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Lesson- Planning Template:

Lesson Plan Format Using Understanding by Design Framework
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Title: Three Case studies of Modern Migration
Grade: 9-12
Author: Evan Leuenberger
Number of Class Periods: 1
Essential Questions: What are reasons people leave where they are living? What factors draw
them to somewhere new? What are modern examples of human migration?
State of Michigan Content Standards (GLCEs/HSCEs):
P1.2 Interpret primary and secondary source documents for point of view, context, bias and
frame of reference or perspective.
CG1 Population- Explain the causes and consequences of population changes over the past 50
years by analyzing the
population change (including birth rate, death rate, life expectancy, growth rate, doubling
time, aging population, changes in science and technology)
distributions of population (including relative changes in urban-rural population, gender,
age, patterns of migrations, and population density)
relationship of the population changes to global interactions, and their impact on three
regions of the world
CG2 Resources- Explain the changes over the past 50 years in the use, distribution, and
importance of natural resources (including land, water, energy, food, renewable, non-renewable,
and flow resources) on human life, settlement, and interactions by describing and evaluating
change in spatial distribution and use of natural resources
the differences in ways societies have been using and distributing natural resources
social, political, economic, and environmental consequences of the development,
distribution, and use of natural resources
major changes in networks for the production, distribution, and consumption of natural
resources including growth of multinational corporations, and governmental and nongovernmental organizations (e.g., OPEC, NAFTA, EU, NATO, World Trade
Organization, Red Cross, Red Crescent)
the impact of humans on the global environment
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to define push-pull factors with relevant, modern
examples. Students will be able to read primary and secondary documents pulling out relevant
information for discussion. Students will be able to use mapping applications to chart out human
migrations.
Content Rationale:
One of the five main themes to the study of geography is migrations. As long as humans
have existed on this earth, humans have migrated from one place to another. In the earliest years
of human existence, migration centered on food sources, with human tracking their prey from
one place to another. In recent decades causes of migration have become much more complex,
with people leaving their homes to escape war, poverty, and exploitation.

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Essential to the study of migration is understanding push-pull factors. Push factors are
reasons why people leave where they are currently living. Examples include war, famine, and
intense poverty. Pull factors are those which draw migrants to a new location. That could mean
economic opportunity, family links, and improved living conditions. Through the study of
Jewish, Vietnamese, and Afghan migrations, students will be able to pair up concepts with real
world, contemporary examples of human migrations.
Instructional Strategy Rationale:
The lesson will start whole group, so that concepts and instructions can be explained. By
doing this whole group students will be on a level playing field for the activity, and the directions
will theoretically only need to be explained once.
Next I will get students into pairs to read the three documents. The first is shortest and
will be read out loud. By reading the information out loud, both students will gain basic
information into their groups migration. Next students will individually read a longer piece on
their groups migration, ranging from primary sources to secondary. This will give both members
of the group new, more specific information about their topic. Once the students have finished
reading their pieces, they will discuss what push-pull factors they learned about and will fill out
that information on their handouts. Once that is completed students will use National Geographic
MapMaker to map out their groups migrations.
The lesson will end with students reporting back to be about their groups push-pull
factors which will be put into a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting all three groups
migrations. Doing this activity whole class will bring students back together and like a jigsaw,
will teach other groups missing information.
Background and Context: Other themes of geography such as place and region will already
have been covered in the class. Following this lesson it might be interesting to have the whole
class look deeper into one of the case studies already used, or the class could move towards
studying a forth case study. This lesson lays the groundwork for studying migrations of any kind
in future units.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence (Assessment)
Diagnostic/Formative Assessments: Reporting back push-pull factors at the end of the lesson
will indicate which students learned from the material and which students misunderstood.
Summative Unit Assessments: A unit test will feature questions regarding push-pull factors.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences (Procedure)
Instructional Strategy (please include estimated time for each step):
Opening/Activator: Two minute lesson about push-pull factors and give instructions for the
lesson (2 minutes)
Activities:
1. Students will read their first National Geographic article out loud (3 minutes)
2. Students will individually read their own, more in-depth articles (8 minutes)
3. Students will report back to one another about the push-pull factors they noted in their
articles and will put them on the worksheet (5 minutes)
4. Students will map out their groups migration on Nat. Geo. Map Maker (5 minutes)

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Anticipated Students Interactions/Questions: Confusion over Nat. Geo Map Maker, and
maybe pushback over Jewish migration from Arab students, whose own personal histories
might give them a different perspective on the topic. Students might also not know where
various countries are on the map.
Closing/Summarizer: Students will report back information about their groups migration,
showing off their maps and explaining their push-pull factors. The teacher will use a Venn
Diagram noting similarities and differences between the three migrations. (7 minutes)
Anticipated Total Time Required: Half a class period (30 minutes)
Other Important Information
Materials: See Appendix
Modifications and Accommodations: Including simplified texts for students who might
struggle with the articles would give them assistance. Walking around the room during group
work would allow me to work one-on-one with students who might be confused or struggling.
Extension Ideas: Students can research other migrations throughout history to study push-pull
factors.

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Appendix
Exploring Human Migration
Topic:

Pull Factor

(Why did people leave)

Push

Rough Sketch of MigrationFinal Sketch should be completed on Nat. Geo. Map Maker

(What drew people there)

Pull

Push Factor

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General Link to Topic:

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/activity/exploring-modern-humanmigrations/
http://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org/?ls=000000000000

Afghan Migration Links:

http://media.education.nationalgeographic.com/assets/file/afghan_MIG.pdf
http://www.unhcr.org/3b680fbfc.html
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?
page=search&docid=3ae6b81cf0&query=Return%20to%20Afghanistan

Jewish Migration Link:

http://media.education.nationalgeographic.com/assets/file/jews_MIG.pdf
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005139
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25282/25282-h/25282h.htm#II_The_Jewish_Question

Vietnamese Boat People Migration Link:

http://media.education.nationalgeographic.com/assets/file/vietnamese_MIG.pdf
http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/stories/from-there-to-here/from-therevietnam-to-here-australia/
http://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/965