Canadian Studies · Grade 9

Active learning ideas

Global Migration: Push & Pull Factors

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of global migration by moving beyond abstract definitions to concrete, relatable experiences. When students manipulate real-world scenarios and debate policy choices, they internalize how push and pull factors intersect in human decisions, making the topic memorable and personally relevant.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• Ontario Curriculum CGC1D/1P: D2.1. Describe key factors that affect immigration and emigration in Canada.
• Ontario Curriculum CGC1D/1P: D2.2. Describe the main patterns of immigration to Canada over time.
• Ontario Curriculum CGC1D/1P: D2.5. Analyse the social, economic, and environmental impact of immigration in Canada.

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 35 min · Small Groups

Card Sort: Push vs Pull Scenarios

Create 20 cards with real-world migration statements from news sources. Small groups sort cards into push, pull, or both categories, then defend placements with evidence. Conclude with a whole-class vote on trickiest cards.

Differentiate between the primary push and pull factors driving global migration patterns today.

Facilitation Tip

During the Card Sort, circulate and listen for students’ reasoning when they debate whether a scenario is primarily a push or pull factor. Use these moments to ask, ‘What evidence in the text supports your choice?’

What to look for

Pose the following question to small groups: 'Imagine you are advising a family considering immigrating to Canada. Based on today's lesson, what are the top three push factors they might be experiencing and the top three pull factors that make Canada appealing to them? Be specific.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 50 min · Small Groups

Migration Debate: Canada's Pull Factors

Divide class into teams representing migrant perspectives. Provide data on Canada's policies. Teams debate if economic opportunity or stability is the stronger pull, using prepared charts to support arguments.

Analyze how Canada strategically markets itself to attract specific types of immigrants.

Facilitation Tip

For the Migration Debate, assign roles to ensure balanced participation. Remind students to ground their arguments in the case studies or policy examples from the IRCC Website Hunt.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study of a fictional migrant. Ask them to identify and list at least two push factors driving the individual's decision to leave their home country and two pull factors attracting them to Canada, citing specific examples from the case study.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 40 min · Pairs

Global Flows Mapping: Interactive Atlas

Pairs use online tools or paper maps to plot recent migration routes from push-heavy regions to Canada. Annotate with 3-5 factors per route, then share findings in a gallery walk.

Explain the significant role of political stability and economic opportunity as pull factors for immigration to Canada.

Facilitation Tip

In the Global Flows Mapping activity, have pairs share their mapped routes with another group before finalizing. This encourages peer checking and clarifies geographic relationships.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence defining 'push factor' and one sentence defining 'pull factor' in their own words. Then, ask them to list one specific example of each as it relates to immigration to Canada.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Policy Analysis: IRCC Website Hunt

Individuals or pairs explore Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada site. List 5 pull factors marketed to specific groups, like tech workers. Discuss in pairs how these address global pushes.

Differentiate between the primary push and pull factors driving global migration patterns today.

Facilitation Tip

During the Policy Analysis activity, pair students with different strengths, such as one strong reader and one analytical thinker, to decode the IRCC website content together.

What to look for

Pose the following question to small groups: 'Imagine you are advising a family considering immigrating to Canada. Based on today's lesson, what are the top three push factors they might be experiencing and the top three pull factors that make Canada appealing to them? Be specific.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract concepts in lived experiences. Start with students’ own questions about migration stories they’ve heard or seen in media, then use role-plays and debates to confront assumptions. Avoid presenting push and pull factors as simple binaries; instead, emphasize how urgency and opportunity interact. Research shows that when students analyze real policy documents or case studies, their understanding of systemic factors deepens, especially when they must justify their interpretations to peers.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently distinguish between push and pull factors, explain their uneven influence using contemporary examples, and analyze Canada’s immigration policies through both humanitarian and economic lenses. Success looks like students using specific evidence from case studies and policy texts to support their reasoning.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Card Sort: Push vs Pull Scenarios, students may assume push and pull factors have equal weight in every migration decision.

  During Card Sort: Push vs Pull Scenarios, prompt groups to rank scenarios by urgency. Ask them to discuss which scenarios would feel most time-sensitive to a migrant, then have them justify their rankings using evidence from the cards.

• During Migration Debate: Canada's Pull Factors, students may believe Canada’s immigration system is driven solely by humanitarian generosity.

  During Migration Debate: Canada's Pull Factors, assign half the class to research economic pull factors (e.g., labor shortages) and the other half to analyze humanitarian programs. Require each side to cite specific IRCC policy examples during the debate.

• During Global Flows Mapping: Interactive Atlas, students may assume all global migrations are caused by economic hardship alone.

  During Global Flows Mapping: Interactive Atlas, after mapping primary routes, have students annotate their maps with symbols for push factors like war or disasters, forcing them to categorize diverse causes visually.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Role Play