Geography · Grade 7

Active learning ideas

Refugees and Displaced Persons

Active learning helps students move beyond abstract facts about forced migration by engaging them in the human realities of displacement. Hands-on activities like mapping and simulations make geographic patterns and personal stories concrete, which builds empathy and critical thinking about global issues.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Natural Resources around the World: Use and Sustainability - Grade 7

• 40–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Small Groups

Mapping Activity: Refugee Flow Maps

Provide students with world outline maps and UNHCR data cards showing major refugee movements. In small groups, they plot routes, label origin and host countries, and add symbols for causes like war or drought. Groups share one pattern observed.

Analyze the geographic factors contributing to refugee crises globally.

Facilitation Tip

For the Mapping Activity, provide a large world map and colored pencils so students can visually layer push factors, routes, and destinations in one place.

What to look for

On a sticky note, students will write one specific push factor that causes displacement and name one country currently experiencing a significant refugee crisis. They will also list one challenge a refugee might face when seeking asylum.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 60 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Refugee Case Studies

Divide class into expert groups, each assigned a case like Syrian refugees in Canada or Venezuelan displaced persons. Experts study geographic causes and challenges, then regroup to teach peers. Conclude with a class timeline of global crises.

Explain the challenges faced by refugees seeking asylum in new countries.

Facilitation Tip

For the Jigsaw Strategy, assign each group a unique case study and require them to present findings using a one-page infographic to ensure accountability.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine you are advising a government on how to best support a large influx of refugees. What are the top three geographic or social considerations you would highlight, and why?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Pairs

Simulation Game: Asylum Journey

Set up stations representing stages: fleeing home, border crossing, camp life, asylum interview. Pairs rotate, collecting 'challenge cards' with geographic barriers like mountains or oceans, then debrief on real impacts.

Evaluate the effectiveness of international aid in supporting displaced populations.

Facilitation Tip

For the Simulation Game, limit time and resources to mirror real-world constraints, and debrief immediately after to process emotional and strategic takeaways.

What to look for

Present a world map with several arrows indicating migration routes. Ask students to identify the likely origin and destination countries for two of the routes and hypothesize the primary push and pull factors involved for each.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Whole Class

Debate Circles: Aid Effectiveness

Pose statements like 'International aid fully supports displaced persons.' Students in inner and outer circles debate using evidence from maps and articles, switching roles midway for balanced views.

Analyze the geographic factors contributing to refugee crises globally.

Facilitation Tip

For Debate Circles, assign roles (e.g., policymaker, aid worker, refugee) to deepen perspective-taking and ensure balanced participation.

What to look for

On a sticky note, students will write one specific push factor that causes displacement and name one country currently experiencing a significant refugee crisis. They will also list one challenge a refugee might face when seeking asylum.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching this topic works best when you balance geographic data with human stories to avoid reducing refugees to numbers. Avoid oversimplifying causes or solutions, as students need time to process the complexity of displacement. Research suggests that simulations and case studies build both empathy and analytical skills, so prioritize activities that require students to step into multiple perspectives.

Students will demonstrate understanding by accurately tracing refugee flows on maps, analyzing case studies with nuance, navigating simulation challenges with empathy, and debating aid effectiveness with evidence. Success looks like students connecting geographic patterns to human experiences and policy implications.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Mapping Activity, watch for students labeling migration routes without connecting them to push factors like war or persecution.

  Ask students to include sticky notes on their maps with specific push factors next to each route, then have them discuss how these factors shape the direction and destination of flows.

• During the Jigsaw Strategy, listen for groups describing refugees as seeking 'better opportunities' instead of highlighting threats to survival.

  Prompt groups to revisit their case studies and identify the specific threats that forced displacement, such as violence or environmental collapse, and have them present these distinctions to the class.

• During the Simulation Game, notice if students assume refugee camps offer long-term safety and stability.

  After the simulation, facilitate a reflection where students compare their camp experiences to real-world data on camp longevity and resource limitations, using the simulation's constraints as a starting point.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis
• Jigsaw
• Simulation Game