Geography · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

New Neighbours, New Friends

Active learning helps students connect abstract ideas about immigration to personal experiences and local contexts. Through role-plays and mapping, they move beyond passive discussion to engage with the topic in tangible ways. This hands-on approach builds empathy and counters stereotypes by making the benefits of diversity visible.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary Curriculum - Myself and the Wider World
• NCCA: Primary Curriculum - Human Environments

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Four Corners
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Welcoming a New Neighbour

Assign roles: host family and newcomer from another country. Provide prompts on cultural items to share, like food or games. Groups perform short skits, then discuss what was learned. Debrief as a class on community benefits.

What new things might people bring when they move to our community?

Facilitation Tip

During the role-play, assign clear roles like 'new neighbour' and 'welcoming resident' to ensure every student participates meaningfully.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine a family from a country with very different weather and traditions moves into your neighbourhood. What are three specific things they might bring that could change or add to our community?' Facilitate a class discussion, noting student responses on a board.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Four Corners
• 50 min · Pairs

Community Diversity Map

Students draw or mark their school map with symbols for different cultures present, based on family backgrounds. Add labels for contributions like shops or festivals. Groups present maps and compile into a large class display.

How can we learn from people who come from different places?

Facilitation Tip

For the Community Diversity Map, provide a mix of large and small labels so students can represent both well-known local changes (e.g., new shops) and smaller, personal ones (e.g., a classmate’s family recipe).

What to look for

Students write on a slip of paper: 'One new idea I learned about from people moving to a community is...' and 'One way I can help make a new neighbour feel welcome is...'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Four Corners
• 30 min · Whole Class

Story Circle: Family Journeys

In a circle, each student shares one item or tradition from their family's origin place. Pass a talking object to ensure turns. Record key ideas on chart paper for group reflection on diversity's value.

Why is it good to have many different people in our community?

Facilitation Tip

In the Story Circle, set a timer for each speaker to keep sharing focused while allowing time for listening and follow-up questions.

What to look for

Present students with a short scenario about a new family arriving. Ask them to identify one potential positive contribution the family might make and one way the existing community could support their adjustment. Collect responses for review.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Four Corners
• 40 min · Pairs

Cultural Show-and-Tell

Students bring or draw an artifact from another culture, explain its use, and demonstrate. Rotate items among pairs for hands-on exploration. Conclude with votes on favourite new ideas for the community.

What new things might people bring when they move to our community?

Facilitation Tip

During Cultural Show-and-Tell, invite students to connect their items to skills or traditions rather than just displaying objects.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine a family from a country with very different weather and traditions moves into your neighbourhood. What are three specific things they might bring that could change or add to our community?' Facilitate a class discussion, noting student responses on a board.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should ground discussions in local examples to make the topic relevant and avoid overwhelming students with distant crises. It’s important to emphasize that contributions are often everyday actions, like sharing a favourite food or teaching a few words in another language. Avoid framing newcomers as 'problems to solve'; instead, highlight their agency and shared responsibility in community building.

Students will demonstrate understanding by suggesting specific, realistic contributions newcomers make to their communities. They will also reflect on their own role in creating welcoming spaces through respectful curiosity and active inclusion. Observations during activities will show growing awareness of mutual enrichment.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Welcoming a New Neighbour, watch for comments that suggest newcomers only receive help, not give it.

  After the role-play, ask students to list one thing the 'new neighbour' contributed to the 'welcoming resident' in their scenario. Highlight how mutual exchange strengthens connections.

• During Community Diversity Map, watch for assumptions that all changes are recent or external.

  Before students map, provide examples of past migrations to Ireland (e.g., Vikings, Huguenots) and have them add these to the timeline. Discuss how every wave of newcomers left lasting marks on local culture.

• During Story Circle: Family Journeys, watch for statements that newcomers keep to themselves.

  During the circle, pause to ask each storyteller: 'What was one way you or your family shared something special with others?' Collect these moments on a class chart labeled 'How We Share'.

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Methods used in this brief

• Four Corners