Migration 

 
Lesson Plan for Grade 5, Global Education/ELA 
Prepared by Cara Proctor 

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE 

Students will explore global education issues of refugees, human rights, and diversity by 
discussing pictures and short anecdotes from actual refugees. Students will collaborate in 
groups to discuss the experiences of refugees and make comparisons between their own lives. 
As a result, students will create a list of items that demonstrates empathy and 
perspective-taking. 

EDUCATION STANDARDS 

1. Speaking and Listening: 

a. Comprehension and Collaboration 

i. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in 

groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, 
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.  

1. b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned 

roles.  

2. c. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that 

contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.  

3. d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of 
information and knowledge gained from the discussions 

OBJECTIVES 
1. SWBAT empathize with the experience of immigration by making lists, inferring within 
migration stories, and comparing similarities and differences in push and pull factors. 

1   
MATERIALS NEEDED 

1. Chromebooks 
2. Migration Baggage Slides 
3. Notebooks/ Migration TChart 

LESSON-DRIVEN QUESTIONS 

1. Why do people migrate? 

2. Can you imagine what it's like to be in the shoes of a refugee? 
3. How are migrations the same and different? 

ACTIVITY - Migration Baggage 

1. Hook (10 mins): Simulated Scenario 

a. Students will be told a fictional story about being forced to migrate. 
i. “ You are doing your homework one night when suddenly all the lights in 
your room shut off. With the computer screen as your only light, you find 
your parents. They tell you that a big storm is rolling in and you must 
evacuate your home as soon as possible. Your family is going to pack up the 
car so you can get out before the storm comes in. They ask you to take 10 
things to bring for yourself. You are not sure if you will ever return to your 
house again and you are not sure where you are going.” 
1. Questions:  
a. What would you bring with you?  
b. What is something you feel like you could not live without? 
c. What would you prioritize? 
2. List:  
a. Students have 5 mins to create a list of 10 things to bring with 
them. 
b. Set timer 
2. Body (40 mins): Real World Connections 
a. Share (10 mins) 
i. Students will now share some items they wrote on their list and two 
students will write down the items on the board. As students share, we will 
ask the question “did anyone else put this item on their list?” We will put 
tally marks next to the item to represent the number of people who put it 
on their list.   

2   
 ii. Vocabulary: Prioritize 
1. Use the list to identify the item that has the most tallies. 
2. “Wow, it seems like a lot of people prioritized ________. This means 
that they consider that thing to be very important, more important 
than other things. Why do you think this is?”  
a. STudents share ideas 
b. Real World Migration Stories/ Baggage Items (15 mins) 
i. The teacher explained that now we will look at items from real people who 
have made real migration journeys.  
ii. Students will work in partners to look at the items each person brought, 
read the caption by each person, and discuss why that was a priority for 
each person. 
iii. Remember: We are talking about real people who have experienced real 
hardship in their lives, this means that we need to show compassion and 
empathy when reading about their stories. 
c. Share (15 mins) 
i. What were the items they brought and why do you think they chose these 
items? 
ii. What do the items have in common? 
iii. How do the items differ from the ones you put on your list?  
1. Why do you think this is? 
3. Closing (10 mins) 
a. Empathy 
i. Students will now be told a story similar to one experienced by the 
refugees.  
ii. They will create a new list as an exit ticket. 
1. Put yourself in their shoes.  

ASSESSMENT 

4. Exit Ticket/Revised List. 

a. Students will revise their previous lists by replacing items with irreplaceable 
items, necessary items, and fundamentally important items.  
i. Students will be assessed using two of UDL’s 6 Facets: empathy and 
perspective taking. 

3