Social Studies · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Global Health Initiatives and Canada

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of global health initiatives by making abstract concepts tangible and relatable. When students take on roles, analyze real data, or design solutions, they see Canada’s role not just as a fact to memorize but as a meaningful contribution to human well-being.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand B, B1.1: Analyse Canada’s response to some significant global issues.
• Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies Grade 6, Strand B, B3.3: Describe some of the ways in which Canada provides aid to other countries.
• 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.

• 35–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Canadian Health Partners

Divide class into expert groups, each researching one organization like UNICEF Canada or Médecins Sans Frontières Canada. Experts create summary posters with contributions and impacts, then regroup to share knowledge in teaching pairs. Conclude with a class timeline of Canada's global health milestones.

Explain Canada's motivations for participating in global health initiatives.

Facilitation Tip

During the Jigsaw Activity, assign each group a specific Canadian health partner to research, ensuring all students have a clear, focused investigation task.

What to look for

Present students with a short case study about a specific global health challenge. Ask them to identify two potential Canadian contributions that could help address this challenge and briefly explain why each would be effective.

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

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Small Groups

Case Study Circles: Disease Outbreak Response

Provide case studies on Canada's Ebola or polio efforts. In circles of 4-5, students rotate roles: reader, note-taker, questioner, summarizer. Discuss motivations, impacts, and lessons learned, recording key points on shared charts.

Analyze the impact of Canadian contributions on global health outcomes.

Facilitation Tip

In Case Study Circles, provide a structured role for each student (e.g., epidemiologist, local health worker, policy maker) to keep discussions purposeful and equitable.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Considering Canada's resources and values, what are the most important global health issues we should prioritize, and why?' Encourage students to support their opinions with evidence from their research.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 60 min · Small Groups

Design Challenge: Health Action Plan

Groups select a global challenge like malnutrition. Brainstorm Canadian-led solutions using budget constraints, then pitch plans to the class with visuals and rationale. Vote on most feasible ideas based on criteria like cost and reach.

Design a plan for Canada to address a specific global health challenge.

Facilitation Tip

For the Design Challenge, limit the scope to one health issue and one country to help students focus their energy on realistic and feasible solutions.

What to look for

On an exit ticket, ask students to list one Canadian organization involved in global health and one specific health outcome they aim to improve. They should also write one sentence explaining a potential challenge Canada might face when implementing global health programs.

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

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Pairs

Data Debate: Aid Effectiveness

Pairs analyze graphs of health outcomes before and after Canadian aid. Prepare arguments on successes versus limitations, then debate in whole class with a moderator tracking evidence. Reflect on balanced views in exit tickets.

Explain Canada's motivations for participating in global health initiatives.

Facilitation Tip

In the Data Debate, provide a small set of carefully selected datasets to prevent overwhelm and encourage deep analysis over surface-level comparisons.

What to look for

Present students with a short case study about a specific global health challenge. Ask them to identify two potential Canadian contributions that could help address this challenge and briefly explain why each would be effective.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should anchor this topic in real-world impact by connecting global health initiatives to students’ lived experiences, such as discussing how vaccines protect communities they know. Avoid presenting Canada’s role as purely altruistic; instead, frame it as a mix of ethical responsibility, strategic self-interest, and treaty commitments. Research suggests students grasp global systems better when they see how small actions accumulate into large-scale change.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining Canada’s role in global health through specific examples, using data to justify claims, and demonstrating empathy by considering multiple perspectives in their discussions and designs.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Jigsaw Activity: Watch for students who assume Canada’s contributions to global health are only about financial gain.

  Use the role-play component of the Jigsaw Activity to have students negotiate funding decisions, forcing them to consider ethical, diplomatic, and health-based motivations alongside economic ones.

• During the Design Challenge: Watch for students who believe global health aid fixes problems in a short time.

  Have students include a timeline in their Health Action Plan that shows short-term and long-term goals, and require them to explain barriers that might delay progress.

• During the Data Debate: Watch for students who think health issues in developing nations do not affect Canada.

  Use the mapping exercise in the Data Debate to have students trace how diseases like Ebola or COVID-19 spread globally, highlighting the personal and economic risks to Canadians.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Case Study Analysis