Market Gallery School Programs

Toronto's original City Hall (1845-1899) stood on the site of today's South St. Lawrence Market at Front and Jarvis Streets in downtown Toronto. The former council chamber, now the Market Gallery, is all that remains of the original building.

With downtown Toronto as a backdrop, students can participate in many of our interactive programs, including mapping activities and role playing. Take advantage of our location and all the oldest neighbourhood in Toronto has to offer. To arrange a school visit, see below.

This information is available in a brochure in PDF format. If you don't have Acrobat reader, it is available from from Adobe.com.)





The Market Gallery is pleased to introduce a new education program for Ontario Secondary School students. Designed using the Ontario Social Studies and Humanities curriculum, the program meets the course requirements of secondary school Food and Nutritional Sciences programs.

Using the St. Lawrence Market as a resource, the focus of the program is the availability and access to food sources, both locally versus globally, and allows students to investigate the issues surrounding the production and distribution of food in Toronto.

Student hands-on activities include reviewing seasonal recipes and 'shopping' for ingredients. The program can be conducted in 1.5 hours or up to 3 hours if a lunch break and extended history talk is included. The fee per student is $3.00. All work sheets and resources provided. Please contact us for more information or to schedule a visit. Additional programs and activities including a walking tour of the historic St. Lawrence Neighbourhood are also available upon request.

This program is being launched with our newest exhibition, Meet Me at the Market, opening on October 22, 2012. From buying local or imported delicacies to growing food at home, Toronto has had many food choices due to its fertile land and its location as a transportation centre. This exhibition will show how the St. Lawrence Market has kept urban consumers connected to local producers while food production has become a global operation.





In a discussion format using visual aids, students trace Toronto’s development through its 200-year history. The discussion focuses on the patterns and environmental components of a successful settlement and how industry and immigration contributed to its growth and diversity.

Afterwards, students are given maps of the early settlement. Using ideas developed during their discussion, they will create their own city/town. Students will determine their city’s industry, how their city might affect the environment and what services will be available to their community.





Students discuss healthy eating habits by examining Canada’s Food Guide. In smaller groups with a supervisor, students explore the Market and must develop an interesting and nutritional meal to feed all members of the group.

When students return, the group designs a poster describing the meal -– including what they chose, prices and what meal they will make.





This program starts with a 30-minute group discussion. Augmented by visual aids explaining the history of the Market building and former city hall, students learn about the different levels of government and their respective responsibilities.

After the group discussion, students receive an information package consisting of newspaper clippings. Working as a city council in groups of four to six, they are encouraged to sort and classify their information, take a position and debate the issue at hand. Afterwards council will vote.





Students will examine the impact of geological, agricultural, industrial and human development on the Don’s natural environment.

A hands-on activity follows exploring the factors that impact the revitalization of the Don River, such as urbanization, local dumps, water run-off from roads and human development. The discussion concludes with an appreciation of the environmental costs of large-scale urban expansion.





Students explore the oldest neighbourhood in Toronto using a map and compass. Working in smaller groups, students are assigned a time period in the 19th century and must use orienteering and mapping skills to find the sites on the map. Students record information from plaques and make note of the surrounding area as it looks today.

The groups come together to share their findings with the rest of the class and create a snapshot using a timeline of Toronto’s history.





In September 1851, members of the Black community in Toronto and across the province organized a convention at the St. Lawrence Hall on King Street East.

During this program, students are introduced to notable Torontonians who played a major role in the 19th century anti-slavery movement. They will learn about the convention movement and its results. Students will also role play an important member of the convention and present their stance to the rest of the class.





In a discussion format using visual aids, students trace Toronto’s development through its 200 year history. The discussion identifies the patterns in human geography and population distribution, population density and residential, industrial and recreational land use.

Afterwards, students will use ideas developed during the discussion to identify key components of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood using a map from the 19th century. Students are also given images of different Toronto neighbourhoods to analyze and describe their development throughout the City’s history.





This self-guided walking tour of Toronto’s oldest neighbourhood takes students to the sites of the City’s original buildings. Students will tour the St. Lawrence neighbourhood and visit the site of the first market, the first church and other sites that tell the story of early Toronto.

Students receive booklets with images of the original buildings and after hearing the history of each site, students sketch the current building and record their thoughts about the changes that occurred.





Students of ESL enjoy an illustrated talk on the changing history of the neighbourhood and the Market building. Today, the Market is an animated centre that wonderfully combines the traditions of the past with the tastes and flavours of contemporary, multicultural Toronto.

A two-part activity is available for intermediate to advanced students. Students will use their listening, reading and writing skills to complete a worksheet on the history of the neighbourhood and market. Afterwards students must communicate and interact with merchants to learn more about the market.




Call the Gallery at 416-392-7604 or e-mail marketgallery@toronto.ca to book a program. Advance booking is required.

Many of the Gallery's programs can be linked with museums and heritage sites in the neighbourhood, including McKenzie House, Toronto's First Post Office and more. Call for more information or visit www.toronto.ca/culture/education.htm

Most programs can be modified to accommodate Secondary students as well as English as a Second Language classes. Call us to discuss program options for your class

• TTC: Take the subway to Union Station and walk east along Front Street East
• Paid parking available
• Bus drop off at front of building

The Gallery is open for school groups from Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food services and washrooms are available in the Market. Lunch space is available upon request. TTC access and parking are available; see Getting to the Market.