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.

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

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze primary motivations for at least three distinct historical immigration waves to Canada.
2. Evaluate the diverse contributions of specific immigrant groups to Canadian culture, economy, and society.
3. Compare the challenges faced by historical immigrant groups with potential challenges faced by newcomers today.
4. Explain the role of government policies in shaping immigration patterns to Canada.
5. Synthesize information to create a short presentation on the impact of a specific immigrant group on a Canadian community.

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).

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Teaching This Topic

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.

What to Expect

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.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

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.

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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'.

What to Teach Instead

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'.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Gallery Walk, provide students with a list of historical events and ask them to match each to a pull factor for immigration to the Prairies. Collect their responses to identify gaps in understanding of push factors like famine or persecution.

Discussion Prompt

During the Collaborative Investigation on the buffalo, ask students to consider how the decline of the buffalo affected different groups (Indigenous peoples, homesteaders, railway companies) and facilitate a discussion on whose perspectives are often missing in mainstream historical narratives.

Exit Ticket

After the Homesteader's First Year simulation, ask students to write one challenge a homesteader faced and one way they adapted, then predict one challenge a modern immigrant might face today and one way they could contribute to Canadian society.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Have students create a podcast episode interviewing a fictional homesteader, a Métis farmer, and a railway worker about their conflicting perspectives on land use.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for diary entries during the homesteader simulation, such as 'Today the drought made it impossible to...' or 'The bank's letter said...'
• Deeper exploration: Invite a local Indigenous knowledge keeper to share how the land's history is remembered and how it connects to modern issues like pipeline development.

Key Vocabulary

Immigration Wave	A period of significant increase in the number of people moving to a new country, often driven by specific historical events or conditions.
Homesteader	A person who settled on public land, intending to farm it and eventually gain ownership, as encouraged by government programs in Canada's past.
Push Factors	Reasons that compel people to leave their home country, such as war, famine, or lack of economic opportunity.
Pull Factors	Reasons that attract people to a new country, such as economic prospects, political freedom, or family reunification.
Assimilation	The process by which immigrants or minority groups adopt the cultural norms, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture.