Are you teaching migration this fall? If so, don’t miss out on the opportunity to add hands-on, memorable lessons to your teaching toolkit. For the next two months, Population Ed will be focusing on teaching migration in the classroom. Teachers who follow us on Facebook or Twitter will gain exclusive access to a variety of classroom materials for teaching migration topics like push/pull factors, increased urbanization, climate migrants, and more. We will also be sharing thought provoking articles and information from reputable sources to help you (and your students) develop background knowledge on this complex issue.
Classroom Resources and Materials for Teaching About Migration
Here’s a sample of what’s in store. But for full access, don’t forget to follow along on social media!
- People on the Move (middle and high school PopEd lesson plan): Students participate in a “push/pull” simulation to identify reasons people migrate from one place to another and analyze the similarities and differences between two real-world migrations.
- Disappearing Islands: A Climate Change Wake-Up Call (high school level case study): A profile of Kiribati, a nation of islands in the Central Pacific, that is affected by climate change, and what the leaders are doing about it.
- Infographics on Refugees and Migrants (from the UN): There is a lot of data available about refugees and migrants. Here are some infographics based on official data that you can download and share.
- Family Roots (elementary level lesson plan): By interviewing adults they know, students learn about diverse backgrounds and consider reasons why people migrate from one place to another.
Why Teach About Migration?
The topic of migration is in our news cycle every day and is at the forefront of many minds around the world. While migration is a “hot button” issue in current events, the fact is that migration has shaped cultures, politics, and economies around the world throughout history. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that many course frameworks and state standards include the topic of migration as required learning.
At PopEd, we believe that a foundational understanding of how migration shapes the world can be developed from a young age. Elementary aged students can investigate how migration has influenced the history of their own family and begin to understand population pressures like density and environmental degradation. Middle school students are able to dig deeper into push/pull factors for both past and present day migrations, while high school students can apply learning to analyze specific case studies from around the world. Along the way, students gain a more nuanced understanding of history, but also become better able to evaluate today’s pressing challenges. Given that migration will be a factor in almost all of the social and environmental issues ahead, this knowledge is truly invaluable for our future generation.
Don’t forget to stay tuned on Facebook or Twitter for more great resources! #PopEdMigration #PopEdTheme
