A New Land, A New Life (Grades 8-10)
To the Students | To the Teacher | Selected Resources | Download Activity PDF
To the Students
In this activity, you will:
- understand the diverse nature of Canada's population
- understand the push/pull factors related to immigration
- describe the contributions immigrants have made to this country
- explain how moving to Canada affected the lives of immigrants
- organize information in a computer database
PART A
1. Visit the Parks Canada Web site at www.pc.gc.ca.
Search the keywords "immigration" and "underground railroad".
2. On a map of Canada, indicate the geographic location of all
the references you locate. Include information such as place name, group,
and date. What patterns do you see? How would you explain them?
PART B
1. Each member of your group will investigate a location where
immigrants first arrived in Canada. You might start with the following
national historic sites found at the Parks
Canada Web site.
- National Historic Sites > administered by Parks Canada > Grosse
Île and the Irish Memorial, The Forks.
- Links to sites administered by partners of Parks Canada > Pier
21
- What's New: Search for "New Iceland National Historic Site
of Canada "
- National Historic Sites > History and Archaeology > The Underground
Railroad in Canada
2. Find out information such as the following:
- what groups have immigrated to Canada
- where the people came from
- why they left their native country to come to Canada
- when and how they arrived
- where they settled after their arrival and why
- how the places where they first arrived have been commemorated
and why
- how the places where they settled have been commemorated and why
3. Report your findings to your group and together create a
computer database to record and organize the information about immigrants
and immigration. You might use categories such as "home country","reason
for leaving", "entry point", "language spoken",
"numbers who arrived and when", "where they settled and
why", "the screening process", and "other relevant
information."
4. Examine the information in your database for patterns,
similarities, and differences. Share your findings and conclusions with
the rest of the class.
5. Discuss how the lives of these immigrants changed
after they immigrated and why. What influenced these changes? How is
immigration in the present different from immigration in the past? Why
are the national historic sites that commemorate the immigrants' arrival
considered to be nationally significant?
PART C
1. Half of your group will interview an individual or family
who immigrated to Canada. The other half will explore your community
to find out how it has been affected by immigration. You may choose
to make an audiotape or videotape of the interview and present it to
the interviewee(s) as a heritage keepsake for future generations.
2. Share the information you collect with the rest of your group.
You might prepare a news report for a television program aimed at new
Canadians or a "Heritage Minute" about immigrants for a local
community television station or radio program.
Include information on:
- what contributions immigrants have made to Canadian heritage
- how immigrants have been shaped by Canada
- how Canada has been shaped by its immigrants
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