Idaho Social Studies 6-9.WH.2.2

Social StudiesGrades 6–9Geography

The Standard

Identify the main reasons for major migrations of people.

Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students locate where a group left and where it went. They explain why people moved, using details from a map or short account. They tell when people were forced to move.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student explains that crop failure and hunger drove many Irish families to leave in the 1840s. They identify the Atlantic slave trade as forced transport for enslaved labor, not a choice.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume everyone moved to find a better job. They may describe forced removal as a choice or assume every person in a group moved for the same reason.
How to Assess It: Give students two case notes: “Irish families left during crop failures in the 1840s” and “Captured Africans were transported across the Atlantic.” Ask for one reason behind each move and which involved captivity.

Lesson moves

Have students draw routes for Irish emigration and the Atlantic slave trade on a blank map, then label why each group moved.
Read a short account of capture during the Atlantic slave trade. Ask, “Why was this crossing forced rather than a choice?”
Give pairs cards for four migrations and four reasons. Have them match the cards and point to a clue supporting each match.
Use a UNHCR fact sheet on refugees from Sudan to find a host country and the reason people fled.

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