Canadian Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

The Suburbs & The Baby Boom

Active learning works well for this topic because suburban growth and the Baby Boom were shaped by human choices, not just economic forces. Students engage with primary sources and role-play scenarios to uncover how policies, advertisements, and cultural norms influenced daily life in the 1950s.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Canada, 1945–1982 - Grade 10
• ON: Social, Economic, and Political Context - Grade 10

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

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Suburban Boom

In small groups, students analyze 1950s advertisements for new suburban homes and appliances. They identify the 'ideal' family life being sold and discuss how these ads reflected and shaped the values of the time.

Analyze how the baby boom fundamentally reshaped Canadian society.

Facilitation Tip

For Collaborative Investigation, assign each group a different source (ad, policy document, photograph) to ensure diverse perspectives are shared with the class.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine you are a teenager in 1955. Describe your ideal day, considering where you live, how you get around, and what activities are available. Then, consider one person or group who might not be able to have this 'ideal' experience and explain why.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: The Impact of the Car

Set up stations on the rise of the shopping mall, the drive-in theater, and the construction of the Trans-Canada Highway. At each station, students identify how the car changed a different aspect of Canadian social and economic life.

Explain the factors that made the automobile central to Canadian life in the 1950s.

Facilitation Tip

In Station Rotation on the car’s impact, have students rotate through stations that include a traffic map, a 1950s song about driving, and a short video clip to build multi-modal understanding.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a 1950s advertisement for a suburban home or automobile. Ask them to identify two specific promises or appeals made in the ad and explain how these relate to the concept of the 'suburban dream' or 'automobile culture.'

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Who Was Left Behind?

Students read a short text about the lack of affordable housing and the 'redlining' practices that excluded some groups from the suburbs. They discuss with a partner how the 'suburban dream' was not accessible to everyone and what the long-term consequences were.

Critique the notion of the 'suburban dream' and identify who was excluded from it.

Facilitation Tip

Use Think-Pair-Share to push students beyond vague answers, requiring them to cite specific evidence from the era’s policies or advertisements.

What to look for

Students will respond to the following: 'List one significant social impact of the Baby Boom and one way the automobile changed Canadian daily life in the 1950s. Then, name one group that was likely excluded from the idealized suburban lifestyle and briefly state a reason why.'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract concepts in tangible artifacts like advertisements or policy documents. Avoid presenting the 1950s as a monolithic era of prosperity; instead, use primary sources to reveal the tensions and exclusions. Research suggests that role-playing scenarios, such as imagining a teenager’s day, helps students empathize with the realities of the time.

Successful learning looks like students explaining how government decisions and social pressures created the suburban landscape. They should also identify who benefited and who was excluded, using evidence from artifacts, discussions, and maps.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation, some students may assume suburban growth happened naturally without human influence.

  Use the policy documents and advertisements provided in the activity to guide students to identify specific government actions, such as the GI Bill’s low-interest mortgages, and ask them to explain how these policies shaped suburban development.

• During Think-Pair-Share, students might describe the 1950s as a time of perfect social harmony.

  After the activity, prompt students to analyze a 1950s advertisement or photograph from a ‘Conformity vs. Reality’ lens, asking them to identify signs of pressure to conform or exclusion of certain groups.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation
• Think-Pair-Share