Social Studies · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Historical Waves of Immigration

Active learning works for this topic because students need to confront the human stories behind historical processes. When they analyze posters, simulate struggles, and investigate ecological impacts, they move beyond abstract facts to understand the real consequences of immigration policies on people and land.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present - Grade 6

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

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Individual

Gallery Walk: The 'Last Best West' Posters

The teacher displays government posters used to recruit settlers. Students analyze the images and text, noting what is promised (e.g., 'free land') and what is missing from the pictures (e.g., winter, Indigenous people).

Analyze the primary motivations for historical immigration to Canada.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, position yourself near the 'empty land' poster and ask students to point out any images or words that contradict the idea of unused territory.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of historical events (e.g., Irish Potato Famine, World Wars, Chinese Head Tax). Ask them to match each event to a push or pull factor for Canadian immigration and briefly explain the connection.

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

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Homesteader's First Year

Students are given a 'plot of land' and a list of tasks (build a house, plant crops, survive winter). They must make choices about how to spend their limited time and resources, experiencing the difficulty of prairie life.

Evaluate the diverse contributions of immigrants to Canadian culture and society.

Facilitation Tip

For the Homesteader's First Year simulation, assign roles like 'banker' and 'weather' to make the systemic pressures visible.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How might the contributions of immigrants to Canada's economy and culture be measured or demonstrated?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to provide specific examples from different historical periods.

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

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Impact on the Buffalo

Groups research how the arrival of settlers and the railway led to the near-extinction of the buffalo. They create a 'cause and effect' chart showing how this affected the traditional economy and diet of Plains Indigenous peoples.

Predict the challenges newcomers to Canada might face today.

Facilitation Tip

When investigating the buffalo's decline, have students trace the direct link between railway expansion maps and the disruption of bison migration routes.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one challenge faced by an immigrant group discussed in class and one way that group contributed to Canada. They should also predict one challenge a newcomer might face today and one potential contribution they could make.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid framing this topic as solely a success story of nation-building. Instead, balance the economic narrative with Indigenous perspectives by centering their voices in primary source analysis. Research shows that students better understand historical injustices when they connect land use changes to tangible consequences like food scarcity or cultural loss. Use timelines to show the rapid pace of change compared to Indigenous governance systems that had sustained the land for generations.

Successful learning looks like students questioning the narrative of 'free land', recognizing the diversity of homesteader experiences, and critically examining the environmental and Indigenous impacts of settlement. They should be able to articulate how government policies shaped migration and settlement patterns.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming the 'Last Best West' posters tell the full story of immigration. Correction: Direct students to compare the posters with historical maps of Indigenous territories and treaty boundaries displayed nearby. Ask them to note any omissions in the posters' promises.

  During the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming the 'Last Best West' posters tell the full story of immigration. Correction: Direct students to compare the posters with historical maps of Indigenous territories and treaty boundaries displayed nearby. Ask them to note any omissions in the posters' promises.

• During the Homesteader's First Year simulation, watch for students believing all homesteaders succeeded. Correction: Provide real letters from homesteaders who failed and ask students to identify patterns in the reasons given, such as 'the hail destroyed the wheat' or 'the railroad took our best fields'.

  During the Homesteader's First Year simulation, watch for students believing all homesteaders succeeded. Correction: Provide real letters from homesteaders who failed and ask students to identify patterns in the reasons given, such as 'the hail destroyed the wheat' or 'the railroad took our best fields'.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Simulation Game
• Inquiry Circle