Activity 01
Role-Play: Asylum Hearing Simulation
Assign roles as claimants, immigration officers, lawyers, and interpreters. Provide case files with evidence; groups present claims and cross-examine for 20 minutes, then deliberate decisions. Debrief on real criteria and fairness.
Differentiate between a convention refugee, an asylum seeker, and an internally displaced person.
Facilitation TipBefore the asylum hearing simulation, provide students with a one-page fact sheet summarizing IRB hearing procedures to ground their roles in real protocol.
What to look forFacilitate a class debate: 'Resolved, that private sponsorship is a more effective method for refugee integration than government-assisted programs.' Ask students to use evidence from the lesson to support their arguments, considering factors like speed of arrival, community support, and financial aid.
AnalyzeEvaluateSelf-ManagementDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Timeline Challenge: Policy Evolution Mapping
Pairs research key events like the 1951 Convention adoption, Singh decision, and Syrian resettlement. Create visual timelines with causes, effects, and images. Share via gallery walk.
Analyze how Canada's response to global refugee crises has evolved throughout its history.
Facilitation TipTo build the timeline, assign each small group one policy or event to research and illustrate, then have groups present in chronological order with a visual anchor for each date.
What to look forPresent students with three brief case studies, each describing an individual's situation (e.g., fleeing war, seeking economic opportunity, persecuted for beliefs). Ask students to identify whether each person is a convention refugee, an asylum seeker, or an internally displaced person, and to briefly justify their classification.
RememberUnderstandAnalyzeSelf-ManagementRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Case Study Analysis: Sponsorship Analysis
Distribute real anonymized sponsorship stories. Small groups chart steps from application to settlement, costs, and outcomes. Discuss community impacts in plenary.
Explain the mechanisms and impacts of private sponsorship programs for refugees in Canada.
Facilitation TipDuring the debate, assign a student timekeeper to enforce speaking limits and a note-taker to capture key arguments for later reflection.
What to look forOn an index card, have students answer: 'What is one key difference between an asylum seeker and a convention refugee?' and 'Name one responsibility of a private sponsorship group in Canada.'
AnalyzeEvaluateCreateDecision-MakingSelf-Management
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 04
Formal Debate: Sponsorship Pros and Cons
Divide class into affirm/negate teams on expanding private sponsorship. Prep arguments for 15 minutes, debate 20 minutes, vote and reflect on evidence.
Differentiate between a convention refugee, an asylum seeker, and an internally displaced person.
Facilitation TipFor the sponsorship analysis, give students a sample sponsorship agreement to dissect, highlighting clauses about financial responsibility and settlement supports.
What to look forFacilitate a class debate: 'Resolved, that private sponsorship is a more effective method for refugee integration than government-assisted programs.' Ask students to use evidence from the lesson to support their arguments, considering factors like speed of arrival, community support, and financial aid.
AnalyzeEvaluateCreateSelf-ManagementDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers should approach this topic with sensitivity, acknowledging real human experiences while maintaining academic rigor. Avoid oversimplifying complex legal or ethical issues; instead, use structured comparisons and role-plays to help students analyze without reducing human stories to stereotypes. Research shows that when students engage with multiple perspectives through simulation and debate, they retain both factual knowledge and empathy, which is crucial for understanding refugee realities.
Students will confidently distinguish refugee categories, explain asylum processes, and evaluate private sponsorship by applying terms and evidence to role-plays, debates, and policy timelines. They will articulate differences between convention refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons, and recognize the roles of government and sponsors.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the term cards sorting activity, watch for students who group all refugee types under one label.
Have students physically place term cards into three labeled columns—Convention Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Internally Displaced Person—and justify placements aloud, challenging peers to explain differences in their reasoning.
During the asylum hearing simulation, watch for students who assume claims are approved automatically upon arrival.
Require each role-play hearing to include an IRB panel that asks for evidence and asks follow-up questions, then have students tally approval rates to reveal the rigor of the process.
During the budget simulation in the sponsorship analysis, watch for students who assume sponsorship costs are fully covered by the government.
Provide a sample budget sheet showing both sponsor contributions and government matches, then have students recalculate totals to see shared financial responsibilities.
Methods used in this brief