Ethnocultural diversity

Overview

Students will use various editions of the Canada Year Book to track the growth of particular ethnocultural communities from 1867 to 1967. Students will work with a partner to develop a timeline and brief history of their chosen group. They will present their research in the form of a scrapbook, brochure, electronic slide presentation or video. Each presentation will include a focus on the ways that industrialization has affected their particular ethnocultural group's history in Canada.

Objectives

• To demonstrate computer research skills in locating, analysing, classifying and interpreting statistical data from selected editions of the Canada Year Book.
• To read a variety of graphs, charts, tables and text for specific purposes.
• To locate a variety of appropriate resources and select appropriate information from these resources, particularly from websites such as Library and Archives Canada, Histori.ca, Statistics Canada and others.
• To make inferences and draw conclusions.
• To present research findings in a variety of forms.
• To communicate effectively in a variety of forms, including visual and written, using appropriate software to create electronic forms.
• To demonstrate understanding of the terms 'ethnocultural' and 'ethnic group,' and show ability to relate information about the history of a particular ethnocultural group in Canada during the period from 1867 to 1967.
• To work co-operatively and creatively with a partner to produce a report in scrapbook, electronic slide show, video or brochure format.
• To manage time effectively to meet all deadlines.

Suggested grade level and subject areas

Secondary
History, Sociology, Politics

Duration

20 to 30 minutes for the introduction (steps 1 to 6)
3 to 5 periods of 50 minutes to complete assignment (steps 7 to 18)

Vocabulary (as used in the context of this lesson)

Culture – values, norms and artefacts. Values include beliefs about important things in life and form the basis for the rest of the culture. Norms are expectations about how people will behave in various situations. Artefacts are the things that people in a culture use.
Ethnic group – a group of people with a shared sense of identity based on a common language, religion and customs.
Ethnocultural group – a group of people with a shared sense of identity based on their common heritage, history, language, religious beliefs and values. This is different from some other kinds of cultural groups, such as people who identify themselves as belonging to a religious culture, a sport culture or a teen culture.
Mother tongue – first language learned by a child.
Religious affiliation – connection to a particular religion, e.g., Hinduism; or to a particular religious group, e.g., Roman Catholic Christian or Sunni Muslim.
Visible minority – a population group whose members are recognizably distinct from those of the population group that is in the majority.

Materials

• copies of student worksheets 1 to 3 and the evaluation rubrics
  • Student worksheet 1 (printer-friendly format)
  • Student worksheet 2 (printer-friendly format)
  • Student worksheet 3 (printer-friendly format)
  • Evaluation rubric for scrapbook or brochure (printer-friendly format)
  • Evaluation rubric for slide show or video (printer-friendly format)

Resources (suggested)

Please see complete list of resources after the Enrichment section.

