Social Studies · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Demographic Changes Due to Immigration

Active learning helps students grasp the dynamic nature of demographic changes by engaging with real data and visual tools. By moving, discussing, and analyzing, students connect abstract statistics to lived experiences, making the topic more concrete and memorable. This approach builds critical thinking about how immigration reshapes communities over time.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand A, A3.6: Describe the impact of the arrival of new groups of settlers on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in different regions of Canada during this period.
• 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.
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand B, B2.1: Formulate questions to guide investigations into some of the social and environmental issues facing the global community and Canada’s role in addressing them.

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

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 50 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Immigration Waves

Groups research one historical immigration wave, create timeline posters with key stats and maps, then post them around the room. Class walks the gallery, adding sticky notes with questions or connections to modern patterns. Conclude with whole-class share-out of insights.

Analyze how immigration has altered Canada's population demographics.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, place source-country artifacts or images at eye level and ask students to annotate connections between time periods using sticky notes.

What to look for

Provide students with a simplified population pyramid for Canada from two different decades. Ask them to write two sentences comparing the shapes and one sentence explaining a possible reason for the observed changes.

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

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 45 min · Small Groups

Data Stations: Demographic Tools

Set up stations with census graphs, population pyramids, and regional maps. Small groups rotate, analyzing one tool per station and recording trends in growth and diversity. Discuss findings as a class to synthesize national patterns.

Predict the future demographic trends in Canada based on current immigration patterns.

Facilitation Tip

At Data Stations, provide calculators and large graph paper to encourage students to plot percentages and compare immigrant vs. birth rates side by side.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How might the increasing diversity of Canada's population affect the types of businesses and cultural events found in a major city like Calgary?' Students should share one specific example and explain their reasoning.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Concept Mapping
• 40 min · Pairs

Future Trends Simulation

Pairs use current immigration data to predict 2050 demographics on blank maps and charts. They present scenarios, justifying choices with evidence. Class votes on most likely outcomes and debates urban-rural shifts.

Evaluate the impact of immigration on urban and rural development across Canada.

Facilitation Tip

For the Future Trends Simulation, assign roles (e.g., policy maker, urban planner) to ensure all students contribute to scenario-building discussions.

What to look for

Present students with a short case study about a fictional rural town experiencing an influx of newcomers. Ask them to identify two potential challenges and two potential benefits this town might face due to these demographic changes.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Concept Mapping
• 35 min · Pairs

Map Quest: Settlement Patterns

Individuals or pairs plot recent immigrant destinations on Canada maps using coloured pins or digital tools. They calculate percentages for urban versus rural and infer development impacts. Share maps in a class mural.

Analyze how immigration has altered Canada's population demographics.

Facilitation Tip

During Map Quest, have students use different colored pins for each decade to visually track changes in settlement patterns over time.

What to look for

Provide students with a simplified population pyramid for Canada from two different decades. Ask them to write two sentences comparing the shapes and one sentence explaining a possible reason for the observed changes.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasize the gradual evolution of Canada’s immigrant population rather than framing diversity as a recent phenomenon. Use primary sources like historical census data or immigrant narratives to humanize the statistics. Avoid presenting urban immigration as the only narrative by foregrounding rural settlement programs and economic motivations. Research shows that when students analyze real-world data, they retain demographic concepts longer than through lecture alone.

Successful learning looks like students tracing immigration waves through visual timelines, accurately mapping settlement patterns, and using data to predict future trends. They should articulate how policy and economics shape where newcomers settle and explain the cultural impacts of these changes. Collaborative discussions should reveal nuanced understanding beyond initial assumptions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk: Immigration Waves, watch for students believing immigration only recently increased Canada's diversity.

  Use the timeline posters during the Gallery Walk to have students sequence origin-country data visually. Ask groups to identify decades where shifts were most dramatic, prompting them to notice gradual changes rather than sudden ones.

• During Map Quest: Settlement Patterns, watch for students assuming all immigrants settle in major cities.

  In Map Quest, distribute real case studies of rural towns with immigrant-influx programs. Have students plot these locations on their maps and present findings during peer teaching to highlight targeted rural growth.

• During Data Stations: Demographic Tools, watch for students thinking population growth comes mainly from Canadian births.

  At the Data Stations, provide sorting cards with birth and immigration stats. Have students categorize them into 'major contributor' and 'minor contributor' piles, then collaboratively build a bar chart to clearly show the disparity.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Concept Mapping