Global Connections and Change

Overview

Lesson 3 of 6: Students examine two brief case studies to explore how globalization and climate change influence migration, economies, and communities. They interpret movement patterns, discuss why people move, and begin a concept map linking globalization with trade, migration, and communication.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• Explain globalization in relation to trade, migration, and communication.
• Identify and classify reasons people move, including employment, conflict, environmental change, and opportunity.
• Interpret simple migration patterns using maps, arrows, and case-study evidence.
• Describe how global changes can create both opportunities and challenges for communities.

Success criteria

• I can explain globalization in my own words.
• I can identify at least two reasons people may move.
• I can use evidence from a case study to explain an effect on people or communities.
• I can connect globalization to trade, migration, and communication in a concept map.

Curriculum links

• Globalization and its effects on individuals, communities, economies, and Canada.
• Economic decision-making, including the connections between trade, employment, and quality of life.
• Citizenship in a changing and interdependent world.
• Research and communication skills: interpreting maps and sources, considering multiple perspectives, and supporting conclusions with evidence.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 minutes – Hook and prior knowledge Open with the opening question and global movement image: “Why might a person, family, or business move from one place to another?” Students write one possible reason, then share with a partner. Establish that migration can occur within a country or across borders and is not always voluntary.

2. 4–8 minutes – Build shared understanding Use the key ideas and vocabulary slides to introduce globalization as the increasing connection and interdependence of people and places. Briefly define trade, migration, communication, opportunity, conflict, employment, and environmental change. Emphasize that people may move for several connected reasons.

3. 8–16 minutes – Case study investigation Distribute the two-case-study investigation sheet. In pairs, students read the two short cases and annotate the movement arrows on the accompanying maps.

• Case A: Families in coastal Bangladesh experience increasingly severe flooding and saltwater intrusion. Some move to Dhaka, where global garment supply chains provide employment, although housing and services are under pressure.
• Case B: Syrian families leave areas affected by conflict and seek safety and opportunity in neighbouring countries and Europe. Communication networks, transport routes, border policies, and employment conditions influence their journeys and settlement experiences. Students identify the main push and pull factors and record one effect on a person, economy, or community.

4. 16–21 minutes – Compare and discuss Pairs compare their responses using the case-study comparison and discussion prompts. Ask: “Which reasons for moving are chosen, and which are forced?” “How might globalization make movement easier in some ways and harder in others?” “Who benefits, and who may face challenges?” Invite several evidence-based responses and clarify that migration experiences are diverse.

5. 21–27 minutes – Begin the concept map Students complete the central section of the globalization concept-map page. They place Globalization at the centre and add three branches: trade, migration, and communication. For each branch, they add at least one example from today’s cases and one consequence for people or communities. Encourage linking phrases such as “connects,” “influences,” “creates,” or “can lead to.”

6. 27–30 minutes – Plenary and exit response Display the plenary question and sentence frame. Students complete: “Globalization can influence migration because…” and include one piece of case-study evidence. Collect the worksheet or ask students to leave it open for Lesson 4.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the two-case-study investigation sheet
• Projector or interactive display
• World and regional maps included in the worksheet
• Pens, pencils, and highlighters
• Board or chart paper for recording push and pull factors

Assessment

• Circulate during pair work and check whether students distinguish push factors from pull factors and use evidence from the cases.
• Review annotations, comparison responses, and the first section of each concept map for accurate links among globalization, trade, migration, and communication.
• Use the plenary sentence to assess whether students can explain a relationship between globalization and migration.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank, labelled maps, sentence frames, and a partially completed concept map for students who need support.
• Read the case studies aloud and allow students to discuss ideas before writing; pair multilingual learners with supportive peers and accept labelled diagrams as evidence.
• Chunk the worksheet into one question at a time and highlight key information for students with attention, reading, or processing needs.
• Extend students by asking them to identify a possible short-term benefit and long-term challenge for each case, or to add a fourth branch showing the role of government policy.