Global Migration Trends and Canada

Active learning works well for this topic because students need to visualize complex human movements and internalize the human stories behind data. Mapping, debating, and comparing policies turn abstract statistics into tangible understanding, helping students see migration not just as lines on a map but as decisions that shape lives and nations.

• Grade 6
• Social Studies
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the primary push and pull factors driving global migration patterns in the 21st century.
2. Compare and contrast Canada's current immigration selection system with those of two other developed countries, such as Australia or Germany.
3. Evaluate the potential long-term social, economic, and cultural impacts of projected global migration trends on Canadian communities.
4. Identify key regions of the world experiencing significant outward migration and map their primary destinations.

Jigsaw

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Mapping Activity: Migration Flows

Provide world maps and recent UNHCR data on top migration routes. In small groups, students plot arrows for flows to Canada, label push and pull factors with markers, and calculate percentages. Groups share one key route with the class via a gallery walk.

Prepare & details

Analyze the major global migration trends influencing Canada.

Facilitation Tip: During the Mapping Activity, circulate and ask students to trace one migration route with their finger while explaining the push and pull factors aloud to a partner.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Jigsaw

⏱ 50 min·Pairs

Jigsaw: Policy Comparisons

Assign pairs to research Canada's system versus one other nation like the U.S. or U.K. Pairs create comparison charts on criteria such as points, quotas, and refugees. Regroup into mixed expert teams to teach and discuss strengths and weaknesses.

Prepare & details

Compare Canada's immigration policies with those of other developed nations.

Facilitation Tip: For the Jigsaw Policy Comparisons, assign each group a different country’s criteria and have them present findings on poster paper with a clear pros/cons section.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Simulation Game

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: Future Impacts Debate

Divide the class into roles like policymakers, newcomers, and service providers. Present scenarios of doubled migration rates. Groups prepare arguments on economic, social, and cultural effects, then debate in a moderated town hall format.

Prepare & details

Predict the long-term implications of global migration on Canadian society.

Facilitation Tip: In the Simulation, assign roles in advance and provide conflict cards with real scenarios to ground the debate in tangible examples.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

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

Jigsaw

⏱ 35 min·Individual

Data Graphing: Trends Over Time

Students receive Statistics Canada datasets on immigrant sources from 2000-2023. Individually graph changes, note shifts like rising Asian inflows, and predict next decade trends. Share graphs in a whole-class data wall discussion.

Prepare & details

Analyze the major global migration trends influencing Canada.

Facilitation Tip: For Data Graphing, model how to read axes aloud with one data set before letting students work in pairs to identify trends.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Teaching This Topic

Teachers often start with a real refugee story or news clip to humanize the data before moving to maps or policies. Avoid overwhelming students with too many data points at once; instead, focus on a few key case studies that reveal the breadth of migration drivers. Research shows that role-play and peer teaching deepen understanding of policy nuances far more than lectures alone.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining migration flows using real data and case studies, comparing policies with evidence, and debating impacts from multiple perspectives. They should move beyond stereotypes to articulate nuanced connections between global trends and Canada’s role as a destination country.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Mapping Activity: Migration Flows, watch for students assuming all migration is economic.

What to Teach Instead

Use the mapping activity’s case study cards to prompt students to categorize each route by driver—war, poverty, environment—before plotting, ensuring they see the full spectrum of push factors.

Common Misconception

During Jigsaw: Policy Comparisons, watch for students oversimplifying Canada’s policy as 'most open'.

What to Teach Instead

Have groups compare criteria directly by filling a Venn diagram with features like skills points, family ties, and refugee quotas, highlighting where Canada’s system is selective rather than open.

Common Misconception

During Simulation: Future Impacts Debate, watch for students claiming migration has only positive effects.

What to Teach Instead

Use the debate’s evidence cards to require students to cite one economic gain and one social challenge for each role they defend, balancing perspectives with concrete examples.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After Simulation: Future Impacts Debate, pose the question: 'Imagine you are advising the Canadian government. Based on current global migration trends, what are the top two challenges and the top two opportunities Canada might face in the next decade?' Students should support their answers with specific examples discussed in the debate.

Quick Check

During Mapping Activity: Migration Flows, provide students with a world map. Ask them to label three countries experiencing significant outward migration and two countries that are major destinations for migrants. For each labeled country, they should write one sentence explaining a key push or pull factor.

Exit Ticket

After Data Graphing: Trends Over Time, on an index card, students write: 1) One global migration trend they learned about today. 2) One way this trend might affect life in Canada. 3) One question they still have about the topic.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to design an infographic comparing Canada’s immigration points system with another country’s model, using symbols to represent each criterion.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: provide sentence starters like "One push factor for migrants from X is... because..." to structure their responses during discussions.
• Deeper exploration: invite a local immigrant services worker to share firsthand experiences with integration challenges, followed by a reflective writing prompt on policy gaps.

Key Vocabulary

Push Factors	Reasons that compel people to leave their home country, such as war, persecution, poverty, or environmental disaster.
Pull Factors	Reasons that attract people to a new country, such as economic opportunities, safety, political stability, or family reunification.
Brain Drain	The emigration of highly trained or qualified people from a particular country, often to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
Remittances	Money sent by immigrants back to their families in their home country, which can be a significant part of a nation's economy.
Asylum Seeker	A person who has applied for protection as a refugee and is awaiting a decision on their claim.