CANADIANS ON THE MOVE MANITOBA - ELEMENTARY
Canadians on the Move
Lesson Overview:
The lesson has the students investigating the concept of the Census and patterns of internal migration in Canada.
Grade Level:
Grade 4
Time Required:
30 – 60 minutes
Curriculum Connection (Province and course):
Manitoba Grade 4: Manitoba, Canada, and the North: Places and Stories
Link to Canadian National Geography Standards:
Essential Element #1: The World in Spatial Terms
§ Provinces and territories of Canada
§ Major cities of the province and Canada
Essential Element #2: Places and Regions
§ Changes in places and regions over time
Essential Element #4: Human Systems
§ Patterns and processes of migrations past and present
Geographic Skill #4: Analyzing Geographic Information
§ Use tables and graphs to observe and interpret geographic trends and relationships
Geographic Skill #5: Answering Geographic Questions
§ Use methods of geographic inquiry to acquire geographic information, draw conclusions and make generalizations
§ Apply generalizations to solve geographic problems and make reasoned decisions
Link to Statistics Canada
§ E-STAT’s CANSIM: tables 111-0027 to 111-0031. (http://estat.statcan.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe?LANG=E&USECII=1&ESTATTheme=3867)
§ Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4101.
Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required:
§ Student Worksheet
§ Atlases
§ Dictionaries
Main Objective:
The goal of the lesson is twofold:
§ To have the students understand the role of the Census in recording migration within Canada and,
§ To have the students surmise and understand internal migration within Canada.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
§ Define census-related terms such as census, migration, immigration, mobility, emigration, and internal migration.
§ Read a table and make generalizations about its content
§ Determine which cities in Canada are losing or gaining people
§ Surmise/guess why some cities in Canada lose people and some gain people.
The Lesson:
Teacher Activity / Student ActivityIntroduction / § Ask the students the significance of the date May 16, 2006
§ Explain the date is that of Canada’s next Census of Population
§ Brainstorm what a census is / § Students participate in teacher-led brainstorming session.
Lesson Development / § Hand out Student Activity sheet
§ Read Part A with the students
§ Instruct the students to work through Part B
§ Guide and assist students where necessary / § Students will work through the instructions and complete the activities/questions on the worksheet
Conclusion / § Review the answers with the students
§ Compare student answers for questions (g) (h) and (i) / § Students review and compare answers
Lesson Extension:
§ Follow-up with mapping exercise. Plot the Canadian cities on a map indicating which cities lost and gained people by use of colour.
§ Take a census in class to determine which students have moved in the past (migrated) and who has not. Graph information.
Assessment of Student Learning:
§ Evaluate Student Worksheet
§ Evaluate Follow-up assignment
Canadians on the Move - STUDENT WORKSHEET
PART A
One day in class ……Brooke’s teacher was explaining to the class what a Census was.
“A census is a counting of all the people in an area. The Canadian government holds a Census every five years. The government collects information about all of Canada’s people by having them fill out a Census form. People like your parents answer questions about the number of people who live in your house, languages spoken, age, jobs, and so on.”
Brooke sat at her desk and thought to herself how interesting a Census must be. “Wow – counting all 32 million people in Canada, what a huge job!” she reflected.
Brooke raised her hand and asked her teacher, “Mrs. Andersen, what happens if you move in Canada, does the government still count you in? My family moves a lot; my dad is a member of the RCMP.”
“Excellent question, Brooke”, replied Mrs. Andersen. “As a matter of fact the government also collects information about migration. Migration is the movement of people from one place to another to live permanently. Every year thousands of Canadians move into, out of, and around Canada.”
“Like my family,” whispered Brooke to the boy next to her.
“Immigration happens when a person from another country moves here to Canada. Emigration happens when a Canadian moves to another country to live. Internal migration is when people move within Canada: like your family, Brooke”, continued Mrs. Andersen.
“Why don’t we take a look at where Canadians are moving within Canada”, said Mrs. Andersen. “Censuses taken in the past tell us about the mobility of Canadians.”
“Why do you think Canadians move from city to city and province to province?” asked Mrs. Andersen.
Several hands flew up in class ……
PART B
Complete the following as instructed.
1. Draw a line to match the terms in Column A to the definitions in Column B:
Column A Column B
a) Census Moving to live in Canada.
b) Migration The counting of the population of a country (or other area) and a gathering of information done by the government.
c) Immigration Moving within a province or country.
d) Emigration The movement of people from one place to another to live permanently.
e) Internal migration Tending to travel or migrate from place to place.
f) Mobility Leaving Canada to live in another country.
2. The following is a table that shows information that was collected from the last Canadian Census about internal migration. Study the table and answer the questions. You may want to use an atlas.
Internal Migration
In 2003-2004 more than961,000moved from one area within Canada to another within their province or territory. Let’s look at what cities Canadians moved to or left.
Note:
-Column A lists the city.
-Column B illustrates how many people moved to the city.
-Column C illustrates how many people left the city.
-Column D illustrates the difference: the city either gained (+) or lost (-) people
City Area (Internal) Migration 2003-04
In / Out / NetToronto / 180,378 / 102,034 / 78,344
Vancouver / 75,606 / 47,267 / 28,339
Calgary / 46,412 / 34,733 / 11,679
St. John's / 6,656 / 4,804 / 1,852
Edmonton / 38,041 / 31,146 / 6,895
Québec / 21,026 / 16,188 / 4,838
Montréal / 90,660 / 68,282 / 22,378
Winnipeg / 22,164 / 18,679 / 3,485
Ottawa–Gatineau / 43,027 / 37,598 / 5,429
Thunder Bay / 3,904 / 3,797 / 107
Regina / 7,238 / 7,240 / -2
Halifax / 13,980 / 14,005 / -25
Saint John / 3,103 / 3,139 / -36
Column A B C D
Adapted from: Statistics Canada. Available on CANSIM: tables 111-0027 to 111-0031.Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4101 (Annual Migration Estimates by Census Division/Census Metropolitan Area).
a) Name a city in Alberta that gained people between 2003-2004.
b) Name two cities that lost people between 2003-2004. What provinces are they in?
c) How many people did Winnipeg gain in 2003-2004?
d) Which city out of the three Ontarian cities in the Table above gained the least amount of people?
e) Which city gained more people: Quebec or Montreal?
f) Which Canadian city gained the most people in 2003-2004?
g) Can you think of a reason why people would move to a certain city or province?
h) Can you think of a reason why people would leave a certain city or province?
i) Why would the government (by use of the Census) want to know where Canadians move within our country?
Canadian Council for Geographic Education (www.ccge.org) 1
Statistics Canada (www.statcan.ca)