You will learn
- Define migration, settlement, push and pull factors, diaspora.
- Describe major migrations.
- Explain evidence.
- Treat migrants with dignity.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- People have migrated throughout history.
- Push and pull factors explain moves.
- Evidence comes from language, archaeology and oral history.
- Migrants shape the places they join.
Words to know
a reason that makes people leave a place
a reason that attracts people to a place
people who have spread from their original homeland and live in other places
a place where people live and make their home
1. Discover: Across the ocean
Ms Smith tells of Polynesian navigators who crossed vast stretches of the Pacific in double canoes, reading stars, waves and birds to settle islands over centuries. “On land, Bantu-speaking communities spread from West-Central Africa across eastern and southern Africa over about three thousand years, carrying farming, iron working and languages,” she says. “We know from language families, archaeology and oral history. People move for many reasons, and in each case they changed the places where they settled.”
Think: What pushes people away from a place and what pulls them to a new one?
2. Understand: Migration and settlement
Idea 1: Why people moved
People migrate because of push factors (drought, famine, conflict, lack of land) and pull factors (fertile land, jobs, safety, trade). Migration may be slow, spreading over generations, or fast. A settlement grows where people find water, food and security.
Idea 2: Great migrations
Homo sapiens spread from Africa to every continent over tens of thousands of years. The Bantu-speaking expansion spread languages and iron working over much of sub-Saharan Africa over about 3,000 years. Polynesian voyagers settled islands across the Pacific. Many peoples moved along trade routes and later formed a diaspora in new lands.
Idea 3: Evidence and respect
Historians use language families, archaeology, DNA studies and oral traditions to study migration, and these sources must be checked carefully. Migrants brought skills, foods and ideas and were often welcomed, but sometimes faced hardship. We describe migration with respect and avoid simple stories of invasion or conquest unless the evidence shows it.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Define
Push factor.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: A reason to leave.
Example 2 (We do it together): Define
Diaspora.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: People spread from a homeland.
Example 3 (You try): Name
A kind of migration evidence.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Language.
Did you know?
Languages in the same family share words and grammar that show common ancestry and past migration.
Why this matters
Understanding migration helps us see the connections among the world’s peoples.
4. Explore: Migration journey
Choose one historical migration. Draw its route on a map, list push and pull factors, name two kinds of evidence, and write a paragraph on how the migrants changed the places they reached.
- Choose.
- Draw.
- List.
- Write.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Migration shaped every region.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A push factor is ___.
- A pull factor is ___.
- A diaspora is ___.
- A settlement is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a push factor?
Reason to leave.
Question 2. What is a pull factor?
Reason to go.
Question 3. What is a diaspora?
People spread abroad.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a push factor?
- What is a pull factor?
- What is a diaspora?
- What is a settlement?
- Name a migration.
Level 2: Grow
- Why migrate?
- Why evidence?
- Why respect?
Level 3: Stretch
- Choose a migration.
- Draw its route.
- Write a paragraph.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Explain push and pull factors with an example.
Show a sample answer
Drought pushes; fertile land pulls.
Another one. Find a place on a map that was settled by people from elsewhere and discuss with an adult.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It is as old as humanity.
Fix: Often they traded or mixed.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can define migration, settlement, push and pull factors, diaspora.
- I can describe major migrations.
- I can explain evidence.
- I can treat migrants with dignity.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- People have migrated throughout history.
- Push and pull factors explain moves.
- Evidence comes from language, archaeology and oral history.
- Migrants shape the places they join.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Empires and states. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Define push factor and pull factor. [2 marks]
- Name three historical migrations. [3 marks]
- Explain how historians study migration. [3 marks]
- Explain one effect of migration on a place. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Push [1]; pull [1]
- Three [3]
- Language [1]; archaeology [1]; oral history [1]
- Effect [1]; example [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is a push factor?
- What is a pull factor?
- What is a diaspora?
- What is a settlement?
- Name a migration.
- Why migrate?
- Why evidence?
- Why respect?
- Choose a migration.
- Draw its route.
Homework
Draw a migration map.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a push factor? | Reason to leave. | 1 |
| 2. What is a pull factor? | Reason to go. | 1 |
| 3. What is a diaspora? | People spread abroad. | 1 |
| 4. What is a settlement? | A place to live. | 1 |
| 5. Name a migration. | Bantu expansion. | 1 |
| 6. Why migrate? | Safety or opportunity. | 1 |
| 7. Why evidence? | Know the past. | 1 |
| 8. Why respect? | Dignity. | 1 |
| 9. Choose a migration. | Choose. | 1 |
| 10. Draw its route. | Route. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Reason to leave.; 2 Reason to go.; 3 People spread abroad.; 4 A place to live.; 5 Bantu expansion.. Level 2: 1 Safety or opportunity.; 2 Know the past.; 3 Dignity.. Level 3: 1 Choose.; 2 Route.; 3 Write..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Define migration, settlement, push and pull factors, diaspora | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Describe major migrations | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Explain evidence | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Treat migrants with dignity | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Migration is new.” It is as old as humanity.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make a migration chart.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child studies historical migration. Please look at world maps and talk about movement with respect. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Look at maps.
- Talk about moving.
- Welcome newcomers.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: define migration, settlement, push and pull factors, diaspora; describe major migrations; explain evidence; treat migrants with dignity.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 5 ideas: historical sources, regional history, African and world connections.
Materials. Maps, cards. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Prepare migration maps.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the across the ocean story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach migration.
Guided activity (10 min). Migration journey.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Why and how have people migrated through history?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Migration is new.” It is as old as humanity.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Make a migration chart. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 6 Unit 3, topic 5; NCSS C3 Framework, change, continuity and context, perspectives and causation; Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities, chronology and historical enquiry; IB Primary Years Programme, where we are in place and time. These sources informed the lesson.