessary for the Nine Hour Movement. 

Building Important Background Knowledge

Set the Task 

Invite students to work independently or collaboratively in small groups or as a class to storymap their chosen labour movement. Before students begin the storymapping process, they should determine the narrative they’d like to create, considering the following: 

As part of the brainstorming process, students can consider some of their favourite books, shows, movies, etc. and break down the plot points, reflecting on what might’ve gone into that creative process. 

Potential Entry Point:

The class could be split up like a production company where each person is responsible for a different role that brings the story map to life. Potential roles include researchers, fact-checkers, and art and production teams. The entire group will be responsible for contributing to the narrative that the story map will follow. Researchers could be responsible for gathering information about a modern labour movement as well as its connections to the Nine Hour Movement. Fact-checkers could review and assess the credibility of the information before it’s integrated into the story map. The art and production teams will work together to choose visual elements and use the StoryMaps platform to create the final product. 

Co-create Success Criteria for Storymapping 

Collaborate with students to create a list of criteria they can use to evaluate the effectiveness of their story maps. Evaluation might be structured in creative formats including:
Success Criteria might consider:
Lesson Plan: The Momentum of the Nine Hour MovementDownload