Understanding Migration

Curriculum Area and Level

Area: PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education) with a cross-curricular link to Citizenship.

Key Stage: Upper Key Stage 2 (Year 5).
Aligned with the UK National Curriculum, which encourages pupils to understand ethical concepts such as fairness, justice, and diversity, and provides opportunities to discuss and critically evaluate important societal topics like migration.

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Understand what migration is and the key reasons why people migrate.
2. Explore the ethical dilemmas surrounding migration (e.g., fairness, belonging, justice).
3. Develop empathy by considering the perspectives of migrants and host communities.
4. Collaborate to construct inclusive and ethical responses to migration scenarios.

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Resources Needed

1. Large world map or globe.
2. Whiteboard or flipchart.
3. Sticky notes and markers for brainstorming.
4. A4 paper and coloured pencils for creative group tasks.
5. Pre-prepared "migration story cards" (see below for examples).
6. Teacher-prepared "ethical dilemmas sheet" (see below).

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Lesson Structure

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Opening Question (3-4 mins):
   Start with a question to engage curiosity:
   "What do you think happens when people move to a new place to live?"
   Encourage hands to go up and create a short word-cloud list of ideas (e.g., emotions like ‘excited’ or challenges like ‘language barriers’).

2. Explaining Migration (6-7 mins):
   Use the globe/map to explain:

   • People move from one place to another for different reasons.
   • Reasons might include work, safety, better living standards, family, or education.
   • Some types include voluntary migration (by choice) and forced migration (like fleeing war or natural disasters).
     Provide an age-appropriate example, such as:
   • "Imagine you live somewhere where there's no school, and your family decides to move somewhere safer and with schools for you to attend. How would you feel?”
     Tie to UK contexts, like people who may have moved to the UK for a better life or safety.

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Activity 1: Migration Stories (15 minutes)

1. Set the Scene (2 mins):
   Explain that students will "step into someone else's shoes." Hand out the pre-prepared "migration story cards.” Examples include:

   • A child fleeing war.
   • A parent moving to the UK for a new job.
   • A family moving to escape the effects of climate change.

2. Small Group Work (10 mins):
   In groups of 5, students:
   a. Read their migration story card aloud.
   b. Discuss how the person might feel (e.g. scared, hopeful, nervous).
   c. Discuss if they think this migration is fair or unfair and why.
   Ask guiding questions as groups work:

   • "How might this person feel lonely or included in a new place?"
   • "What challenges might this person face?”

3. Share Back (3 mins):
   Groups share 1-2 thoughts. Facilitate reflection, e.g.:

   • “Josh mentioned that the person on his card felt lonely in the new town. Does anyone have ideas how we could help them feel welcome?”

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Activity 2: Ethical Dilemmas (15 minutes)

1. Introduce the Dilemma (2 mins):
   Use an imagined scenario to introduce an ethical problem:
   "Imagine 5 families need help, but your school can only make space for 3 new families. How do you pick who should join?”
   (Ensure examples include relatable reasons, e.g., a family with young children, a family escaping natural disasters, etc.)

2. Ethical Debate (8 mins):

   • Divide the class into groups of 6. Assign each group one "family" from the dilemma.
   • Groups must argue why their family deserves a place, using respectful debate skills.
   • Act as moderator for group discussions to keep debate age-appropriate and focused on fairness and responsibility.

3. Class Decision (5 mins):
   Come together as a class to decide which families the school should support. Discuss:

   • How did you decide who the "winners" were?
   • Was it easy or hard? Why?
   • Do you think this happens in real life?
     Reinforce that balancing fairness and resources can be ethically challenging.

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Plenary: Building Empathy (5 minutes)

1. Ask a closing question for reflection:

   • "What can your community do to make people who move here feel welcome?”
     Write ideas from the class onto sticky notes and place them on the board (e.g., learning someone’s name, sharing snacks, inviting them to play).

2. Reinforce Key Takeaway:
   "Whether someone moves for safety, work, or other reasons, they deserve kindness and fairness. Migration is about people hoping for a better life, just like all of us."

3. Encourage Creativity:
   Assign a light homework activity:
   "Draw or write a 'Welcome Poster' to help a new family feel included in our school."

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Differentiation

• For Higher Ability Learners: Encourage deeper discussion about government roles in supporting migrants and ask them to consider questions of resource allocation.
• For Lower Ability Learners: Pair them with a buddy to assist with reading migration story cards and scaffold the ethical dilemmas into simpler options.

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Assessment

• Formative Assessment through:
  • Group contributions in activities.
  • Responses during the plenary discussion.
• Evaluate their understanding of fairness, empathy, and ethical decision-making.

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This lesson is crafted to engage Year 5 learners in meaningful, age-appropriate discussions on the ethics of migration, weaving together empathy-building, critical thinking, and real-world applications.