Classroom instructions

1. Present the following outline to the class:
   1. Work with a partner to track the growth of particular ethnocultural communities from 1867 to 1967 and develop a timeline and brief history of your chosen groups.
   2. Search the Canada Year Book database.
   3. Record findings about various ethnocultural groups.
   4. Select points along the timeline from 1867 to 1967 to focus your presentations about the history in Canada of a chosen ethnocultural group you have researched.
   5. Create presentations about a selected ethnocultural group in a brochure, scrapbook, electronic slide show or video.
   6. Share findings with the class and others in the school or community.
2. Present the class with some interesting statistics about Canada's people from the 2001 Census, such as the following:
   1. In 2001, visible minorities made up 42% of the population of the city of Toronto, accounting for 1,051,125 people out of a total of 2,456,805.
   2. In the city of Vancouver in 2001, about 49% of the population were members of visible minority communities, or 264,495 people out of a population of 539,630.
   Note to teacher: Find out more about today's visible minority and ethnocultural groups in the 2001 Census report on Canada's Ethnocultural Portrait.
3. Ask the class to consider the following questions:
   1. What about our own community?
   2. What do you think the latest census might tell us about visible minorities living here?
   3. What might it tell us about people of different ethnocultural groups who would not be considered 'visible,' such as people from various European groups?
   4. Look around this classroom. What ethnocultural groups do you think are represented right here?
4. Show some class photos or other group pictures to introduce the class to the lesson. Even those photos in which students are all black or all white or all South Asian will in fact show diversity, and that can introduce the notion that cultural diversity is not related to skin colour alone. Explain that the ethnocultural make-up of any community is more diverse than it may at first appear. You can find information in the 2001 Census report mentioned above.
5. Have students select a partner to work with on the project.
6. Have students consider the following questions:
   1. How will we select the ethnocultural groups to investigate?
   2. Which ethnocultural groups do you and your classmates belong to?
   3. What group's history in Canada are you interested in learning about?
   4. Who has an ancestor who arrived here that might become the basis for our investigation?
7. Instruct each pair of students to think about selecting a particular ethnocultural group to investigate. Steer them away from Canadian, English and French as the histories of these groups should have already formed the basis for most of the Canadian history or social studies students have already learned. This project provides an opportunity for the study of something that will probably be new to many or all of them.
8. Provide project specifications and evaluation rubrics to clarify the tasks.
   1. Show students examples or models of the kinds of products you want them to complete; if you have a data projector, there is student work on the Histori.ca website to use as models for this task.
   2. Clarify the student worksheets so that students understand the expectations for the projects.
   3. Encourage students to make use of the online resources available about their particular ethnocultural group, starting with the historical editions of the Canada Year Book and then exploring other websites, such as Library and Archives Canada's Portrait Gallery, Statistics Canada, Histori.ca and the Canadian Encyclopedia. There are websites and monographs about particular ethnocultural groups that include banks of photographs that can be used without copyright permission. You will find these by doing a basic Internet search for the particular ethnocultural group in Canada of interest to you.
   4. Have students start with the 1867 to 1967 editions of the Canada Year Book. Students should locate information about their chosen ethnocultural group at four or five different points along the timeline from 1867 to 1967 and focus their historical presentations on these points. Anything more may be too time-consuming for them to complete appropriately.
9. Create a list with definitions and encourage students to use it. Some terms they will need to include that are used by Statistics Canada are 'ethnic,' 'ethnocultural,' 'mother tongue,' and 'religious affiliation.' Ask them to think about how they personally would fit into current and historical census categories (e.g., what would they put for mother tongue?).
10. Have students complete Student worksheet 2 for their particular ethnocultural group. Students will be looking at the following historic indicators of the population's ethnocultural diversity:
    1. mother tongue
    2. distribution by mother tongue and by province and territory
    3. ethnic group
    4. religious denominations and affiliations
    5. country of birth
    6. for Indian bands, province and territory
    7. for immigrants, arrivals by country of last permanent residence
    8. for immigrants, arrivals by country of citizenship
    9. for immigrants, intended occupation.
11. Use the Canada Year Book page references listed under Resources to get students started. After their initial look at these pages, they may need to use the historical indicators above.
12. Convene the class to share their initial findings about the raw numbers and percentage of the total population of their selected ethnocultural groups, as well as some ranking of those groups nationally and provincially. They will have found information about ethnocultural diversity in each province and should have been able to locate their particular chosen group in several editions of the Canada Year Book.
13. Create a master organizer and remind students to use this as part of their project. The spaces left in the "Significant event" column in their timeline organizers will typically require students to conduct further research outside the Canada Year Book.
14. Have students plan their research, record their findings and use a video, brochure, slide presentation or scrapbook to show what they have learned about their chosen ethnocultural group.
15. Students must use and cite a variety of sources and resources to locate information about the history of their ethnocultural group in Canada.
16. Students must include illustrations, text, stories or information from interviews in their description of the history of their ethnocultural group in Canada. They can focus on the group or simply on contributions of individuals from a group. Examples are on the Library and Archives website (Kids' Site of Canadian Settlement). Consult the Multicultural Toolkit on the Library and Archives Canada website, as well as their Canadian Genealogy Centre, for links to appropriate multicultural resources.
17. Have students conduct their research and create their products. The activity presupposes computer skills in researching and using various programs for producing the brochures or slide shows.
18. Have students reflect on their learning in Student worksheet 3. Discuss how they might share their information with other classes in the school, family members or the public.

Enrichment

Students may want to include current information about the particular ethnocultural group they are studying or they may choose to investigate selected current issues around cultural diversity in Canada.

Complete list of recommended Canada Year Book resources

1907 (PDF)

• Table CCXXXVII: Receipts of patents and homestead entries, 1903 to 1907, page 483.
• Table CCXXXVIII: Arrivals at inland and ocean ports in Canada, 1903 to 1907, page 483.
• Table CCXXXIX: Records of Chinese immigrants, 1886 to 1907, page 483.

1916/1917 (PDF)

• Text: Immigration, pages 111 to 112.
• Table 26: Number of immigrant arrivals in Canada, by fiscal year and place of origin, 1897 to 1917, pages 112 to 117.
• Table 27: Arrivals at inland and ocean ports in Canada, by nationalities, fiscal years 1911 to 1917, pages 113.
• Table 28: Rejections of immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports and deportations after admission, by principal causes, 1903 to 1917, page 114.
• Table 29: Number of deportations after admission, by nationalities, 1903 to 1917, page 114.
• Table 30: Juvenile immigrants and applications for their services, by year, 1901 to 1917, page 114.
• Table 31: Sex, occupation and destination of immigrants for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1917, page 115.
• Table 32: Destination of immigrants into Canada, by province, 1901 to 1917, page 116.
• Table 33: Record of Chinese immigration, by fiscal year, 1886 to 1917, page 116.
• Table 34: Record of oriental immigration, by fiscal year, 1901 to 1917, page 117.
• Table 35: Expenditure on immigration, by fiscal year, 1868 to 1917, page 117.

1927/1928 (PDF)

• Text: Immigration, pages 189 to 206.
• Table 1: Number of immigrant arrivals in Canada from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, fiscal years ended 1897 to 1927, page 190.
• Table 2: Sex and conjugal condition of immigrants to Canada, by age-group, fiscal year ended March 31, 1927, page 191.
• Table 3: Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, fiscal years ended March 31, 1911 to 1927, page 191.
• Table 4: Racial origins of immigrants into Canada, arriving via ocean ports and from the United States, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927, page 192.
• Table 5: Languages of Immigrants 10 years old and older, arriving via ocean ports and from the United States, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927, page 193.
• Table 6: Nationalities of immigrants arriving via ocean ports and from the United States, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927, page 194.
• Table 7: Countries of birth of immigrants arriving via ocean ports and from the United States, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927, page 195.
• Table 8: Total immigration to Canada, by ports of arrival, fiscal years ended March 31, 1922 to 1927, page 196.
• Table 9: Destinations of immigrants into Canada, by provinces, fiscal years 1901 to 1927, page 197.
• Table 10: Occupations and destinations of immigrants arriving in Canada, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927, pages 197 to 198.
• Table 11: Rejected immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports and deportation after admission, by principal causes and by nationalities, 1903 to 1937, page 199.
• Table 12: Juvenile immigrants and applications for their services, 1901 to 1927, page 200.
• Table 13: Record of Oriental immigration, 1901 to 1927, page 200.
• Table 14: Record of Chinese immigration, 1886 to 1927, page 201.
• Table 15: Expenditure on immigration, fiscal years ended 1868 to 1927, page 202.
• Table 16: Canadians returned from the United States, fiscal years ended March 31, 1925 to 1927, and by months, April to December, 1937, page 203.
• Table 17: Returning Canadians and other non-immigrants entering Canada via ocean ports, by class of travel, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927, page 204.

1937 (PDF)

• Text: Immigration and colonization, pages 193 to 210.
• Table 1: Numbers of immigrant arrivals in Canada, calendar years 1852 to 1936, page 194.
• Table 2: Numbers of immigrant arrivals in Canada from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, calendar years 1908 to 1936, page 195.
• Table 3: Sex and conjugal conditions of immigrants into Canada, by age groups, calendar years 1934 and 1935, page 195.
• Table 4: Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females, and children, calendar years 1929 to 1935, page 195.
• Table 5: Racial origins of immigrants into Canada, calendar years 1926 to 1935, pages 196 to 197.
• Table 6: Languages of immigrants, ten years or older, calendar years 1931 to 1935, page 197.
• Table 7: Nationalities of immigrants, calendar years 1931 to 1935, page 198.
• Table 8: Countries of birth of immigration, calendar years 1931 to 1935, page 199.
• Table 9: Immigrants arriving in Canada, by chief ports of arrival, calendar years 1930 to 1935, page 200.
• Table 10: Destinations of immigrants into Canada, by provinces, calendar years 1929 to 1936, page 200.
• Table 11: Occupations and destinations of immigrants arriving in Canada, classified by occupation and sex, according to destination, calendar year 1935, pages 201 to 202.
• Table 12: Rejections of immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports, by principal causes and nationalities, calendar years 1930 to 1935, page 204.
• Table 13: Deportations of immigrants after admission, by principal causes and by nationalities, fiscal years ended 1925 to 1936 with totals 1903 to 1924 and 1903 to 1936, page 204.
• Table 14: British juvenile immigrants, fiscal years ended 1901 to 1936, page 205.
• Table 15: Record of oriental immigrants, fiscal years ended 1901 to 1936, page 205.
• Table 16: Record of revenue receipts and registration for leave of Chinese immigrants, fiscal years ended March 31, 1912 to 1936 with totals 1886 to 1900 and 1901 to 1911, page 206.
• Table 17: Expenditures on immigration in the fiscal years ended June 30, 1868 to 1906 and March 31, 1907 to 1936, page 208.
• Table 18: Canadians returned from the United States, calendar years 1924 to 1936, page 209.
• Table 19: Numbers of passagers of British nationality changing their permanent residence between the United Kingdom and British North America, calendar years 1924 to 1935, page 209.
• Table 20: Returning Canadians and other non-immigrants entering Canada via ocean ports, by class of travel, calendar years 1934 and 1935, with totals for calendar years 1930 to 1933, page 210.

1947 (PDF)

• Text: Immigration and emigration, pages 129 to 138.
• Table 1: Immigrant arrivals in Canada, 1892 to 1946, page 130.
• Table 2: Immigrant arrivals in Canada from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, 1921 to 1946, page 130.
• Table 3: Sex and conjugal condition of immigrant arrivals, by age group, 1915 and 1946, page 131.
• Table 4: Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, 1935 to 1946, page 131.
• Table 5: Mother tongues of immigrants, 10 years of age or older, 1937 to 1946, page 132.
• Table 6: Racial origins of immigrants into Canada, 1942 to 1946, page 133.
• Table 7: Nationalities of immigrants into Canada, 1942 to 1946, page 133.
• Table 8: Destinations of immigrants into Canada, by provinces, 1935 to 1946, page 134.
• Table 9: Rejections of prospective immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports, by principal causes and by nationalities, 1935 to 1946, page 135.
• Table 10: Deportations of immigrants, including accompanying persons, after admission, by principal causes and by nationalities, 1935 to 1946, page 135.
• Table 11: Oriental immigration to Canada, 1906 to 1946, page 136.
• Table 12: Canadians returned from the United States, 1926 to 1946, page 137.
• Table 13: Presumed permanent movement of population between Canada and the United States, years ended June 30, 1935 to 1946, pages 137 to 138.
• Table 14: Returning Canadians and other non-immigrants entering Canada from Newfoundland, 1944 to 1946, page 138.

1957/1958 (PDF)

• Text: Immigration and citizenship, pages 154 to 176.
• Table 1: Immigrant arrivals, 1912 to 1956, page 176.
• Table 2: Immigrant admissions, by country of last permanent residence, 1952 to 1956, page 177.
• Chart: Immigrant admissions, by country of last permanent residence, 1956, page 177.
• Table 3: Gender of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, 1947 to 1956, page 178.
• Chart: Immigrant admissions, by age, sex and marital status, 1956, page 178.
• Table 4: Sex and marital status of immigrant arrivals, by age group, 1955 and 1958, page 179.
• Table 5: Birthplaces of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956, pages 179 to 180.
• Table 6: Nationalities of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956, page 180.
• Table 7: Origins of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956, page 181.
• Table 8: Intended destination and occupation of immigrants admitted to Canada, 1956, pages 182 to 185.
• Chart: Intended destinations and occupations of immigrants admitted to Canada, 1956, page 186.
• Table 9: Refusals and deportations, by cause and nationality, 1954 to 1956, page 187.

1967 (PDF)

• Text: Immigration and emigration, pages 215 to 219.
• Table 3: Immigrant arrivals, by country of last permanent residence, 1963 to 1965, page 220.
• Table 4: Birthplaces of immigrant arrivals, 1963 to 1965, pages 220 to 221.
• Table 5: Origins of immigrant arrivals, 1963 to 1965, page 221.
• Table 6: Citizenship of immigrant arrivals, 1963 to 1965, page 222.
• Table 7: Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, 1963 to 1965, page 222.
• Table 8: Marital status of immigrant arrivals, by sex and age group, 1965, page 223.
• Table 9: Intended province of destination of male and female immigrants admitted to Canada, 1963 to 1965, page 223.
• Table 10: Intended occupations of male and female immigrants admitted to Canada, 1964 and 1965, pages 224 to 226.
• Table 11: Deportations, by cause and nationality, 1963 to 1965, page 227.
• Table 1: Citizenship of the population, by province, Census 1961, page 230.
• Table 5: Persons granted citizenship certificates in 1964 and 1965, by country of birth, page 233.
• Table 6: Persons granted citizenship certificates in 1964 and 1965, by country of former allegiance, page 233.