Time Frame: 60 Minutes
Overarching Goals
The students will be introduced to the topic of migration. They will learn about the most important theoretical concepts, hear the opinions of experts about migration-related topics and work with German migration data. These exercises will help them develop a critical and reflective understanding about the topic that is based on information from empirical data analyses and current research findings.
Overarching Skills
- Develop an awareness of the problems of the migration process
- Learn basic theoretical concepts related to migration
- Observe, analyse, interpret
- Encourage critical thinking
Materials
Activity 1: What are Migration Flows? Discussion of a Graph About Migration in Germany (15 Minutes)
As an introduction to the topic, the class should read the text "What are Migration Flows?" to understand the basic ideas of migration. Afterwards, the students should look at the graph "Migration in Germany" and then work to answer the questions about the graph. The answers can be put on the board as bullet points.
Activity 2: Group Work About the Issue Why People Decide to Migrate (15 Minutes)
In order to understand why people migrate and leave their homes, the students should read the texts to help them gain an overview about the different types of migration (international, within a country and within Europe), as well as the different factors that make migration easier or more difficult (education, economic background, age, gender, etc.). To help develop a relationship to these factors, the students should work in groups to develop and present the migration background of a fictitious person. They can use the bolded terms in the texts as cornerstones for their imaginary person.
Activity 3: Partner Work and Exchange About Push and Pull Factors (10 Minutes)
The students should work in partners. One student in each group should receive Text A about push factors while the other partner receives Text B about pull factors. Each student should read his or her text and then think about three examples for each of their terms. Together, the partners should explain the term they were responsible for and discuss what push and pull factors are.
Activity 4: Working with the App A Life Journey (20 Minutes)
The students should check out the chapter "Where will my future neighbours come from?" in the app A Life Journey to learn more about the topic of migration. They should discuss as a group or as a whole class the related questions.
*To use the app in the classroom, the students need access to an iPhone or an iPad. The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store.*