Grade 6 · Social Studies · Unit 3 of 12
Newcomers & Homesteads
Immigration to the prairies and life on a homestead.
What your child practises
Practises why Canada encouraged immigration to the West between 1890 and 1914, which groups came, the challenges newcomers met (including racism), daily life on a prairie homestead, and why farming mattered to Canada.
Manitoba Curriculum learning outcome: 6-KI-008, 6-KI-009, 6-KI-010, 6-KI-011, 6-KE-055 · immigration to the prairies, homestead life, challenges for newcomers, and the importance of agriculture
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which immigrants faced racism and a head tax when entering Canada?
- Chinese immigrants
- French immigrants
- Scottish immigrants
Show answer
Chinese immigrants
Hint: Chinese workers had to pay a special tax.
Question 2
Which task was often done by women and children on a prairie homestead?
- flying planes
- gardening, cooking, and carrying water
- driving trains
Show answer
gardening, cooking, and carrying water
Hint: Everyone worked on the farm.
Question 3
The government wanted immigrants to come to the prairies to…
- farm and grow Canada's population
- build skyscrapers
- mine the Moon
Show answer
farm and grow Canada's population
Hint: Farming was important to the economy.
Question 4
Who was the minister who promoted immigration to the West around 1896?
- Clifford Sifton
- Terry Fox
- Wayne Gretzky
Show answer
Clifford Sifton
Hint: He advertised the “Last Best West”.
Question 5
Why was farming hard for homesteaders in the early years?
- Too many shops
- Too much traffic
- Long, cold winters and isolation
Show answer
Long, cold winters and isolation
Hint: Weather and distance made life difficult.
Question 6
Why did the government advertise the “Last Best West” in Europe?
- To attract tourists in winter only
- To attract farmers to settle the prairies
- To sell fish
Show answer
To attract farmers to settle the prairies
Hint: Posters promised free land.