Lesson Title: Migration in the United States

Day Number: 2
Author: Bridget Cummiskey
Grade Level: 3rd
Background Information
Expected Duration: 60 minutes
This lesson teaches students about migration in the United States from both history and
present day. The students will learn through sharing personal experiences and
experiences in history.
Concepts: migration today, history of migration, reasons for migration
Skills: understanding, analyzing, comparing and contrasting, writing
Vocabulary: Migration
Integration of Learning Outcomes
Students will define the word Migration.
Student will state what the Great Migration was.
Students will compare immigration and migration
Standards
PA Standards:
7.2.4.A: Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.
7.3.4.A: Identify the human characteristics of places and regions using the following criteria:
Population, Culture, Settlement, Economic activities, Political activities
8.1.3.A: Identify the difference between past, present and future using timelines and/or other
graphic representations.
8.3.3.A: Identify and describe the social, political, cultural, and economic contributions of
individuals and groups in United States history.
NCSS:
- Product, Distribution, Consumption
- Challenge learners to apply economic concepts and reasoning when evaluating

Anticipatory Set
Teacher will assign pages 328 and 329 as homework for the night before the date of the lesson.
The teacher will have the word migration on the board. Students will then write a word or
short phrase on a sticky note and place it on the board. The teacher will use these sticky notes
to reflect on during the lesson. When they are completed that, the students should start
brainstorm reasons for migrating.
Procedures
The lesson will begin by having the students present their animations that they
completed on day one in the immigration lesson.
Teacher will say Now that we all know immigration is when people move to the United
States from a different country, lets use the knowledge you gained from this mornings
readings to learn about migration.
Using the sticky note wall that the students completed during morning work, the
teacher will ask students to share some of the words and phrases that they posted.
Teacher will go over the definition of migration, Migration is to move within the
country.

Teacher will ask, Have any of you had experiences with moving? Or do you know
someone who moved? Teacher will then allow students to share their experiences.
After the students are done sharing, the teacher will ask the students, What are some
reasons for migrating? The teacher will allow the students to answer. Teacher should
then create a list of their answers which should include jobs, opportunity, family,
weather etc.
Teacher will transition by saying, So we have been talking about experiences that are in
the present, but lets talk about an experience from the past.
The teacher should move into discussing The Great Migration by sharing content
information and showing where it took place using a map of the United States on the
interactive whiteboard (SMARTBoard, tablets, or physical copies of maps will work also).
Through the discussion the teacher will go over: When and Who: 1900s African
Americans Where: From areas of the South to urban communities in Northeast,
Midwest and West (This will be demonstrated on the US map) Why: jobs, homes, and
equal rights.
As a class, compare and contrast migration and immigration using a Venn diagram.
Students will create their own, but may work in their groups. Once groups have worked
for a little bit, we can go over it as a class and create one so some students can use
information from the class Venn Diagram.

Differentiation
For ELL students, I would allow them to use a tablet to translate the meaning of migration and
other words that they need throughout the lesson.
Visually Impaired: For a student is visually impaired, I would give them the map for the Great
Migration on their own tablets. This way the student can enhance the image to whatever size
they want.
For a student who is struggling to write about migration, they could draw pictures that convey
the point they are trying to come across.
For a student who is struggling to understand the topic after reading the section, I would allow
them to discuss with a partner about what migration means before they put up a sticky note.

Closure
To close the activity, have students work in groups to complete the section review on
page 329. Each student will turn in their individual responses.
Formative / Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment: Teacher will ask the students to share the answers from the section
review. Discussing with them how they came up with the answers. Teacher will collect the Venn
diagram.
Materials / Equipment
Textbook - Harcourt 3rd- Chapter 9: Our American Culture
Map of the United States
Venn Diagram
Sticky Notes
Technology
Interactive whiteboard (i.e. SMARTBoard) will be used to show the map of the United States to

track the route of the Great Migration

Reflection on Planning
For the planning of this lesson, I had to think about how the students would stay interested in
migration. I decided to talk a lot about their own personal experiences because this connects
the lesson to them. This makes it become more personal. To conclude the lesson, I asked them
to write a journal entry. In the journal entry, they have to write through the viewpoint of
someone else. So although they are not writing about themselves exactly, even the students
who do not have experience moving are able to have the experience through their writing.
Content Outline
o

Migration in the United States

Migrate- move
People all around you migrate in in the U.S. all the
time
o ask students if they have moving experience or
know someone who has moved and why
The Great Migration
1900s - African Americans migrated to urban areas in
the Northeast, Midwest, and West in hope to find jobs,
homes, and equal rights
Use map of route and final places of living to show
students
Migration Continues
People are still migrating to urban areas for jobs and
opportunity
Other people migrate from urban to suburban or rural
Sun Belt- wide region in the southern parts of the
country that has a mild climate
Have students map out where their own family has
migrated from
o Either from another country, from another
state, or from a different town
Depending on childrens family history,
they would be given a map of the world,
Northern America, and Pennsylvania

Name:_______________________________________