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.

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

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the demographic shifts in Canada caused by the post-war Baby Boom and increased suburbanization.
2. Explain the technological and economic factors that led to the automobile's centrality in Canadian life during the 1950s.
3. Critique the idealized image of the 1950s suburban dream by identifying specific groups and their reasons for exclusion.
4. Compare the spatial organization and social characteristics of 1950s suburbs with contemporary Canadian communities.

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

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.

What to Expect

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.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Think-Pair-Share activity, 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.' Assess students’ responses for evidence of empathy and specific connections to the era’s policies or cultural norms.

Quick Check

During the Station Rotation on the impact of the car, 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.' Collect their responses to gauge their understanding of how advertisements shaped cultural values.

Exit Ticket

After Collaborative Investigation, 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.' Use their responses to assess their ability to connect the Baby Boom to broader social changes and identify exclusions.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to design a counter-advertisement that critiques the suburban dream or automobile culture, using evidence from the lesson.
• For students who struggle, provide a partially completed graphic organizer with key terms like ‘redlining,’ ‘GI Bill,’ or ‘highway construction’ filled in.
• Deeper exploration: Ask students to research a specific marginalized group (e.g., Indigenous veterans, racialized families) and write a short paragraph on how policies or cultural norms affected their ability to access suburban life.

Key Vocabulary

Baby Boom	A period of significantly increased birth rates in Canada, roughly from 1946 to 1964, following World War II.
Suburbanization	The outward growth of cities into surrounding areas, characterized by the development of residential neighborhoods outside the urban core.
Automobile Culture	A societal emphasis on the private automobile, influencing urban planning, lifestyle choices, and consumerism, particularly prominent in the 1950s.
Levittown	A type of mass-produced, affordable housing development that became synonymous with the post-war suburban boom, originating in the United States but influencing Canadian suburban growth.
Redlining	A discriminatory practice where services (financial and otherwise) are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as 'high risk,' often based on race or ethnicity, impacting access to suburban housing.