Social Studies · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Challenges Faced by Newcomers

Active learning works well for this topic because newcomer challenges are complex and emotionally nuanced. Students need to experience the barriers firsthand through role-plays, discussions, and real-world tasks to build genuine empathy and understanding, not just academic knowledge.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand A, A1.1: Analyse the experiences of and challenges facing various individuals and/or groups in Canada between 1780 and 1850 from a variety of perspectives.
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand B, B2: Use the social studies inquiry process to investigate some of the social and environmental issues facing the global community and Canada’s role in addressing them.
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand B, B1.1: Analyse Canada’s response to some significant global issues (e.g., the refugee crisis).

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

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Newcomer Scenarios

Assign small groups one challenge: language barrier, credential issues, or cultural adjustment. Groups prepare and perform 3-minute skits showing the challenge and a peer support solution. Debrief with whole-class discussion on common themes.

Analyze the primary challenges faced by newcomers to Canada.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Newcomer Scenarios, assign roles that push students to articulate their character's emotions and thought process, not just their actions.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a newcomer arriving in Canada with limited English. What are the first three challenges you anticipate facing and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to share and build on each other's ideas.

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

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 50 min · Pairs

Support Program Design

In pairs, students research one challenge using provided articles, then design a school-based support program with steps, resources, and target audience. Groups present posters to the class for feedback.

Differentiate between challenges related to language, employment, and cultural adjustment.

Facilitation Tip

For Support Program Design, provide a template with clear sections for problem, solution, and resource links to guide structured planning.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study of a fictional newcomer. Ask them to identify and list two specific challenges the individual is facing, categorizing each as language, employment, or cultural. Review responses for understanding of the distinctions.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Small Groups

Community Resource Mapping

Individually, students list local services for newcomers from websites or flyers. In small groups, map these on a large Canada outline, noting gaps by challenge type. Share findings class-wide.

Design support programs to assist immigrants and refugees in overcoming these challenges.

Facilitation Tip

In Community Resource Mapping, require students to interview a community member or use an official municipal website to verify the accuracy of their listed resources.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one specific suggestion for a support program that could help newcomers overcome the challenge of finding suitable employment. Collect and review for practical and relevant ideas.

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

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Whole Class

Guest Story Analysis

Whole class watches newcomer interviews or reads stories. Students jot notes on challenges in a graphic organizer, then discuss in pairs how challenges interconnect.

Analyze the primary challenges faced by newcomers to Canada.

Facilitation Tip

During Guest Story Analysis, prepare students by teaching them to listen for emotional cues and pauses, not just the speaker's words.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a newcomer arriving in Canada with limited English. What are the first three challenges you anticipate facing and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to share and build on each other's ideas.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through empathy-building exercises rather than lectures. Avoid framing the content as a problem to solve, which can oversimplify real struggles. Instead, use case studies and simulations to let students experience the weight of these challenges themselves. Research shows that when students emotionally connect to the material, they retain it longer and develop more nuanced perspectives.

Successful learning shows when students can articulate specific challenges newcomers face, differentiate between language, employment, and cultural barriers, and propose realistic solutions. They should move beyond stereotypes to identify systemic gaps and personalize their responses to diverse needs.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Newcomer Scenarios, watch for assumptions that all newcomers face identical challenges.

  Use the role-play cards to highlight diverse backgrounds and ask students to explain how their assigned character's age, origin, or status shapes their specific barriers during the debrief.

• During Support Program Design, students may assume Canada's services solve all challenges.

  After reviewing their program proposals, point out gaps in the existing system by comparing their designs to real local resources and asking where these fall short.

• During Guest Story Analysis, students might reduce cultural adjustment to food or holidays.

  Use the guest's narrative to guide students toward identifying deeper social norms, like gender roles or communication styles, and ask them to reflect on how these affect daily life in the debrief discussion.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis