History & Geography · Grade 7

Active learning ideas

Natural Factors Affecting Settlement

Active learning works well here because settlement patterns are abstract until students connect them to real places and decisions. When students analyze maps, debate trade-offs, or simulate constraints, they see how geography shapes human choices in concrete ways that lectures alone cannot match.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Global Settlement: Patterns and Sustainability - Grade 7

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Settlement Challenge

Groups are given a map with different features (e.g., a river, a mountain, a swamp, a forest). They must choose the best spot to build a new settlement and justify their choice based on survival and trade needs.

Analyze how climate and natural resources influence settlement patterns in Canada.

Facilitation Tip

During The Settlement Challenge, circulate and ask groups to justify their choices using the natural factor cards provided.

What to look for

Provide students with a blank map of Canada. Ask them to draw and label three different natural factors (e.g., a major river, a mountain range, a desert region) and then indicate one Canadian city or region where each factor significantly influenced settlement. Students should write one sentence explaining the influence for each factor.

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

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Pairs

Inquiry Circle: Why is My City Here?

Pairs research the history of their own town or a major Canadian city. They identify the primary reason it was founded (e.g., a mill site, a railway junction) and how that factor still influences the city today.

Explain the role of fertile land and water access in the historical growth of settlements.

Facilitation Tip

For Why is My City Here?, provide a mix of historical and modern city maps so students notice patterns across time.

What to look for

Pose the following question to the class: 'Imagine you are advising a company looking to establish a new mining town in Northern Canada. What are the top three natural challenges you would warn them about, and what specific strategies could they employ to overcome these challenges?'

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Border Effect

Students discuss why so many Canadians live near the US border. They share their thoughts on whether this pattern will change in the future due to technology or climate change.

Predict the challenges of establishing settlements in extreme natural environments.

Facilitation Tip

In The Border Effect, prompt students to compare the 160-kilometer rule with population density data on their maps.

What to look for

Present students with short descriptions of hypothetical settlement locations in Canada (e.g., 'A flat, fertile plain with a large river nearby,' 'A high-altitude, rocky plateau with limited rainfall,' 'A coastal area with a mild climate but prone to heavy fog'). Ask students to classify each location as 'Highly Favorable,' 'Moderately Favorable,' or 'Challenging' for settlement and provide one brief reason for their choice.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing geographic determinism with human agency. Avoid framing settlement as purely logical or accidental. Instead, use case studies to show how climate, transport, and politics interact, and have students critique oversimplified explanations like 'people just settled where it was nice.'

Successful learning is evident when students can explain why certain natural features attract settlements and how those features limit or enable growth over time. They should use evidence from maps, case studies, and discussions to support their reasoning about location choices.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During The Settlement Challenge, watch for students who assume cities must always be built where resources are abundant.

  Use the ghost town case study from the activity to show how settlements decline when resources or routes change, redirecting the class to discuss political or temporary reasons for settlement.

• During Why is My City Here?, watch for students who say modern technology removes the importance of geography.

  Have students compare the cost of living in a remote northern town versus a southern city using data provided in the activity to show how geography still affects daily life and expenses.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share