Migration Basics

Lesson Overview

This 75-minute lesson introduces Year 5 students to the concept of migration, focusing on what migration means, why people move to other countries, and the effects of migration. The lesson is designed specifically to align with the Australian Curriculum v9 Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) for Year 5. Students will explore push and pull factors that influence migration, using real-world Australian contexts and examples from the Australian Human Rights Commission's migration resources (adapted for classroom use without hyperlinks). The lesson includes visual aids, discussions, and interactive activities designed for 17 students.

Curriculum Links

Content Descriptions

ACHASSK111: The reasons people from diverse backgrounds migrated to Australia and the contributions they have made to Australian society
ACHASSI106: Locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats
ACHASSI107: Examine information to identify different points of view and distinguish between fact and opinion
ACHASSI108: Develop texts, particularly explanations and discussions that use subject-specific terms and concepts

General Capabilities Addressed

Critical and Creative Thinking
Ethical Understanding
Intercultural Understanding
Literacy

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Define migration and identify examples of migration to Australia in simple terms.
Describe push and pull factors influencing people’s decisions to migrate.
Discuss reasons why people migrate to Australia, including economic opportunities, conflict, and family reunification.
Engage respectfully and thoughtfully in discussions about migration, recognising diversity in migration stories.
Use visual aids and primary information sources to interpret migration data.

Resources Needed

Large world map or Australian map
Printed pictures/visual cards representing different migration reasons (economic, conflict, family)
Whiteboard and markers
Printed key word cards: Migration, Push factors, Pull factors, Refugee, Economic migrant, Family reunification
Student notebooks and pencils
Volunteer migration story snippets (prepared simple oral histories/anecdotes)
Graphic organiser worksheet for push and pull factors
Access to adapted content from Australian Human Rights Commission’s migration information (cut-out or printed)

Lesson Structure

Time	Activity	Description	Curriculum Alignment
0-10 mins	Introduction & Engagement	- Begin with a circle time question: "What do you think migration means?" Write student responses on whiteboard.

Introduce formal definition of migration: moving from one country or place to another, often for a better life.
Show world map and point out Australia. Discuss briefly where migrants might come from. | ACHASSI106 | | 10-25 mins | Explicit Teaching: Push and Pull Factors | - Introduce 'Push factors' (reasons people leave their home country) and 'Pull factors' (reasons people come to a new country).
Use visual cards (e.g., war/conflict, job opportunities, family, education).
Provide simple examples and ask students to classify reasons into push or pull.
Use the whiteboard to note their ideas. | ACHASSK111, ACHASSI106 | | 25-40 mins | Interactive Group Activity: Sorting Migration Reasons | - Divide students into small groups (4-5).
Give each group a set of migration reason cards.
Groups discuss and sort cards into push and pull factors using graphic organiser sheets.
Circulate and support reasoning. | ACHASSI106, ACHASSI107 | | 40-55 mins | Real-world Connections & Story Sharing | - Share brief migration stories from Australia's history relevant to Year 5 (e.g., post-war migration from Europe, migration for safety, family reunification).
Students can listen and then retell or reflect on what motivated that person/family to move.
Encourage empathy by discussing feelings involved in migration decisions. | ACHASSK111, ACHASSI108 | | 55-65 mins | Class Discussion & Q&A | - Facilitate a guided discussion about why migration is still important today.
Explore questions like: How does migration help Australia? What challenges might people face?
Highlight respect for diversity and understanding different viewpoints. | ACHASSI107, ACHASSI108 | | 65-75 mins | Plenary & Reflection | - Students individually write or draw one new thing they learnt about migration.
Use a simple exit ticket: "Migration means ____. One reason people migrate is ____."
Collect exit tickets for teacher to assess understanding. | ACHASSI108 |

Assessment

Formative assessment through:

Observation and notes from group activity discussions and sorting task.
Quality and completeness of responses in graphic organisers.
Individual exit tickets demonstrating understanding of migration and push/pull factors.

Differentiation and Inclusion

Provide picture cards and definitions for EAL/D students to scaffold understanding.
Use oral storytelling and role-play for kinaesthetic learners and those needing verbal reinforcement.
Group students heterogeneously to support peer learning.
Encourage students to share migration stories from their own family background, if comfortable, to connect personally.

Extensions and Home Learning

Invite students to interview a family member or neighbour about their migration story or that of their ancestors.
Create a classroom migration timeline or wall chart for the unit.

Teacher Notes

Emphasise empathy and respect during discussions; migration can be an emotional topic for some students.
Reinforce vocabulary frequently during the lesson (migration, push, pull, refugee, migrant).
Use real-life Australian contexts wherever possible to maintain relevance and engagement.

This lesson plan is designed to meet Years 5 Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum standards on migration, focusing on understanding reasons behind migration and appreciating diverse migrant stories, laying a strong foundation for the next lessons in the unit "Understanding Australian Migration" .

Teaching Instructions