On the Atlas of Canada Web site atlas.gc.ca select:

• Map Archives » 2nd Edition, 1915, Atlas of Canada » People and Society » Cities – Saint John, Halifax, Quebec [circa 1915] Map

You will have to zoom in to get just the Halifax area, and to be close enough to read the street names. Alternately, you may use the download button on the Atlas page to obtain the image file. You can then manipulate the image it in a graphics program to get the view you desire. Print off (and enlarge on a photocopier if possible) one copy for each group of 4 to 5 students. You might have to print off several sections of the zoomed-in map and paste them together. Transfer a copy to an overhead transparency for use with the whole class.

Hand out copies of the map from the Atlas of Canada Web site. Using the overhead, familiarize students with major streets, the location where the two ships collided, and where both were coming from. Draw lines to show where the Mont Blanc and the Imo travelled on the morning of the Explosion.

The Imo left the Bedford Basin, heading out the harbour, while the Mont Blanc entered the harbour and headed towards the Basin. The two ships collided at the Narrows, where the MacKay Bridge is now located. You might want to discuss the fact that there was no bridge there in 1917. Indicate on the overhead map the areas where the most damage occurred.

If you are located in the Halifax/Dartmouth area, before showing the areas of damage, ask students if they think their school would have been destroyed by the Halifax Explosion, or if they would have been safe.

Then, provide each group with photos taken from the Nova Scotia Archives Web site and explain the following instructions:

• Using the printed map of Halifax from 1915, students should draw lines and label to show where the Mont Blanc and the Imo travelled on the morning of the Explosion. Also, using the overhead map as a guide, students should outline the areas where the most damage occurred.
• Students should locate where each photo was taken on their group’s map, and make note of: a) how much damage there was; and b) how close the site was to where the ships collided.
• Students should write a short reflection/journal entry about what they learned from this lesson. This could take the format of a simple 3 paragraph reflection: I learned . . .I liked . . .I was challenged by . . .