Canadian Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

Women's Changing Roles in WWI

Active learning helps students grasp the complex motivations and experiences of Indigenous soldiers in WWI, moving beyond passive reading to engage with primary sources and personal narratives. Through collaborative tasks, students confront systemic barriers and recognize Indigenous agency in wartime service, fostering deeper empathy and historical perspective.

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

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Indigenous Hero Profiles

In small groups, students research a specific Indigenous soldier or nurse (e.g., Francis Pegahmagabow, Henry Norwest). They create a 'service record' that highlights their achievements and the specific challenges they faced due to their identity both during and after the war.

Analyze how women's contributions challenged traditional gender roles during WWI.

Facilitation Tip

For the Collaborative Investigation, assign small groups a specific Indigenous soldier or veteran to research, ensuring each group presents distinct perspectives.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'To what extent did women's work during WWI truly change their societal status, or was it a temporary measure?' Facilitate a class debate, asking students to cite specific examples of jobs and societal reactions discussed in class.

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

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Soldier Settlement Act

Students read two short excerpts: one describing the benefits given to non-Indigenous veterans and one describing the loss of reserve land for Indigenous communities. They discuss with a partner how these policies contradicted the 'equality' experienced in the trenches.

Evaluate the extent to which wartime service advanced the cause of women's suffrage.

Facilitation Tip

During the Think-Pair-Share, provide guiding questions that push students to compare Indigenous and non-Indigenous veterans' post-war experiences.

What to look for

Provide students with short biographical excerpts of two women from WWI: one a factory worker, the other a nurse. Ask them to write two bullet points comparing their experiences and one sentence evaluating the impact of their service on women's rights.

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

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Treaty Relationships and the War

Display quotes from Indigenous leaders about why they supported the 'Great Father' (the King) based on treaty promises. Students move through the gallery to identify how the concept of 'loyalty' was tied to the hope for better treatment and rights at home.

Compare the experiences of women working in factories with those serving as nurses.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, place primary sources or treaty excerpts at each station, asking students to annotate their reactions directly on the materials.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to list one new role women took on during WWI and explain how this role challenged traditional gender expectations. Then, have them write one sentence about the connection between wartime service and women's suffrage.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should center Indigenous voices and experiences, using primary documents to avoid romanticizing or pitying Indigenous soldiers. Avoid framing Indigenous enlistment as purely altruistic; instead, emphasize the mix of personal, economic, and treaty motivations. Research shows students better retain history when they connect it to human stories rather than abstract policies.

Students will articulate the voluntary nature of Indigenous enlistment and the systemic inequalities veterans faced, using evidence from activities to support their reasoning. They will also explain how wartime roles challenged or reinforced societal norms, demonstrating critical analysis of historical sources.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Collaborative Investigation, watch for students assuming Indigenous soldiers were coerced into service. Redirect their focus to the primary sources or biographies they analyze, asking them to locate specific language about enlistment motivations.

  During the Think-Pair-Share, have students compare the Soldier Settlement Act’s provisions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous veterans using a comparison chart, highlighting the systemic inequities in the materials provided.

• During the Gallery Walk, some students may generalize that all Indigenous veterans were treated equally after the war. Pause at the station covering the Indian Act and ask students to identify specific clauses that denied veterans benefits.

  Ask students to revisit the treaty excerpts or primary sources at their stations, prompting them to find one example of a policy or social expectation that contradicted the idea of equal treatment.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk