Social Studies · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Canada's Role in Global Trade

Active learning works because Canada’s trade role is shaped by relationships between people, places, and products. Moving beyond static maps or lists helps students see how Alberta oil reaches European refineries or how Ontario cars arrive in Mexico City. These activities make invisible networks visible through movement, conversation, and role-play, building lasting understanding of interdependence.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: People and Environments: Canada's Interactions with the Global Community - Grade 6

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 45 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Canada's Trade Partners

Students in small groups create posters displaying one major export or import, including origin, destination countries, and economic importance. Groups place posters around the room for a gallery walk where classmates add sticky notes with questions or connections. Conclude with a whole-class share-out to synthesize patterns.

Analyze the primary goods and resources Canada exports and imports.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, post large world maps at stations with colored pins showing Canada’s top trading partners; have students rotate every three minutes to prevent crowding.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of 5 goods (e.g., crude oil, bananas, cars, lumber, smartphones). Ask them to label each as primarily an export or import for Canada and briefly explain their reasoning for two of the items.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Pairs

Trade Negotiation Simulation

Assign pairs roles as Canadian exporters and international importers with limited resources cards. Pairs negotiate deals using trade data sheets, recording agreements on simple contracts. Debrief as a class to discuss successful strategies and real-world parallels.

Explain how global trade fosters connections between Canada and other nations.

Facilitation Tip

In the Trade Negotiation Simulation, assign roles with specific interests (e.g., Canadian auto workers, Mexican fruit farmers) and provide a one-page brief to ground their arguments.

What to look for

Display a world map. Ask students to identify one country Canada trades significantly with and name one major product Canada exports to or imports from that country. Have them share their answers verbally or on a shared digital document.

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

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Individual

Product Journey Timelines

Individuals research one traded good, such as Canadian wheat or imported bananas, then create timelines showing production, transport, and sale steps. Share in small groups, adding global connection notes. Compile into a class trade web display.

Predict the economic consequences if Canada ceased international trade.

Facilitation Tip

For Product Journey Timelines, provide blank 12-inch strips of paper and colored markers so students can build physical, visual sequences of trade routes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine Canada stopped all international trade tomorrow. What are two specific challenges Canadians might face in their daily lives?' Facilitate a brief class discussion, guiding students to consider food availability, access to technology, and job security.

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

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 35 min · Small Groups

What If? Trade Disruption Scenarios

Small groups draw scenarios like port strikes or tariffs, predict effects on Canada using export-import lists, and propose solutions. Present findings on charts. Vote on most likely impacts as a class.

Analyze the primary goods and resources Canada exports and imports.

Facilitation Tip

When running Trade Disruption Scenarios, give each group a scenario card and five minutes to brainstorm effects before sharing with the class.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of 5 goods (e.g., crude oil, bananas, cars, lumber, smartphones). Ask them to label each as primarily an export or import for Canada and briefly explain their reasoning for two of the items.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should anchor lessons in real data, using Statistics Canada trade tables and Natural Resources Canada reports to ground discussions. Avoid abstract lectures about surplus or deficit; instead, have students compare their own province’s exports with national trends to see variability. Research shows that when students role-play as stakeholders, they better grasp ethical trade-offs, so allocate time for perspective-taking rather than just policy recitation.

Successful learning looks like students explaining trade flows with evidence, not just naming goods or countries. They should connect regional resources to industries, discuss trade-offs in negotiations, and trace product journeys beyond borders. Clear evidence of this includes accurate labeling on maps, thoughtful role-play arguments, and precise timeline sequencing.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming Canada always runs a trade surplus because they see more exports listed.

  Have students calculate and compare total export and import values for each major partner on their maps, using data tables provided at each station to correct this misconception.

• During the Trade Negotiation Simulation, some students may argue trade only involves governments and signed deals.

  Prompt each role to explain how their character’s job, community, or family depends on specific trade flows, shifting focus to human connections.

• During the Product Journey Timeline, students may categorize raw logs and refined lumber as the same type of export.

  Give students two sets of cards: one for raw materials and one for processed goods, and ask them to sort and justify placements on the timeline to clarify resource-based trade.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Simulation Game