Activity
Day 1
1. As a class, students read the Introduction to Human
Migration and Population. The teacher specifically
emphasizes the definitions of migration and push-pull
factors while reading aloud with the class, and explains
that these definitions are important to understand
for an upcoming activity. It is a good idea for the
teacher to solicit examples from the class of push-pull
factors to verify their understanding. Some possible
questions include:
“
Where is your family from?”
”
Why did your family originally settle here?”
“
What does your family like about living in this city?”
“
What kind of jobs do your parents have?”
2.
Based on their answers, the teacher guides the
students into making connections about the reasons people
move to and settle in different parts of the country.
The
teacher should explain to the class that the U.S. is
a country with 4 distinct subregions that
attract people to live in them for different reasons.
At
this point, hand out a political map of the U.S. to
each student.
Using
a geography transparency with a political map of the
U.S., the teacher guides the students
by showing
them the 4 subregions:
- The
Northeast
- The
Midwest
- The
South
- The
West
Each
region with state boundaries should be shaded by a different
color on the transparency.
Using
colored pencils or highlighters, ask students to do the
same by shading in and
labeling the
regions.
Day 2
2. Students read the handout titled “Sub-regions
of the United States.” You may either read aloud
as a class or work in pairs with this activity. After the
reading is accomplished, ask students to answer the following
questions:
- Identify
and list the push-pull factors in the development
of the Northeast. (Push factors – The
regions coastal and inland waters served as trade
centers; there were jobs
in manufacturing, service, and finance. Pull
factors – loss
of jobs in traditional industries; warmer climates
existed in the West and South)
- Why
was the Midwest suitable for settlement? (Pull factors – fertile
soil, good rainfall and temperate climate,
great location, good waterways. Push factors – jobs
and homes moving to the suburbs; even warmer climates
in the South and West)
- What
factors pull people to live in the South? (Jobs in
oil, steel, electronics;
climate brings in
tourists and retirees)
- Why
does California draw so many people to live there?
(Variety of jobs available; coastal waters
and mountains attract recreation)
Closure
Summarize with the class that many students in the discussion
on Day 1said their family was not originally from the
United States, or even the city they currently live in.
Continue explaining that some students said their families
settled in their particular city because of its economic
opportunities that offered good jobs, a better way of
life, or because their family preferred living, for example,
near the coast in a mild climate. All the reasons related
to human movement or migrations are related to push-pull
factors in relationship to a region’s economy,
natural resources, physical features or climate. Conclude
by explaining that many of these factors are constantly
changing, therefore, human migration and development
is never stagnant.
Homework |
Embedded
Assessment
Ask
students to write a short paragraph explaining to you which region
of the United States they would choose to live in based on their
comparisons of each area. They must specifically state their
reasons why.
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