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.

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

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the types of jobs women undertook during WWI that were previously male dominated.
2. Evaluate the extent to which women's wartime service contributed to gaining the right to vote.
3. Compare and contrast the working conditions and societal perceptions of women in factory roles versus nursing roles during WWI.
4. Explain the immediate and long-term impacts of women's expanded roles on Canadian society and gender norms.

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

Teaching This Topic

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.

What to Expect

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.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

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.

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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.

What to Teach Instead

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.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Collaborative Investigation, facilitate a class debate using the question: 'How did the wartime roles of Indigenous soldiers challenge or reinforce traditional gender and societal expectations?' Ask students to cite specific examples and counterarguments from the profiles they researched.

Quick Check

During the Think-Pair-Share, provide students with two short excerpts: one from the Soldier Settlement Act and one from a letter written by an Indigenous veteran. Ask them to write two bullet points comparing the promises and realities of land ownership for Indigenous veterans and one sentence evaluating how this reflects systemic inequality.

Exit Ticket

After the Gallery Walk, have students write a short response on an index card: list one new role Indigenous soldiers took on during WWI and explain how this role challenged traditional expectations of Indigenous men. Then, write one sentence connecting their wartime service to broader changes in Canadian society.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to write a letter from the perspective of a veteran applying for land under the Soldier Settlement Act, citing real policies and personal experiences.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the quick-check activity, such as 'Both women were expected to...' or 'The main difference in their experiences was...'.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research how the experiences of Indigenous soldiers compared to those of Black soldiers in Canada, using a Venn diagram to organize their findings.

Key Vocabulary

Munitions Worker	A person, often a woman during WWI, employed in the manufacturing of weapons and ammunition, a role that expanded significantly during the war.
Suffrage	The right to vote in political elections. The war effort significantly influenced the debate and eventual granting of suffrage to women in Canada.
Home Front	The civilian population and activities of a nation at war, as distinct from the activities of the military. Women played crucial roles on the home front during WWI.
Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD)	Groups of women, often nurses, who provided voluntary medical support during wartime, serving both in Canada and overseas.
Conscription Crisis	A period of intense political division in Canada over whether to introduce mandatory military service, which had implications for women's roles and rights.