Canadian Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

The Roaring Twenties in Canada

Active learning works well for this topic because the 1920s in Canada were defined by rapid change and innovation, which students can experience firsthand through role-play and analysis. Hands-on activities help learners connect abstract economic and social concepts to the lived realities of different Canadians during the decade.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Canada, 1914–1929 - Grade 10
• ON: Social, Economic, and Political Context - Grade 10

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The 1920s Consumer Boom

Students are given a 'budget' and a catalog of new 1920s inventions (e.g., Model T, radio, washing machine). They must decide which items to buy on 'credit' and then discuss the risks and rewards of this new way of shopping.

Analyze how new technologies transformed daily life for Canadians.

Facilitation Tip

For the simulation, set clear spending limits and unexpected expenses like car repairs or medical bills to show how quickly prosperity could unravel for middle-class families.

What to look for

Provide students with three images: one of a family gathered around a radio, one of a busy factory assembly line, and one of a group of Indigenous children at a residential school. Ask them to write one sentence explaining how each image relates to the 'Roaring Twenties' and one question they still have about the experiences depicted.

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

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Cultural Shifts

Set up stations with images and music from the 1920s: jazz, flapper fashion, the Group of Seven, and early radio broadcasts. Students move through the gallery, noting how these cultural elements challenged traditional Victorian values.

Evaluate the extent to which the prosperity of the 1920s was equitably distributed.

Facilitation Tip

During the gallery walk, assign each station a guiding question about cultural shifts to focus student observations and written responses.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine you are a Canadian in 1925. Based on what we've learned, would you describe the decade as 'roaring' for you personally? Explain why or why not, considering your social class, location (urban/rural), and ethnic background.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The American Influence

Students read a short text about the rise of American movies and magazines in Canada during the 1920s. They discuss with a partner whether this was a threat to Canadian identity or just a natural part of being neighbors.

Explain the growing influence of American culture on Canada during this decade.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share, provide a short primary source excerpt from a Canadian newspaper to ground the discussion in real voices from the era.

What to look for

Present students with a list of 5-7 terms, including key vocabulary and distractors (e.g., 'flapper,' 'assembly line,' 'Prohibition,' 'stock market crash,' 'residential school,' 'jazz,' 'Great Depression'). Ask students to sort them into two categories: 'Factors contributing to the boom' and 'Challenges faced during the decade.' Review their sorting as a class.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid framing the 1920s as purely a time of fun or progress, as this oversimplifies the era's hardships. Instead, use primary sources and role-play to build historical empathy, and explicitly connect technological innovations to social changes like urbanization and consumerism. Research shows that comparing urban and rural experiences, as well as Indigenous and immigrant perspectives, helps students grasp the decade's uneven impacts.

Successful learning looks like students recognizing the complexity of the 1920s beyond stereotypes, using evidence to discuss prosperity and inequality, and applying historical empathy to diverse perspectives. By the end, they should be able to explain how technology and culture reshaped Canadian society while acknowledging its uneven impacts.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Simulation: The 1920s Consumer Boom, watch for students assuming all families in the activity experienced the same level of prosperity as the middle-class families provided.

  Use the 'Who's Roaring?' chart included in the simulation materials to prompt students to identify which family profiles were excluded from the boom, such as immigrant laborers or rural farmers.

• During the Gallery Walk: Cultural Shifts, watch for students dismissing the decade as only about parties and jazz without examining the political struggles beneath the surface.

  Provide a 'serious side' station with images and quotes about labor strikes, women's rights protests, and Indigenous resistance, then ask students to compare these to the lighter cultural stations in their written responses.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share