Julie Gaudreault

Julie Gaudreault and her Grade 5 students explored various aspects of Quebec society around 1905. The story of Louis Cyr — the famous strong man of the time and a folk hero of the Lanaudière region of Quebec — served as a common thread to explore this important period studied in the Quebec curriculum. To guide their research, the students asked the question: Was Louis Cyr a man of his time?

Students became true investigators both in the classroom and in the local Maison Louis-Cyr museum. Mentored by a historian and an educational advisor, the students explored an aspect of Quebec society by comparing the life of Louis Cyr to that of his contemporaries. They assembled a rich diversity of sources to explore their question, including artifacts, old photographs, period newspapers, and history textbooks.

The three-month project ended at Maison Louis-Cyr, where parents, friends, and community members were invited to a celebratory evening planned and orchestrated by the students along with teams from the museum and a community kitchen. Acting as guides, the students shared their discoveries with their guests.

Through this fun and engaging project, Julie Gaudreault helped her students to deepen their historical thinking and communication skills, while exploring elements of history and regional heritage of which they were previously unaware.