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.

• Grade 10
• Canadian Studies
• 3 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the impact of the automobile and radio on Canadian social structures and daily routines.
2. Evaluate the extent to which economic prosperity in the 1920s benefited urban versus rural populations.
3. Compare and contrast the influence of American popular culture, such as jazz music and Hollywood films, on Canadian identity.
4. Explain the economic factors that contributed to the boom of the 1920s, including industrial growth and international trade.
5. Critique the social and economic policies affecting Indigenous peoples during the 1920s in light of the decade's prosperity.

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Teaching This Topic

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.

What to Expect

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.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

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.

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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.

What to Teach Instead

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.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Simulation: The 1920s Consumer Boom, 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.

Discussion Prompt

During the Think-Pair-Share: The American Influence, 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.'

Quick Check

During the Gallery Walk: Cultural Shifts, 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.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• After finishing early, challenge students to design a 1920s radio advertisement for a new product, incorporating at least three historical details about consumer culture.
• For students who struggle, provide a partially completed 'Who's Roaring?' chart with blank spaces for them to fill in evidence from the decade.
• To go deeper, have students research a specific labor strike or political event from the 1920s and present a short case study to the class.

Key Vocabulary

Consumer Culture	A social and economic ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services. In the 1920s, this was fueled by new technologies and mass production.
Mass Media	Forms of communication, such as radio and cinema, that reach large audiences. These became increasingly influential in shaping public opinion and culture during the 1920s.
Prohibition	A nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. While enacted in Canada, its effectiveness and impact varied by region and contributed to social change.
Assimilation Policies	Government strategies aimed at absorbing Indigenous peoples into the dominant culture. In the 1920s, these intensified through residential schools and other measures.
Fordism	A system of mass production pioneered by Henry Ford, characterized by assembly lines and standardized parts. This model significantly impacted Canadian manufacturing and employment during the 1920s.