Canadian Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

Causes of the Great Depression

Active learning works exceptionally well for this topic because students need to connect abstract economic factors to human experiences during the Great Depression. By analyzing causes through simulations and collaborative tasks, students move beyond memorization to see how interconnected systems created widespread hardship.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Canada, 1929–1945 - Grade 10
• ON: Social, Economic, and Political Context - Grade 10

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 45 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Domestic vs. International Causes

Divide class into expert groups on domestic factors (overproduction, speculation) and international ones (U.S. crash, tariffs). Experts prepare 2-minute teach-backs with visuals. Regroup heterogeneous teams to share and synthesize causes into a class chart.

Explain the primary economic factors that led to the Great Depression in Canada.

Facilitation Tip

For the Jigsaw, assign each group a distinct cause and have them prepare a one-minute explanation using only economic terms before teaching peers.

What to look for

Present students with a short case study of a Canadian family in 1929, detailing their income and investments. Ask them to identify two specific economic factors from the lesson that would likely impact this family and explain how.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: Stock Market Trading

Provide play money and stock cards representing Canadian industries. Students buy/sell on margin in rounds, introducing events like margin calls or export drops. Debrief on crash triggers and real economic parallels.

Analyze the role of international economic conditions in Canada's downturn.

Facilitation Tip

During the Stock Market Simulation, limit each student to $1000 in play money and three trades to keep the experience grounded in historical constraints.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'If you were a Canadian politician in 1929, what single domestic policy would you prioritize to mitigate the coming economic crisis, and why?' Encourage students to justify their choices using concepts of overproduction, speculation, or wealth inequality.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Sector Impacts

Pose key question on crash effects. Pairs brainstorm impacts on farming, manufacturing, urban jobs using evidence cards. Share with class to build a mind map predicting ripple effects.

Predict how the stock market crash impacted different sectors of the Canadian economy.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sector Impacts Think-Pair-Share, provide real 1920s agricultural and industrial data to ground abstract concepts in tangible numbers.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence explaining the role of international trade in the Great Depression and one sentence describing how buying on margin contributed to the stock market crash.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Small Groups

Timeline Build: Boom to Bust

Groups sequence 10-12 events from 1920s prosperity to 1933 depths, annotating Canadian specifics like Bennett's policies. Present timelines and vote on most critical cause.

Explain the primary economic factors that led to the Great Depression in Canada.

What to look for

Present students with a short case study of a Canadian family in 1929, detailing their income and investments. Ask them to identify two specific economic factors from the lesson that would likely impact this family and explain how.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasize the interplay between domestic policies and international events, as students often struggle to see these connections without guided mapping. Avoid presenting causes as isolated events; instead, use timelines and simulations to show how vulnerabilities compounded. Research suggests students grasp economic systems best when they role-play stakeholders, which builds deeper empathy and understanding.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how overproduction, speculation, and trade dependencies worsened the crisis, not just listing causes. Students should also demonstrate empathy by tracing the human impact of these economic decisions through the activities.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw: Domestic vs. International Causes, watch for students attributing the Depression solely to the 1929 crash.

  During the Jigsaw, assign each group a cause and require them to present it in chronological order, showing how vulnerabilities existed before the crash.

• During Simulation: Stock Market Trading, watch for students assuming Canada was insulated from the U.S. crash.

  During the simulation, pause after the first round of trades to ask students to predict how a U.S. market collapse would affect their portfolios, using their trade data as evidence.

• During Think-Pair-Share: Sector Impacts, watch for students believing rural areas were unaffected by the Depression.

  During the Think-Pair-Share, provide prairie drought data and ask students to compare it to urban unemployment rates to highlight rural struggles.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Simulation Game
• Think-Pair-Share