Canadian Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

Enemy Aliens & Internment in WWI

Active learning works because this topic demands perspective-taking and critical analysis of historical injustices that are often oversimplified. Students grapple with complex emotions and ethical questions when they examine real documents and images from the era, which helps them move beyond textbook summaries.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Canada, 1914–1929 - Grade 10
• ON: Identity, Citizenship, and Heritage - Grade 10

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

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Enemy Alien Documents

Set up stations with registration forms, internment photos, propaganda posters, and survivor letters. Small groups spend 10 minutes per station noting evidence of prejudice and consequences, then share findings in a class gallery walk.

Critique the justification for invoking the War Measures Act during WWI.

Facilitation Tip

When students map community impacts, ask them to mark both losses and acts of resilience to avoid a one-dimensional narrative.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Considering the context of WWI, was the invocation of the War Measures Act a necessary measure to ensure national security, or was it an overreach of government power that violated fundamental rights? Provide specific evidence from your research to support your position.'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Pairs

Pairs Debate: War Measures Act Justifications

Assign pairs one side: defend or critique the Act's use. They review sources for 10 minutes, debate for 15 minutes, then switch sides to build nuance. Conclude with whole-class vote and reflection.

Explain why specific immigrant groups were targeted as 'enemy aliens'.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a WWI-era newspaper article or a propaganda poster. Ask them to identify the message being conveyed, the intended audience, and how it might have contributed to the perception of 'enemy aliens.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 50 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Mock Internment Tribunal

Divide class into roles: government officials, internees, lawyers. Present cases using primary evidence, deliberate for 20 minutes, then vote on releases. Debrief on fairness and power dynamics.

Assess the long-term consequences of internment for affected communities.

What to look for

On an exit ticket, ask students to list one specific group targeted as 'enemy aliens' and explain one consequence of their internment. Then, ask them to write one sentence connecting this historical event to a contemporary issue related to immigration or civil liberties.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Individual

Individual: Community Impact Maps

Students research one internment site, map locations, and note personal stories. Add long-term effects like cultural stigma. Share digitally or on posters for class discussion.

Critique the justification for invoking the War Measures Act during WWI.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Considering the context of WWI, was the invocation of the War Measures Act a necessary measure to ensure national security, or was it an overreach of government power that violated fundamental rights? Provide specific evidence from your research to support your position.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing historical rigor with empathy, avoiding a sanitized version of events that overlooks trauma. They use primary sources to confront students with uncomfortable truths while modeling how to analyze bias in documents. Research suggests that simulations like tribunals are effective but must include debriefing to process emotions and prevent trivialization.

Successful learning looks like students questioning propaganda, debating conflicting narratives, and connecting historical policies to modern rights violations. They should articulate how fear and prejudice shaped government actions and personal lives during WWI.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Station Rotation: Enemy Alien Documents, watch for students assuming only Germans were targeted.

  Have pairs compare lists from different stations, noting the ethnic diversity of those labeled as enemy aliens, and ask them to summarize their findings for the class.

• During Pairs Debate: War Measures Act Justifications, watch for students believing internment was brief and harmless.

  Require each pair to cite at least one source that mentions the duration of detentions in their arguments, then share examples aloud to correct misconceptions collectively.

• During Mock Internment Tribunal, watch for students assuming the War Measures Act was always justified.

  Prompt students to review propaganda posters from the station rotation before the tribunal to ground their arguments in historical bias.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Case Study Analysis