Middle School Lesson Plans: Migration
From the Archives
Posted on September 15, 2006
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Drought, Famine and Geographic Diversity
Many Americans have heard of Ethiopia only in the context of drought, famine, and war. As they listen to the news stories, it is important for students to recognize that the media portrayals of Ethiopia are not always complete and that Ethiopia is, in fact, a geographically diverse country, including forests, grasslands and the Blue Nile. This lesson will teach students about Ethiopia's different geographic regions.
Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours
To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
- The Story of the Cultural Landscape
Around the world and in our own communities, people move in and out of places every day, and they have done so throughout human history. Their patterns of movement reflect the conditions of an ever-changing world and, in turn, impact the cultural landscapes of the places they leave and the places they settle in ways that often last well beyond their own lifetimes. These imprints on a region include its ethnic make-up, spoken languages, religious institutions, traditions, architectural styles, and other cultural markers—all clues to the past, present, and future of that area and generations of its people. Thus, an essential part of understanding a region is its migration story.
This lesson will help students understand key concepts of human migration through the examination of maps and census data. They will then research and document the impact of migration on a region's cultural landscape. Students will examine migration patterns on a global and national scale as a class and then apply that understanding to telling a migration story about their own community.
Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours
To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
- A First-Hand Perspective
Since the dawn of human evolution, humans have migrated across continents in search of food, shelter, safety, and hospitable climate. People still move for these reasons, but new reasons are arising, such as job relocation and overpopulation.
This lesson will review the reasons humans move around the planet. It will then focus on migrations to and from communities, looking at the push/pull factors that lead to migration. Students should interview a person who migrated to the community; gather background information, including push/pull factors that motivated the person to move to the community; and create a written report or oral presentation with the results.
Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours
To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
- Why People Move
Through the exploration of students personal desires to move they will examine the broader context of human migration, the reasoning behind movement and the factors that inform such decisions. The lesson plan will focus on both internal (to the U.S.) and international migrations. Students will form small groups and research one example of migration in depth using a world map to think about their own potential migration and the reasons behind that decision.
Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours
To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic. - The Story of the Cultural Landscape
To return to the main Global Envision lesson plan page, please click here.
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